Students Help Minnesota Flood Victims

Twelve students from Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls recently participated in a disaster-relief mission to aid Red River flood victims near Hammond, Minn. The sophomore and junior girls all said the trip taught them the power of the human spirit and put into perspective what’s truly valuable in a person’s life.

The mission was coordinated between the high school and New Jersey NCSY, which is an international youth movement of the Orthodox Union.

The disaster-relief team included the students, New Jersey NCSY Assistant Regional Director Rabbi Ethan Katz, NCSY Fair Lawn Chapter adviser Miriam Apter and Ma’ayanot faculty members Rabbi Zev Prince and Eileen Schwartz. The team worked with Nechama: The Jewish Response to Disaster, which is a Minnesota-based organization that assists communities in need.

Those who were interested in attending filled out an application that was reviewed by a committee of administrators and faculty members. About 60 students expressed interest in the trip, and that number got reduced to 12 throughout the application process, said Ariella Steinreich, Ma’ayanot’s community service coordinator and older sister to mission participant Daniella Steinreich. 

The teens who volunteered for were Molly Brodsky, 10th grade, Fair Lawn; Chani Dubin, 10th grade, Teaneck; Gali Sadek, 10th grade, Teaneck; Julie Schwartz, 10th grade, Clifton; Daniella Steinreich, 10th grade, Teaneck; Rachel Weil, 10th grade, Teaneck; Ilana Weinberger, 10th grade, Highland Park; Emily Blumenfeld, 11th grade, Teaneck; , Rebecca Lipschitz, 11th grade, Monsey, N.Y.; Daniella Meyer, 11th grade, Teaneck; and Natali Moyal, 11th grade, Englewood.

Once the girls arrived in Minnesota, they got to work clearing debris, painting homes and assisting town residents in any way that they could. They started working each day by 9 a.m. and ended at about 5:30 p.m.

Four days after returning to New Jersey, nine of the girls shared their thoughts on the trip. They remembered one resident in particular, an older lady named Doris, who lost her house and most of her possessions in the April flood. The girls said a relative built Doris another home before they arrived.

“You could see the line on her barn where the top of the water went up to, and it was a foot from the roof,” said Chani Colton, an 11th grade student from Teaneck. “I can’t imagine that much water. Most of the stuff went to the dumpster, but there was too much stuff, so we had to burn it. It was mostly insulation, floor boards, her possessions.”

The girls said they threw out a lot of insulation that was so water-logged and heavy that they needed wheelbarrows to transport it. In all, the girls were able to assist three homeowners during the bulk of their trip.

“I remember while we were walking around Hammond an older lady walked up to us and asked us to help her clean,” said Brodsky. “We were just going with the flow and helping anyone who needed us.”

On Sunday, the girls spent time with children at a local homeless shelter. Ariella Steinreich said the various activities during the trip were meant to extend the borders of the school’s community service program.

“By doing this we wanted the girls to learn other ways they could volunteer,” she said. “Later that day, before returning home to New Jersey, the girls participated in the Susan G. Komen for the Cure 5K Walk.”

The girls walked on behalf of Sharsheret, a national organization based out of Teaneck that assists Jewish women affected by breast cancer.

“What was so inspirational about the walk was that survivors wore bright pink shirts so they stood out from the group,” said Daniella Steinreich. “There were so many of them.”

Dubin said it was inspiring how despite losing all their material possessions, the flood victims remained optimistic about the future and always managed to smile.

“Everyone was so friendly and always had a smile on their face,” said Sadek. “It really brightened our mood. You could see how far a smile goes and brightens someone’s day.”

Blumenfeld said toward the end of the mission, the girls asked among themselves about what would they save if they only had a few seconds.

“Everyone chose something that had to do with their family or something sentimental,” she said. “That made me think about what I have. At the end of the day, things are just things. But family is family; you would never want to lose your family. It makes you very thankful that you have everything you have.”

Editor's Note: The article incorrectly listed the number of students who had applied for the program.