[this blog]

I’m spending a year in Jerusalem, Israel working as a member of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s  Jewish Service Corps for the Center for International Migration & Integration.  This blog serves to chronicle my work and experiences while in Israel.  The name of this blog comes from the little Hebrew I do know (going into this): ani po means I’m here, which I recited during attendance at Hebrew School for many years… but which will now be said with more enthusiasm in Israel!

[me]

I am a recent graduate of Cornell University.  I love puppies.  My favorite food is cheese.  I’m a tree hugger.  I am a terrible singer (but that doesn’t stop me).  I’m a pescatarian.  I give many of my belongings Spanish names.  And I hate pruny fingers.

[my personal philosophy]

I am passionate about design, sustainability, and “repairing the world” (tikkun olam), which can all work in concert with each other.  I think it is immensely important to view things holistically and use systems-thinking to understand the linkages between areas which are so often viewed as distinct fields and treated separately, despite inherent connections.  I believe each of my 3 passions is relevant to holistic thinking, with each providing a learning opportunity and an opportunity to make things better.  It is my goal to always keep these 3 passions of mine in mind in whatever I do and pursue each of them actively.

My personal philosophy may not be so relevant to this blog, but I thought it’d be nice to share a little bit about who I am, as it affects how I work and think and do.  And hopefully I’ll be engaging in a lot of working and thinking and doing while in Jerusalem and in any of my other travels this year!