I was asked to speak at a Canadian Federation of Jewish Student (CFJS) and Guelph Jewish Organizations Challenge Weekend held in Guelph, Ont., last month.

It is a pleasure to speak at student conferences as it gives me the opportunity to meet and learn from inspiring young Jewish leadership who understand the Jewish community and tikkun olam. I have spoken at similar conferences in Montreal, Kingston and Vancouver.

This conference was co-ordinated by superlative Jewish professionals such as Elyse Kayfetz, Yacov Fruchter, Haley Gotfrid and CFJS volunteer president, Alex Halpern. Ontario university students, from Guelph, Waterloo, St. Catherines, Toronto, and London attended.

The theme of the conference was My Jewish Challenge. I was asked to speak on “How We Can Challenge Ourselves To Be Better Jews.”

Rabbi Steven Greenberg, a gay Orthodox rabbi, a graduate of Yeshiva University, an author and a senior teaching fellow at the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership (CLAL), was a keynote speaker.

Judy Cohen, an erudite Holocaust survivor, and Dr. Alchol Dor, a bold survivor of “Sudan,” spoke on a panel titled “Remembering Auschwitz To Defend Darfur.’

I put my speech into a tikkun olam context. I said one of the ways we can strengthen ourselves is by fully appreciating an idea from Pirkei Avot: Who is a wise person? One who learns from everyone.

I said there are at least four groups of people we might look to to grow as a Jew.

Firstly, it is imperative we investigate the very grassroots social services and acts of chesed done by the Orthodox community. This community regularly responds to hordes of “collectors” who approach them on a daily basis in shul and/or at their homes for tzedakah for dozens of causes. There are volunteer and loan groups for everyone, including the bride without a gown. The strong and aggressive Orthodox Jewish response to the needy stems from years of thought and Torah learning.

I suggested to the 60 conference participants that they should study the successes of the Conservative and Reform community, as well as alternative groups, who have created sophisticated organizations and entities to respond to Jews and non-Jews in distress everywhere. Their activism, I believe, is one of the heart, an emotional appreciation and understanding of the despair and suffering of others in the world.

The third group I said we need to appreciate is the non-Jew. Throughout the world, you’ll find veteran non-Jewish charities tending to the outcasts, the untouchables and the handicapped. Many NGOs driven by their faith and Christian goodness have managed to enlighten the world about the basic needs of a child living at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro or a village struggling to build wells in war-ravaged Congo.

Finally, I said, watch the extraordinary giving spirit of a baby and/or a toddler. I used my son, Noah River, as an example, a gentle beautiful spirit who naturally offers me his cucumber or veggie dog with a smile and a look that says, “We’re both here. Isn’t it obvious we should both eat?” Learn from children because their selflessness translates into a drive to create oneness. Perhaps they are closest to God.

In Guelph, I met brave Jewish students who frequently stand alone on campus defending the Jewish people and Israel. When I was there, I realized I needed to inform you of the gratitude we owe these front-line students, who defend us against anti-Semitism and some of the underside of humankind found in campus lecture halls and the central squares of our great places of learning. I also wanted to let you know they need a lot more funding to fight on our behalf! Let’s thank them through more generous funding.

Sederot/Sudan?  Discuss on my blog at [email protected]