A billboard truck, not your Jewish mother, is asking questions this year
On Erev Rosh Hashana, JCF10Q.org launched an online reflection project created in honor of the Federation’s 100th year. JCF10Q offers people of all ages and backgrounds an opportunity to reflect through an online series of questions, one a day over the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The JCF10Q billboard truck in San Francisco.
The JCF10Q billboard truck showcasing the question of the day has been making its way around the Bay Area, attracting attention from passers-by and from the media. Last Thursday it traveled around Marin, being photographed by the Marin Independent Journal, and ending the day at a GET FED/HUB/Reboot Tashlich event on Ocean Beach. On Friday, the truck was enthusiastically greeted by students during a Shabbat service at the San Francisco Hillel near San Francisco State University. At each stop, passers-by are curious about the project and the questions and signing up to participate.
San Francisco Hillel students with the JCF10Q billboard truck.
“Just in time for the Jewish New Year, which begins today at sundown, a group of Jewish organizations has partnered to pose thoughtful Jewish questions — flashing them on the billboard at various Bay Area stops — from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur on Sept. 18,” said the San Jose Mercury News. “Students thought the idea was great and we ran out of postcards by the end of tonight,” said Heather Erez, assistant director of San Francisco Hillel. She said that Hillel would love to have the truck back again. “It’s cool!” she said.
JCF10Q asks participants to reflect on the past 12 months. The first question asked JCF10Qers to identify a significant experience that occurred in their lives over the past year. The majority looked inward, celebrating the engagement of children, expressing gratitude for people who had helped them during illness and appreciating a Birthright trip to Israel. Others focused on external or practical matters: real estate moves, trips, construction projects, and especially job-related stress, which is perhaps predictable given the precarious state of the economy. More than a few worried over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The second question asked JCF10Qers to think specifically about major events with their own families. Here, the majority of answers pertained to chronological milestones: children graduating, the birth of a child and the death of aged relatives.
The third question asked participants to think about an event in the broader world that had impacted them. While there were plenty of participants who looked at the situation in Israel or the broader political climate in America or the troubled economy, others chose to address California issues, such as the gas-line explosion and the recent fire in San Bruno.
Questions four and five looked more specifically at being Jewish and spiritual life. Here, the answers focused on everything from Torah to community to family; as well as extensive discussion of the environment, nature and culture. JCF10Q continues for the next few days. Sign up JCF10Q.org
