By Sarai S.
Sixth Grade, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation
“From a little spark may burst a flame.” — Dante.
This quote represents the mission of Sparks of Change, a foundation that supports others and inspires change in the world little by little.
Sparks of Change was founded in honor and memory of Daniel Joseph Siegel, who died in 2010 after fighting cancer. He was a 2003 graduate of Krieger Schechter Day School and a student at Yale University.
Daniel wanted to be a game-changer, and this organization ensures that his legacy lives on.
According to Janet Berg, Daniel’s mom, Sparks of Change funds “projects and individuals who promote peace. We support education efforts and empower young people to create a better world through programs that promote tolerance, dialogue, education and leadership development.”
Some of the programs Sparks of Change supports include Soccer Without Borders, a program that helps children gain confidence and leadership skills; Face-to-Face, a program that forges relationships between and among Arabs Israelis, Jewish Israelis and Jewish American teenagers; and a partnership project between the Oranim College of Education in Israel and the Sparks of Change foundation
For this partnership program, a delegation of Jewish and Arab teenagers builds a dialogue, forges friendships and teaches American teens about Israeli society. In 2017, six students took part in the Oranim College of Education and Sparks of Change partnership project.
Amit Tal, a Jewish Israeli student participant, said in an interview, “We came [to the United States] to show the American people that in spite of the conflict between Arabs and Jews, we can still live side-by-side.
“We came because we live in an area [in Israel] that is 50 percent Arab and 50 percent Jewish to show you firsthand that we can live together,” Tal said. “What the media shows is not what it really is, and we want to share.”
Daniel would have been so proud of all of these programs and efforts, which is the reason Sparks of Change seeks to continue his legacy and passion.
“I was reading a letter that one of his teachers wrote about him, and this made me think back to when he was little,” Berg says. “[The teacher] asked him what he wanted to be, and [Daniel] said he wanted to be a changer. We saw him doing that throughout his life. One of his teachers at Yale wrote to me and said Daniel was an inspiration. He said this because Daniel’s work was always so good. The teacher said that he helped his fellow students, but Daniel didn’t make it seem like he was smarter than they were. He made it seem like they could do it, too.”
Fires will not start on their own; they need sparks, care, and tending to for the flame to grow. Helping others, even in a small way, helps the world move closer to peace.
We are all on the same team, so why not start passing the torch to one another and building sparks of change?
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