Cassandra Weinstein is studying for an MA in Nonprofit Management at the Rothberg International School. She hails from London, UK, and chose to study in Israel after participating in a short peer trip and longer summer internship program, in which she was placed at Beit Hagefen in Haifa.
Interning at the Jewish-Arab community center reinforced Cassandra’s commitment to non-profit community work, and she decided to apply to the Rothberg International School. The program incorporates two days of classes, along with one day of interning, which Cassandra spends at Masorti Olami, doing development work in their international office.
Over Passover break, Cassandra saw online how volunteers in the UK were helping their communities in this time of crisis. Living in the Student Village dormitories, she felt detached from the greater neighborhood, French Hill. She knew there must be a way to help, and that she and her peers, in their 20s, were not considered at high risk for contracting the virus. She reached out to Artichoke, a pub and community center in French Hill, and they directed her to a social worker at the neighborhood’s community council.
Cassandra created a Whatsapp group, comprising approximately 30 international students living in the dorms. Along with dozens of other volunteers, Cassandra and her peers regularly helped distribute food to 400 families who were unable to buy groceries or leave their houses.
A clip (with subtitles) showing international students alongside local volunteers is available here.
To meet Cassandra and hear about her experiences at the Hebrew University, click here.