From Taos to Laos (and back)

In 1951, three activist rabbis formed an organization called the American Jewish Society for Service. In 1968, when my mother was sixteen, she went with AJSS to New Mexico for the summer, working with other high schoolers to build houses and do community service work. In 1997, my cousin, Jen, did the same in Oklahoma. And when I was sixteen, I followed suit.

I was reluctant at first. I pretty much hated doing anything that my mother recommended, and I wasn't too keen on the Jewish aspect of the organization. It turned out to be a really magical summer and I made some friends there who I have stayed in touch with, off and on, over the years. The Jewish aspect of the trip turned out to be low-key, if present at all. People came from pretty diverse backgrounds when it came to religion. Some people on the trip barely considered themselves Jewish, while others were raised kosher and went to services every Saturday. I think the mix fostered a nice spirit in regards to Judaism, without ever being dogmatic or by-the-book.

We were stationed in Taos, New Mexico. We slept on air mattresses in the classrooms of a church compound, and took a van every day to the Taos Pueblo Nation, where we all worked on building a house. We worked under the guidance of a man named Benito, who had lots of interesting and fantastical stories to tell us, but ultimately, was not the best foreman. And in retrospect, I don't think we made a huge impact on the house, aside from some plastering and stucco. But I remember it as a really unique, special summer that had a big impact on my development as a person - and that's why I was so jazzed to have a reunion with both Hanna (who you may remember from many travel adventures in Asia) and Melanie. The three of us hadn't been together in about eight years.


I think we all turned into some badass motherfuckers, if I may say so myself! Hanna spent two years in Guangzhou, teaching English and assisting documentary filmmakers, and now lives in Brooklyn and works at Teacher U, helping shape a new generation of educators. Melanie spent many years as a New Orleanian and environmentalist, is now at Rutgers for mechanical engineering, and is helping lead the New Jersey team in the national Solar Decathlon. And you all know what I do. Here's to many more reunions with these great women.

December 2010