J-Serve is when young Jewish teens from around the Metro-west area come together to help the community. My Israeli and I, Chen Yannai, were put in "Buddy it Up". This was a program in which CPNJ (Cerebral Palsy New Jersey) adults came to the Federation. We were able to talk, play sports, and color with them.
Chen and I sat down and talked to a man named Carl. He loved Justin Bieber and cheese crackers. We talked to him for about 30 minutes getting to know him. He told us how he was the only one left living in his family and other things that really shocked both Chen and me. He really gave us perspective on life that most people in today's society don't get. Carl showed us how fortunate we are and how lucky we are to be surrounded by a great community and family that are always there to support and love us.
Not only was meeting and talking with the CPNJ adults meaningful, but J-serve as a whole was the first time we were able to show the rest of the community what Diller is all about. We wore our matching Diller Cohort 7 shirts and were screaming our chants and jumping all around. The 40 of us were finally one big family and we weren’t afraid to let everyone know that. I had many friends participating in J-serve, but none of them experienced it the way I did. I had a truly meaningful time that I will never forget. It is not every day you get to experience something amazing with 39 of your closest friends.
-Sophie Wainberg
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