Emily's temple group in Washington, D.C.

On February 23, as I boarded a bus with my temple confirmation class, I had no idea that the weekend I was about to experience would have such a powerful effect on me.

We were on our way to Washington, D.C., to participate in a Jewish social action conference called L’Taken, led by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. At Hebrew high school, we had spent weeks discussing important social issues in preparation for the conference, yet I still didn’t really know what to expect. I had heard we would have the chance to lobby a member of Congress on an issue of our choice, which I thought would be very interesting, but I had only a vague picture of what was in store for the rest of the weekend.

The first night of L’Taken, we attended a program on homelessness, an issue that I have always felt extremely passionate about. A woman introduced herself as a representative from the National Coalition for the Homeless, and she also introduced two men behind her, John and Jesse. She told us facts that broke the stereotypes many people have of homeless people, including the fact that 40 percent of homeless people are employed but cannot afford housing. We watched Faces of Homelessness, a video filled with images of people living on the streets in America. Seeing the video put real faces on the distressing statistics and really struck a chord in my heart. However, as affecting as the woman’s initial presentation was, nothing could prepare me for the way I was moved when the two men behind her spoke.

As one of the men stepped up to the microphone, he stated, “Hi. I’m John, and I am currently homeless.” The minute I heard his statement, I was immediately engaged. He had been raised in a well-off family where money had never been a concern. Although he hadn’t gone to college, he went into business and had gotten a good job. He bought himself a nice house and was doing extremely well. However, when the company he worked for began laying off employees, he lost his job. The same day, his house burned down. Just like that, John was homeless.

As I listened to John speak, I realized that although I had seen countless homeless people on the streets, I had never heard any of their stories, like where they came from or how they ended up where they were. Hearing these things firsthand from someone who was currently experiencing homelessness was extremely distressing.

Toward the end of his presentation, John said something that moved me more than anything else. He said that the hardest thing about being homeless was that he suddenly felt invisible to the rest of society. People would walk by him and completely ignore his presence, and it gave him the best feeling to hear someone say his name, just to remind him that he had an identity. This statement made me very emotional. I knew I couldn’t ignore the plight of those who were homeless—I had to do something to help.

That night, whenever we walked by a homeless person, my friends and I would acknowledge them, asking them how they were doing or telling them we hoped their situation would improve. The people were kind and grateful, and even if we hadn’t put an end to their troubles, at least we didn’t ignore their plight.

As we prepared to lobby Congress on the last day of our trip, my friend Jenna and I knew that we wanted to lobby to support a bill that would allow the conversion of vacant housing space to shelters for homeless people. We knew it wasn’t possible for everyone in America to hear John and Jesse’s testimonies, but we wanted to make sure our representatives knew how much their stories had affected us and understand the grave duty that we all have to help combat homelessness.

Anyone who has the opportunity to attend L’Taken should take advantage of all the wonderful things the program has to offer. L’Taken instills a strong desire to better the world and teaches the skills with which to do so. It epitomizes the Jewish concept of tikkun olam, or repairing the world, and encourages and teaches us to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice.

John and Jesse felt nameless because of their homelessness, but because of L’Taken, I feel their presence in the face of every homeless person I see.

Emily Siar, 15, is a freshman in Greensboro, N.C. She loves to sing in temple with a local klezmer group and has a passion for opera, French and literature. She is also a member of the JVibe Teen Advisory Board.