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This article was written my Eliyahu Taylor, a senior at DePaul University, who serves as the Israel Intern at Hillel.

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Shalom Everyone,

Last week I attended the Vigil for Haiti; a program created by the Interfaith Scholars, and was deeply moved. As I walked into the dark room, I saw a cluster of candles surrounded by a small intimate group of people sitting in silent reflection and I could feel the connectedness all around me. As I continued to enter the space, what proceeded to happen took my breath away. This small circle that was there when I first came in began to expand. It became bigger and bigger until it almost lined the periphery of the room.

As the group reflection began, I sat down and looked around at all of the students and staff who had come to the event. It made me so happy to see people there from all different faith traditions. I am so proud to go to a school where an event like this not only happens, but is a core value.

That said, there was one thing that was said by one of the scholars that particularly struck me. Even though Haiti is far away – across an ocean – it is our responsibility to bring it closer. This could not have been a more true statement because when something remains far away it can start to lose its importance. An important issue gets diluted by the media and people become apathetic or in some cases take an extreme political stance and forget about the human issues at stake. If we bring important issues like what happened in Haiti to our campus and make the conscious choice to make them personal and not distance ourselves from them, the issue will regain its humanity. For when an issue can clearly enter our mind, it can clearly enter our hearts.

I know when I went to Israel this December I arrived with my own biases and my own diluted ideas, but after being there for a month I began to see that there was more than just a conflict between two governments and two sides; it is a place filled with vibrant people from all faiths who just want to live their lives in peace. Once I brought the issue close to me it became much clearer. Yes, there is a conflict in the Middle East and I don’t have an answer to the conflict, but there are things I can do as an individual such as coming here and spreading that word to bring this issue close to campus.

One of the highlights from my December trip was having a conversation with a Jewish Israeli woman who had previously worked at a university in Sfat (a city in Northern Israel), whose central mission was to bring Arabs and Jews together. She is also a woman who has witnessed many horrific things throughout her life. During our conversation she must have noticed a perplexed look on my face because she asked me what was wrong. I responded to that question with another one. “How are you still filled with so much love? You have been through so much. How do you remain so positive?” She turned to me and said, “Because this is our issue, if people push an issue away, there is nothing left but hate.”

This conversation illustrates an opinion that is shared by Israeli citizens of all faiths and cultural backgrounds. This conversation gave me hope. It empowered me to believe that each individual can make a difference. In regards to the crisis in Haiti, whether it is making a monetary contribution to Haiti to help build a new school or sending your prayers and good thoughts to the people of Haiti, you can do something. I thank the interfaith scholars for hosting a very meaningful vigil.

I hope that you all took something from my personal story and that it brought this issue closer to you. I urge you all to bring your own issues to campus, share your personal stories and constantly make sure we never forget about the human side to every issue throughout the world.

God bless the people of Haiti!