| Emily
Rachel Silverstein, of Roosevelt, New Jersey, was tragically and violently taken
from us on Thursday, April 9, 2009, at the tender age of 19. Born June 27, 1989
in New Brunswick, Emily resided in the small town of Roosevelt in Monmouth County
most of her life. From
an early age, Emily was a creator. She was a skilled artist and most recently
displayed her talents in her creative writing. Her sensitive and caring nature
leant power and meaning to all of her works and her relationships with friends
and family. At ten years old, she decided to become a vegetarian and participated
in peace marches. She wrote her first letter to the president when she was in
sixth grade. Her academic prowess followed her through high school as a member
of the National Honor Society, and she graduated with honors. She also participated
in several extracurricular activities like the Hightstown High School Marching
Band, the swim team and the Adopt a Holocaust Survivor Program. Emily
continued her success as a member of the Dean's list at Gettysburg College, where
she was an Anthropology Major, with an English Minor. At Gettysburg, Emily’s social
awareness grew, and she becam e a well-respected leader and organizer. She was
co-president and lived in Peace House, whose mission was to create awareness of
world peace issues. She helped to form a chapter of Students for a Democratic
Society (SDS) on campus and was involved in Amnesty International, Free the Children,
and other social justice activities. Emily was inspired to study Arabic, so that
she could better address her concern for women’s rights in the Muslim world, and
had planned to spend at semester studying abroad in Morocco. A few weeks before
her death, Emily had helped to organize Funk The War, an anti-war demonstration
on campus. A week after her murder, students participated in a week-long event
called Tent City, which Emily had helped to organize in order to help bring awareness
to the homelessness crisis. Emily
Rachel Silverstein’s compassion, passion and creativity touched many lives. She
shared many deep friendships and accomplished many amazing things. But there was
so much more that she wanted to do to make this world a better place. There are
so many more lives that she would have touched, inspired and empowered to join
in the struggle for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. The Emily Silverstein
Fund (emilyfund.org) has been set up by
her family to continue Emily's legacy of hope and action for a better world, and
her strong conviction that every act of compassion makes a difference. |
