Friday, December 9, 2011

Day Three

This was on the wall in the lobby of HIAS which is their symbol. Notice how it includes a menora and the shape of the globe in it.
        On day three we began our visits to service organizations. The first one on the list was HIAS, or Hebrew Immigrant Aid Service, which is a organization which helps people in religious minority groups of different countries become refugees and move to the United States. One thing that stood out to me about this organization was that although it is a Jewish organization, none of the workers here in Vienna are Jewish. In fact, when we asked what the overall religious orientation of the workforce was, they told us that they did not know because it is a private matter that no one really feels the need to talk about openly. This apparently is the norm for EUropean organizations; no one really talks about their religion and there isn't such a clear division of church and state. Unfortunately, the Director of HIAS in vienna was sick and was unable to meet with us but we did get to sit down with two employees working there.  They told us a little about their organization and said that at this current point in time, they are helping Iranian religious minorities which are almost all christian. I found this particularly interesting because although this organization was originally founded to help Jewish people immigrate, they had expanded past their foundation and to a wider group. What I believe happened in HIAS, and what tends to happen in organizations working with the government, is that by working with government, it does not allow them to discriminate against certain groups which creates a more secular organization.
        One of the two men we met with was named Jan (Yan). Jan is a public liaison at HIAS and gave me very interesting insights. I have been struggling with the question of what motivates people to act in a socially just way and if it is base in religion. Because of this, I decided to ask Jan what his motivation was. He began with the story of how he got into the field of social service. His journey began from the medical side of things as he worked as a nutritionist in Africa trying to help children and adults get the right food and eat healthily. What he said was that he was always interested in food and how it defined cultures. After working there for a while, he moved to other areas helping out and eventually ended up working for HIAS. And for the answer of what his motivation was, he gave a profound response. He said that when people are in a position of privilege, see inequality and have the ability to help, they must act. This follows an idea presented by a philosopher by the name of Levinas who says that when one is presented with the face of the other, it creates a call to conscience which motivates them to act. This idea is very interesting because it is not rooted in religion. This idea is rooted in human nature and relationships. From what I can tell, HIAS in Vienna has mostly moved past religious motivation.
        As I said before, I was very surprised at the lack of Jewish influence in this organization. Knowing it was a Jewish organization, I was expecting something completely different when I walked in. I have grown up as a culturally Jewish Atheist which means that I am a part of the Jewish community although I do not believe in god. I have always been involved with volunteering and social service projects whether they were religiously affiliated or not. My motivation for being involved with these was never a religious one and I have recently been wondering what my true motivation has been. With HIAS, I have come one step closer to answering my question because I can see myself in some of what HIAS in Vienna is. It is an organization that comes from a Jewish background and does service not because of Judaism but in a secular motivational way. I am a person who has come from a Jewish background who does service work from a different place other than religion.
        After we visited HIAS, we visited the Christmas Market at Carlsplatz. With the tradition of Austria, I was able to try the drink Gluhvine which is a tradition at Christmas markets. It had a wonderful atmosphere and was a wonderful way to rap up the day.
Me enjoying a delicious mug of Gluhvine. Cheers!
The Church Right outside of the Christmas Market
Enjoying myself at the Christmas Market. Oink!

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