Jewish Life Liaisons send cards to soldiers for Valentine's Day

Tikkun olam, meaning “repair the world,” is a phrase that represents the spirit of charitable giving in the Jewish faith.

The Jewish Life Liaisons cohort, which is run through the Jewish Renaissance Project at Penn Hillel, was inspired by the saying to create an altruistic Valentine’s Day event.

On Monday from 7 to 8 p.m., students came together to create cards to send to soldiers for Valentine’s Day.

“We all just really want to contribute to the world and society, and when you can’t financially contribute, [you] can contribute your time and gratitude,” College sophomore Teddie Levenfiche said. “There’s no group that deserves our gratitude and time more than the people protecting our country.”

JLLs is a group runthrough Penn Hillel that is comprised of freshman and sophomore leaders. The purpose of the group is to create social events for freshmen that also give back to the community.

“JRP wants to bring Judaism to campus in a way that students wouldn’t typically imagine as being Jewish, like philanthropy for example,” JRP Engagement Associate Mia Yellin said. “We should be doing whatever we can to make the world a better place.”

She views the group as a way to create a “nontraditional” and “fun” way for students to participate in the values of tikkum olam on campus.

This Valentine’s Day, the group wanted to channel this Jewish value rather than just focusing on the social aspect of the event.

“You learn how to bring the values of Jewish religion into your life from a college person’s perspective,” College and Wharton sophomore David Futoran said.

Group members said that the success of Monday’s event would be determined by the creation of a space for students who wanted to live by this principle of charity and tikkun olam, rather than the number of students who showed up.

“If one soldier fighting on the front lines receives a card, it’s better than none,” Levenfiche said. “It’s an opportunity we hope that people take advantage of and really see the value in doing.”

While members of the group said they felt that being involved with the group made them “more proud of [their] Jewish heritage,” they don’t want their events to be restricted to only Jewish students.

“Repairing the world may be a Jewish idea and philosophy, but absolutely anyone can do it,” Yellin said. “We should all have a mission to repair the world.”

Levenfiche agreed. “It’s nice to give back to the people who are keeping you safe.” he said. “We hope people take advantage of it.”