Thirteen students from the RKYHS junior class volunteered with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia to help clean up and restore the vandalized Mt. Carmel cemetery. The students saw firsthand the devastation that took place at the site over the weekend and were given a brief background and context overview by a representative of the Federation. The RKYHS delegation divided into groups and cleared away debris and shrubbery, and also worked on the painstaking task of accounting for the desecrated tombstones so that the families of the deceased could be notified

“I had heard about what had happened on the news, but didn’t fully comprehend the magnitude until I saw it up close for myself,” commented Judah Ullman, RKYHS eleventh grader. “Philadelphia is located so close to us, so I felt it was an opportunity to take action and make a difference.

“Watching families clean up their family members’ graves was so poignant and moving and really made me understand the gravity of the situation,” added Cynthia Lando, RKYHS eleventh grader. “I was happy I was able to physically take action and help another Jewish community outside of my own.”