[By Michael Freund, International Affairs Correspondent]
Jewish students at the University of Florida have launched a unique program with a highly ambitious goal: getting their fellow classmates and community members to perform a million minutes worth of mitzvot by the end of the school year.
The program, which is being run by the campus Hillel, encourages students to sign up and pledge some of their precious spare time to doing good deeds on behalf of others.
Wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Got A Minute?”, Hillel staff members have handed out flyers with simple suggestions for short- and long-term mitzvah projects that students can undertake throughout the year.
Activities have included helping a local synagogue raise funds to pay for a double-lung transplant for one of its members, as well as building a home through Habitat for Humanity for a member of Gainesville, Florida’s Jewish community.
Sophomore Samantha Brazer expressed enthusiasm for the campaign, noting that, "It just takes a minute of your time to make someone's life better… it made me realize every minute counts, and it's an important way stay aware of opportunities to help other people."
Students taking part in the program can register on the campus Hillel’s website (www.ufhillel.org), where they can also record the projects to which they have chosen to devote their time.
"Our hope is to get students active in the community and excited about doing good deeds," said Taal Hasak-Lowy, assistant director of the University of Florida’s Hillel. "We want them to start volunteering through our Million Minutes of Mitzvah program and then continue on with it in their own lives."
With more than 46,000 students, the University of Florida is one of the largest institutions of higher education in the United States. An estimated 6,000 of the school’s students are Jewish.
Jewish students at the University of Florida have launched a unique program with a highly ambitious goal: getting their fellow classmates and community members to perform a million minutes worth of mitzvot by the end of the school year.
The program, which is being run by the campus Hillel, encourages students to sign up and pledge some of their precious spare time to doing good deeds on behalf of others.
Wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Got A Minute?”, Hillel staff members have handed out flyers with simple suggestions for short- and long-term mitzvah projects that students can undertake throughout the year.
The University of Florida
Sophomore Samantha Brazer expressed enthusiasm for the campaign, noting that, "It just takes a minute of your time to make someone's life better… it made me realize every minute counts, and it's an important way stay aware of opportunities to help other people."
Students taking part in the program can register on the campus Hillel’s website (www.ufhillel.org), where they can also record the projects to which they have chosen to devote their time.
The campus Hillel
With more than 46,000 students, the University of Florida is one of the largest institutions of higher education in the United States. An estimated 6,000 of the school’s students are Jewish.