Praying With Our Legs - Jewish Social Justice Roundtable

Transcription

Praying With
Our Legs
19 stories that will inspire you
a Jewish Social Justice Roundtable Publication
Praying With Our Legs
A Jewish Social Justice Roundtable Publication
Published for the General Assembly of
the Jewish Federations of North America
New Orleans, Lousiana
November 5-9, 2010
Special thanks for Repair the World’s generous
funding, Dory Kornfeld’s stellar design and Jerry
Silverman’s belief in this project. Thanks to Jewish
Funds for Justice stafff—Mae for writing and
project management and Sheila and Erica for
editing.
Cover photo by Flickr user Deep Schismic
THE
NATHAN
CUMMINGS
FOUNDATION
is the proud founder and sponsor
of the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable.
Praying With Our Legs
a Jewish Social Justice Roundtable Publication
Executive Summary
The Jewish Social Justice Roundtable (Roundtable) is
excited to illuminate the stories and accomplishments
of 19 young people ages 15 to 33 years old. They have
inspired us with their diverse expressions of Judaism,
commitment to service and desire to see the Jewish community grow. “I want to see a shift in the Jewish psyche. Service is a way to act Jewish, just like we
understand prayer as a Jewish act, so is service,” says
Anya Manning, 25. Diverse definitions of service: Those featured in this
booklet are bursting open the traditional definitions of
service and pushing their Jewish communities to think
expansively. They’re in Israel teaching refugees English,
using community organizing to engage congregants in
New Orleans and doing service learning in Guatemala.
Never too young to start: In fifth grade, Gabe Ferrick,
15, learned about the genocide in Darfur. By his bar
mitzvah, he was raising funds and collecting supplies for
children there. “This is my genera“This is my generation’s tion’s form of Judaism: a religion
that has a commitment to imform of Judaism:
proving the world,” says Sasha
a religion that has
Lansky, 19, who has fundraised
a commitment to
thousands of dollars for environimproving the world,” mental initiatives.
Sasha Lansky, 19 years old.
Orthodox to Secular: Read about
Dani Passow, a 27-year-old Orthodox rabbinical student who built latrines in Senegal
and Jackie Rotman, a 19-year-old ballerina/Executive
Director. From those who are finding their Jewish spark
to those who are serving out of their religious obligations, all define service as a core expression of their
Judaism.
2 Jewish Social Justice Roundtable
Jewish organizations got them started: These young Jews
are each part of a Jewish organization that has inspired
and supported them in their community engagement.
These groups provide a Jewish framework for the work
they love and have introduced them to communities of
likeminded Jews. Elyssa Koidin, 28, explains, “The journey
to finding where I fit in within the Jewish community took a
while.... I finally feel comfortable.”
The Jewish Social
Justice Roundtable
The Jewish Social Justice Roundtable is a collaboration of
18 organizations working to elevate the role of social justice in the contemporary Jewish community. We believe
that social justice is integral to what it means to be a Jew
and should be a more explicit part of Jewish life in the 21st
century.
For over a year, the Roundtable has built the connective tissue that will allow for effective collaborations. The
group is focused on deepening relationships between
organizations and developing programmatic partnerships.
Most recently, the Roundtable has prioritized introducing
more Jews and Jewish institutions to the transformative
work happening in our growing Jewish social justice field.
This booklet, and the increased presence of Roundtable
groups in leadership roles during this year’s General Assembly, is one manifestation of that effort.
For a complete list of member organizations, please see
page 44.
Praying With Our Legs 3
A Message from Jerry Silverman
Dear Friends,
We are so proud that The Jewish Federations of North America is
hosting our annual General Assembly in New Orleans. Our very
ability to hold the GA in New Orleans is due to the incredible resilience of the Jewish communities on the Gulf Coast. The Jewish
Federation of Greater New Orleans and the Jewish Federation of
Greater Baton Rouge have dramatically rebuilt since Hurricane Katrina, with the support of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston,
whose open doors helped those communities persevere.
Though devastated following the storm, the Jewish community
knew that to strengthen themselves, they must strengthen New
Orleans. Giving time, money and ingenuity to Jewish and secular issues is central to Jewish life here in New Orleans, on the Gulf
Coast, and nationwide.
The young people featured in Praying with Our Legs are furthering
those Jewish traditions of chesed and tzedek. Their stories inspire
us. Their work improves the larger communities in which they live
and deepens their Jewish identities.
Like the New Orleans Jewish commuThe young people featured nity, many young Jews realize they
in Praying with Our Legs grow individually and communally
when they reach out to make a difare furthering those
ference.
Jewish traditions of
chesed and tzedek. Their
stories inspire us.
We are also grateful to the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable for highlighting some of the best and brightest of
our young people. The GA offers a
chance to promote the amazing work of these young people, and
issues a call to the larger Jewish community to recognize that more
young Jews than ever are eagerly participating in service work.
This is no trend: it is a movement that has the potential to transform
the Jewish community and change the world.
We are excited to welcome their voices and these organizations to
this year’s GA. We hope these stories inspire you as well.
Jerry Silverman
President and CEO
The Jewish Federations of North America
Table of Contents
2
Executive Summary
3
The Jewish Social Justice Roundtable
4
A Message from Jerry Silverman
6
American Jewish World Service
Dani Passow
8
AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps
Rachel Lewis
10
PANIM Institute of BBYO
Jackie Rotman
12
Hazon
Sasha Lansky
14
Jewish Community Action
Hannah Nemer
16
Jewish Community Relations Council of
Greater Boston
Alexandra Rogers
18
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Elyssa Koidin
20
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
Leah Shefsky
22
Jewish Funds for Justice
Stephan Labelle
24
Jewish Organizing Initiative
Dan Gelbtuch
26
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
Ruhi Sophia Rubenstein
28
Jews United for Justice
Matthew Adler
30
Jewish World Watch
Gabe Ferrick
32
Keshet
Taan Shapiro
34
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
Trevor Brandt-Sarif
36
New Israel Fund
Joanna Packer
38
Progressive Jewish Alliance
Anne Hromadka
40
Rabbinical Assembly
Rabbi Ethan Linden
42
Repair the World
Anya Manning
44
Members of the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable
Dani Passow, Age 27
American Jewish World Service is an international develop-
ment organization motivated by Judaism’s imperative to pursue justice. AJWS is
dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the
developing world regardless of race, religion or nationality.
45 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018
212-792-2810 • www.ajws.org
For Dani, a cup of coffee can be about a lot more than a cup of coffee. Before taking a sip, he says, he often finds himself engaging in “a
meditation on each person who had a hand in its production.” From
the farmers who grow and harvest beans to the factory workers who
make the cup it comes in to the barista behind the counter, “it’s an
extraordinary number of people,” he says. “A lot of that is hidden. It’s
a spiritual attribute to be able to investigate the unseen. G-d’s hand is
unseen. We have to constantly seek that presence out.”
It was in Senegal, while on an American Jewish World Service (AJWS)
trip for rabbinic students, that Dani was moved to start searching for
the unseen hands in his consumer choices. In Senegal, he provided
service building latrines while sharing his Jewish perspective and learning about Senegalese traditions. He noticed the immense poverty
and poor infrastructure and was struck by something. “You see all this
trash—Nestle wrappers and Coke
cans—from Western corporations
Like other rabbinic students
and countries. As Americans, we
are clearly involved, and our lives
who have gone overseas on
are interlaced with their lives.”
AJWS delegations, Dani has
tried to bring something
back to his Orthodox Jewish
community.
Service, as Dani defines it, is
“breaking down some of the barriers between self and other” and
serving both Jews and non-Jews,
the way AJWS teaches. Like other
rabbinic students who have gone
overseas on AJWS delegations, Dani has tried to bring something back
to his Orthodox Jewish community. “At this point there have been
eight of these excursions. A significant number of students have gone.
They are all talking about their powerful experience and reflections in
their sermons, writing or teaching.”
After the trip, Dani turned his meditations into action. He is now the
director of Tav HaYosher, a project offering certifications to kosher
restaurants and supermarkets that meet basic standards of pay and
working conditions.
“Kosher is one of the most public Jewish institutions,” he says. “As a
main communal institution, it should represent our Torah values. We
have to stand up for the strangers amongst us and against oshek,”
Dani says, reaching for his coffee.
Dani, a rabbinical student, is director of Tav HaYosher, a project offering certifications
to kosher restaurants and supermarkets for meeting basic standards of pay and working
conditions.
Rachel Lewis, Age 22
AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps
strengthens the Jewish
community’s fight against the causes and effects of poverty in the United States
by engaging participants in service and community-building that inspires them to
become lifelong agents for social change whose work for justice is rooted in and
nourished by Jewish values.
45 West 36th Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10018
212-545-7759 • www.avodah.net
“I wanted to do something that would be an honest experience of
Judaism and social justice. AVODAH was the perfect option.” This is
how Rachel Lewis describes her year with AVODAH: The Jewish Service
Corps. Rachel came to New Orleans to work in an anti-poverty setting and live and study communally with nine other young Jews. She
worked at Orleans Public Defenders, which provides poor and indigent citizens of Orleans Parish with high-quality client-centered legal
representation.
“Participating in AVODAH has been a transformative experience. From
my job at the public defenders’ office, to the intentional community
I have helped construct with nine other women from diverse Jewish
backgrounds, to experiencing the horrors and unique treasures of this
city, I have been fortunate to develop comprehensive Jewish and
social justice lenses that have helped shift my perspective.”
Rachel grew up Orthodox in PhiladelAVODAH's combination
phia, where she attended a pluralistic
of service, study, and
high school. She describes having
practiced “a Judaism that was tradiintentional community,
tional but focused on social justice.”
provided Rachel with
In college she was stifled by the lack
the chance to bridge her
of integration of these two aspects of
her life. AVODAH, with its combinacommitments to social
tion of service, study, and intentional
justice and Jewish life.
community, provided Rachel with the
chance to bridge her commitments to
social justice and Jewish life. Through
her placement, Rachel learned about the shortage of resources facing many defendants. She saw racial disparities firsthand. “The criminal
justice system is biased, and black and poor people have the highest
rates of arrest and incarceration, especially in New Orleans. Public
defense is a necessity and a social justice issue.”
After a long day at the office, Rachel and her housemates prepare
dinner together or hold a house meeting. They work in a variety of
local nonprofits, from a housing rebuilding organization to a battered
women’s shelter. “AVODAH gives you insight into many social issues,
because we’re all sharing our experiences,” she says. “AVODAH’s
structure helps us connect to social justice through this Jewish lens.”
There’s been strong local support for AVODAH and the New Orleans
Corps members, who have been warmly welcomed. “We’re in a small
Jewish community, so ten young people can have a large impact.
We’re all involved, creating independent minyanim and helping run
LimmudFest.”
After working hard at her AVODAH placement in the public defender’s office, Rachel
parties with the best of them at New Orleans’ biggest celebration, Mardi Gras.
Jackie Rotman, Age 19
The PANIM Institute of BBYO
trains and inspires a new generation
of teens focused on issues that make a difference in the world. It is working to
establish a network of Jewish teen activists, offer teens compelling opportunities,
and provide educational resources and professional training in the areas of social
responsibility and Jewish values.
2020 K Street, NW, Suite 7400, Washington, DC 20006
202-507-7304 • www.panim.org
At 19 years old, Jackie runs an international nonprofit that provides
free dance classes to underprivileged youth. With paid staff, an appearance on a popular television show and an annual conference,
Jackie has a lot on her plate.
As a sophomore in high school, Jackie attended Panim el Panim, a
program of the PANIM Institute of BBYO that brings together diverse
groups of 10th- to 12th-grade students from around the country to
explore public policy and social activism through a Jewish lens. Her
experience helped her “build a philosophy about social action and
Jewish values.”
On the heels of the program, she began Everybody Dance Now!
(EDN!), which combines her love of dance with her passion for community service. “A lot of the topics discussed at that first seminar still
guide my view of service, especially the power of youth,” says Jackie.
“PANIM taught me that I don’t have to wait until I’m an adult to make
a difference. Young people
aren’t just the ‘next genera"PANIM taught me that I don't
tion’ like some say. We can
make a difference today.”
have to wait until I'm an adult
to make a difference. Young
Jackie, who began dancing at
people aren't just the 'next
3 years old, started teaching
hip hop classes to elementary
generation' like some say."
school students along with a
few other volunteer teachers.
“Our first grant was in 2006 from PANIM for $500.” Then, her junior year,
Jackie was named PANIM’s Young Jewish Activist of the Year, winning
$1,000 for EDN! and an opportunity to speak at the awards ceremony.
“Now we get larger grants and have raised over $100,000 for the
program, but PANIM was the first to fund us.” Today, Everybody Dance
Now! holds 17 free dance classes per week in Santa Barbara, and
offers other youth programming. It remains run by youth and employs
professional dance instructors to teach year-round.
Jackie is now a full-time first year student at Stanford University. She
still runs EDN!, which has expanded substantially, to six branches. Too
old to participate in PANIM, Jackie still finds inspiration to serve in the
Jewish world. “I am in awe of the Jewish community. Jews are such a
small population and make such a big impact. The amazing strength
of Jewish philanthropy and service all over the world inspires me for
how we can be.”
To learn more about EDN!, please visit www.everybodydancenow.org
Jackie combines her love of dance and service through the organization she started at
age 14, Everybody Dance Now!
Sasha Lansky, Age 18
Hazon
is the largest environmental organization in the American Jewish
community. It works to create healthy and sustainable communities in the Jewish
world and beyond.
125 Maiden Lane, 8B, New York, NY 10038
212-644-2332 • www.hazon.org
Sasha, like a lot of young Jews, was worried about feeling isolated in
her religious practice when she chose to attend Macalester College
in St. Paul, Minnesota. She had been in that situation before. Coming from the “more Orthodox” side of the Conservative movement,
Sasha’s congregation in Western Massachusetts was small and “Old
World,” regularly struggling to get a minyan. She found it difficult to
connect with the only young Jews in town, who were less observant.
Then she found Hazon.
Sasha and her father had just started cycling before her first Hazon
New York Ride in 2006, when she was in 9th grade. After one ride, she
was hooked. “There was no place I was happier, no community I was
happier with. There was such a sense of acceptance, with people
from all different places on the Jewish spectrum.”
Since then, she’s become a faster biker and more involved in Hazon.
She’s spoken at the kiddush on Saturday of the weekend-long ride,
been on the grants allocation committee and landed a summer internship in New York City. She laughs, saying of the experience, “Finding housing was hard, because I was only 16!” Later, Sasha joined the
Board of Directors.
Turning 18 made it easier for Sasha to "There was no place I was
rent an apartment. It hasn’t changed
happier, no community I
her definition of service. “Service, in
a more literal sense, is improving life
was happier with."
for yourself and your community by
improving your surroundings.” She’s
proud of her hundreds of hours of education and advocacy. Informing people about greener light bulbs, educating about buying locally
grown food and inspiring people to bike to work instead of driving has
been rewarding.
As a new college student, Sasha wants to create a community like
Hazon. Currently a Hazon board member, she is working on her campus and nationally to help Jewish students enact environmental
change on campus. “To find an organization that takes the Jewish
parts of my life and weaves that into environmentalism and athleticism, that’s really fabulous.”
“This community has been very powerful for me. It makes me feel that
the Jewish world that I’m looking for is out there. This is my generation’s
form of Judaism: a religion that has a commitment to improving the
world.”
“This is my generation’s form of Judaism: a religion that has a commitment to improving the
world,” says Sasha (right) who biked 185 miles over two days as part of the 2009 Hazon NY
Ride.
Hannah Nemer, Age 18
’s mission is to bring together Jewish people from diverse traditions and perspectives to promote understanding and take
action on social and economic justice issues in Minnesota. Through congregational organizing and alliance building with diverse communities, JCA works for
social change.
2375 University Avenue West, Suite 150 St. Paul, MN 55114
651-632-2184 • www.jewishcommunityaction.org
“When we did a rally at the capital, we had a huge Jewish turnout. Seeing our community in action made me very proud. I think it
brought me closer to the Jewish community,” Hannah says about her
hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota. Now, she’s living in a small dorm
room in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, as she begins her first year of college.
She developed that pride through her work during high school with
Jewish Community Action (JCA). Seeds of Justice, a new initiative
of JCA, fostered her passions and helped her develop skills. It has
emerged as an opportunity for Jews to engage with social justice issues, where participants focus on a single issue. At 17, Hannah could
break down wonky health-care
issues to make them understandAt 17, Hannah could break
able. She had already received
more social-justice training than down wonky health-care issues
many people twice her age.
to make them understandable.
“The project I was involved with
She had already received more
was fighting to save general assistance medical care (GAMC),
social-justice training than
health care for the poorest of
many people twice her age.
the poor. The governor tried to
eliminate it.”
Seeds of Justice also encouraged her to pursue her main passion, filmmaking, as a tool in her advocacy, whether fighting to save GAMC
or illuminating other issues. “My favorite part of social justice is being
able to interact and build a connection with people when I’m filming.
Organizations used the videos I made, even after I wasn’t involved in
the project anymore. That kind of work is very rewarding.”
One of her most powerful service opportunities was filming a project
highlighting a women’s sewing group with JCA partner, Neighborhood
House. The women, she says, represented “five different heritages and
five different languages—their kids were playing together, and it was
the most peaceful place. They maintained a joyous environment even
though they couldn’t communicate. That inspired me to do this work.”
Hannah plans to continue her commitment to “sustainable solutions,”
community organizing and filmmaking in college. She’s planning to
major in public policy and hopes to take advantage of study-abroad
opportunities. Mostly, she’s interested in doing whatever she can to
“widen my perspectives on the global community.”
Hannah has learned how to blend her passion for justice and service with her talent for
filmmaking, thanks to Seeds of Justice.
Alexandra Rogers, Age 25
Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston
promotes a society that reflects the best of American and Jewish values in Greater Boston, Israel and around the world. Through advocacy, organizing, service
and partnerships, JCRC pursues social justice, ensures a vibrant Jewish community, and builds a network of support for Israel.
126 High Street, Boston, MA 02001
617-457-8649 • www.jcrcboston.org
When Alexandra followed a marketing job to Boston two years ago,
she knew she didn’t want her life to be limited by her job. “I had always enjoyed volunteering and working in the community,” she says.
“When I heard that the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston (JCRC) was launching a new program for young adults to
do community service called Reach Out, I got involved.”
By day, Alexandra executes marketing campaigns for a global hospitality company. After work, she puts her skills to use promoting Reach
Out throughout Boston’s Jewish community. And her efforts have paid
off: since its launch, Reach Out has grown, counting 85 young adults
in its volunteer force.
“We do nine weeklong placements at various sites and a few group
Shabbat dinners. People are drawn to the Jewish community-building,
providing needed services and the chance for long-term engagement,” she says. “Many Reach
Out participants continued to
"Connection to the religious
volunteer after their formal comparts of Judaism has always
mitment ended. There’s still that
sense of community.”
been a part of my life by
choice," she says. "I have
Jewish community is important
always felt very connected
to Alexandra, who was raised in
a fairly secular household. “Conto Judaism as a religion, as
nection to the religious parts of
well as a culture."
Judaism has always been a part
of my life by choice,” she says.
“I pushed on my own to attend
Sunday school and become a bat mitzvah. I have always felt very
connected to Judaism as a religion, as well as a culture.”
That connection led Alexandra to volunteer at a Jewish home for the
elderly as her Reach Out placement. “The residents are spectacular
people with fabulous stories that they share. All my grandparents have
passed, so spending time there fills a void for me. They value having a
long conversation. So do I.”
Ultimately, Alexandra has appreciated connecting with people she
might not have met otherwise: other volunteers, social justice advocates she’s encountered along the way, and the other young Jews
she’s forming community with. “I’m developing a network and forming
relationships within the Jewish community in Boston.”
Coleman House resident Ruth Grossman enjoys a visit from Alexandra, who prizes
community involvement and her time as a volunteer with JCRC of Greater Boston’s Reach
Out program for young adults.
Elyssa Koidin, Age 28
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs is the American Jewish community’s umbrella agency for multi-issue organizations engaged in public policy and community relations. It works to address a broad range of public
policy concerns and share the Jewish community’s consensus perspectives. 116 East 27th Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10016
212-684-6950 • www.jewishpublicaffairs.org
“I focus 100% on domestic issues,” Elyssa says of her work as a senior
policy associate at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA). While
JCPA is known for its work on a broad array of issues, in the past five
years, Elyssa says, the Jewish community’s interest in her area, “economic and social justice,” has escalated, as has community engagement.
“I work on issues that really interest the Jewish community, from heath
care to workplace issues and child nutrition.” After working for years in
the secular policy world, Elyssa craved the opportunity to speak from
a faith perspective. “There are people out there whose voices might
be a little softer. If I can lend a microphone to serve them, I believe
that’s my work to do. The more I work in the Jewish community, the
more I see these values are
found in the scripture of my
"The journey to finding where
religion. God tells us to do this
work and to stand up against
I fit in within the Jewish
injustice.”
community took a while. I
The large part that religion
was more of a soup kitchen
now plays in Elyssa’s personal
kind of girl. I finally feel
and professional life came as
comfortable."
a surprise to her, given her
background. “I grew up a Reform Jew, but religious observance wasn’t a large part of my life. We had a very culturally Jewish
home.” Then, Elyssa’s grandfather died when she was in college. “My
mom’s father was the most religious in our family,” she says. “He had
strong opinions and spiritual belief. He was the quintessential Jewish
grandfather. When he passed on, I felt like someone should continue
the traditions, so I’ve become the one that does that.”
After her grandfather’s death, Elyssa took religious studies classes and
became close with a Jewish professor. When she moved to Washington, she continued to explore her Judaism and met her boyfriend, who
is also Jewish. “We just made a decision that this would be a Jewish
relationship and a place of spirituality in our lives.”
“The journey to finding where I fit in within the Jewish community took
a while. I wasn’t like an AIPAC kind of girl. I was more of a soup kitchen
kind of girl. I finally feel comfortable.”
Elyssa stood next to a statue of a personal hero Representative John Lewis during a JCPA
trip to Birmingham, AL. The trip was comprised of Jewish and African-American community
leaders.
Leah Shefsky, Age 18
The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs aims to combat poverty,
racism and anti-Semitism in partnership with Chicago’s diverse communities.
Guided by prophetic Jewish principles, JCUA pursues social and economic
justice for Chicago’s most vulnerable neighborhoods by promoting a vision of
empowering communities from within.
600 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60605
312-663-0960 • www.ortzedek.org • www.jcua.org
Just starting her first year at Beloit College in Wisconsin, Leah flashes
back to the start of an earlier phase of her life, high school. After nine
years of conservative Jewish Day School in Evanston, Illinois, Leah was
disengaged from Judaism and eager to start school at her local public high school. “I wanted something with more meaning. I was looking
for some way to actively continue my Judaism, but wasn’t interested
in just a youth group. Then, I found a way into my Judaism through
making the world a better place.”
That “way” was Or Tzedek, a program of Jewish Council on Urban
Affairs (JCUA), which introduced Leah and other young people to
ways they could make change in their community. The group would
study an issue, do a service project and learn about various methods
for creating change. Every time the group took action on new issues,
Leah says, she was surprisingly affected.
“I started caring a lot about all the
"I found a way into my
issues we discussed. Immigration is
so central in the history of Jews, and Judaism through making the
we started to learn about immigraworld a better place."
tion reform. We went to an interfaith
vigil that’s held weekly at a detention center. It is where people are bused before being deported.
Standing next to family members crying was so powerful. No matter
where you stand on immigration issues, it’s impossible not to feel something. It’s much more real when you’re there and seeing the faces.”
Now that Leah has had experiences building relationships, providing
service and advocating, she can no longer “sit back and pretend like
nothing is going on.” Only beginning her college career, she is already
getting involved and breaking down barriers. “People talk about the
‘Beloit bubble’ and the disconnection between students and the
community. I want to become engaged in the community.” A member of the Peace and Justice Club, she volunteers at a “communitybased organization that is five blocks from campus and is very lowincome.”
Once again at a place of transition, Leah is seeking out something like
what she found at JCUA, where she can be fully Jewish and fully present in the larger Beloit community. “There’s only a small Hillel group,
but I’m figuring out my own rides to synagogue in town.”
At the start of her first year of college, Leah is already volunteering in her new community,
building on her JCUA experience and trying to create change on the local level.
Stephan LaBelle, Age 21
is a national public foundation guided by
Jewish history and tradition. Since 1984, it has worked across race and faith lines
to ensure that economic opportunity and security are broadly shared across the
United States.
330 7th Avenue 19th floor, New York, NY 10001
212-213-2113 • www.jewishjustice.org
“I grew up Conservative, and we would go to temple every couple
of months on a Friday night and the High Holidays. Other than that,
I didn’t enjoy going to services. By the time I went to college. I was
basically disengaged. Then, randomly I got an email from Hillel, saying
they were leading a trip to New Orleans.”
Stephan’s relationship to Judaism and service deepened after his first
trip to New Orleans. “I got a lot more involved. I became known at
Hillel as the ‘New Orleans guy,’ and people started to look up to me.
Now that I’m out of college I consider myself religious,” says Stephan
about the changes he went through while at the University of Delaware.
“My junior year, we went on a Jew"It changes you. It's so
ish Funds for Justice (JFSJ) service
different to see all of
learning trip.” While volunteering to
gut and repair homes, Stephan was
this first hand. It's real,
moved when he found untouched
and it's in front of you."
possessions three years after the
storm. “There was a report card,
trophies and dolls. It got to me that the homes were still empty. They
may never come back.” After the emotionally intense days, the program leaders would guide discussions, connecting the work to Jewish
text and tradition. “The Jewish learning and service together really
worked.”
His senior year, Stephan found out that his Hillel wasn’t planning another JFSJ trip to New Orleans. “I called JFSJ and started setting up the
trip myself. I was very persistent. They knew I was a student, but at first,
they didn’t realize that Hillel wasn’t organizing it.” A little shyly, Stephan
admits, “I think I was the only student to ever call and insist a trip happen at their school, but I had to get back to New Orleans.” Recruiting 15 people on his own, Hillel followed the enthusiasm and got on
board.
Stephan graduated from the University of Delaware in May 2010 and
moved home to New York. He is teaching music in New Jersey, and
planning his next service trip to New Orleans, though he’s on his own
this time around. “Everyone should have an experience like I had.
It’s not just helping out, but the eye-opening devastation, the lack of
effective government help and the discussions that come from that.
It changes you. It’s so different to see all of this first hand. It’s real, and
it’s in front of you.”
Stephan’s relationship to Judaism and service deepened after his first trip to New Orleans. “I
got a lot more involved. I became known at Hillel as the ‘New Orleans guy.’”
Dan Gelbtuch, Age 30
The Jewish Organizing Initiative
focuses on community
organizing as a strategy for social change and Jewish community development.
Community organizing develops grassroots leaders to build vibrant communities
that can act strategically on what they care most about.
99 Chauncy Street, Suite 715, Boston, MA 02111
617-350-9994 • www.jewishorganizing.org
Dan spends a lot of his workdays at Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation (DBEDC), bringing African-American and Jewish teens together “across neighborhoods that they wouldn’t usually
connect to.” Bridging the boundary, he says, is made easier because
of Boston’s supportive Jewish community. “I’ve built relationships with
Jewish schools, shuls and organizations. This work makes my community proud.”
His efforts helped DBEDC win a campaign for $9 million in funding for
youth jobs from the governor’s office. It’s all in a day’s work to Dan.
“Service is about empowering people. It’s building leadership of the
people that I’m serving, so they have the tools to direct the affairs of
their community and take leadership in the political arena.”
"A lot of my friends have
entered Judaism through
Dan came to DBEDC through the
social justice work. I
Jewish Organizing Initiative (JOI),
which provides one-year placehope even more Jewish
ments at community organizations,
institutions begin to
training, mentoring and creating
the next generation of Jewish orrecognize its power."
ganizers. Two years after his placement ended, Dan is still there—
only now he’s a paid organizer. Today, Dan credits JOI with not just
supporting him during his placement but with helping him understand
his own relationship to service and organizing work in a low-income
community. “Organizing teaches us that you can only do effective social justice work through your story. For me, that’s about being Jewish.
JOI showed me models of Jewish community and Jewish leaders that
have done amazing social justice work.”
“Jewish people came to this country in very marginalized ways. My
dad’s parents escaped the Holocaust, coming to the US as penniless
immigrants. It was labor unions that helped them be successful. My
mom’s family grew up in tenements in New York City and then went on
to be leaders with the teachers’ union. Jewish history is one of struggle
and organizing to create change, and I relate very much.”
Dan draws strength for his work from his Reconstructionist congregation. “A lot of my friends have entered Judaism through social justice work. I hope even more Jewish institutions begin to recognize its
power.”
“Organizing teaches us that you can only do effective social justice work through your
story. For me, that’s about being Jewish,” says Dan, who helped win $9 million in state
funding for youth jobs.
Ruhi Sophia Rubenstein, Age 25
The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
serves more
than 100 dynamic, inclusive, and egalitarian communities around the World.
JRF provides services to its affiliates and the greater Jewish world in all areas
of congregational life, including the area of Jewish life, social justice, service
learning, community organizing, sustainable living on this planet.
101 Greenwood Avenue, #430, Jenkintown, PA 19046
215-885-5601 • www.jrf.org
“Once, someone suggested that I create a mission statement for my
life. I thought about it for a while, and then I made one. My mission is
to help people connect with the love and abundance of the earth
and help them be okay with who they are. That’s what service is to
me, and I hope to be doing it for a long time.”
In a complex world, the simplicity of Ruhi’s mission is one many people
connect with and find appealing. It’s a perspective fostered by Ruhi’s
parents. “I saw them being effective leaders who were doing a lot of
good in their community and having holistically healthy lives,” says
Ruhi, whose parents are both Reform rabbis. “My idea of the rabbinate might have been
misleadingly positive,” says
"As the Nature Director at
Ruhi, who is now in rabbinical
Camp JRF, I felt so supported
school, with a laugh.
in infusing Jewish practice into
At 16, Ruhi realized that areas
my nature programming.It was
of her hometown, Saratoga
the first Reconstructionist
Springs, New York, that were
once forest had been razed
community that I was involved
to make room for strip malls.
with, and I was impressed."
This had a drastic impact
on the way she viewed the
world around her. “I saw that people’s consumption patterns had
something to do with the environmental degradation,” she says.
In college, Ruhi became active in environmental issues and explored
multiple Jewish practices. “Then, in 2008, I started working as the nature director at Camp JRF, the Reconstructionist movement’s summer
camp. I felt so supported in infusing Jewish practice into my nature
programming. The leadership really came from the campers, including campers who have special needs. It was the first Reconstructionist
community that I was involved with, and I was impressed.”
She is now studying at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia, especially valuing the opportunity to serve people through
supportive conversations and introduction to new ideas. Since beginning rabbinical school, Ruhi has interned with Green Faith, an organization working to make sure people across faith communities have a
healthy environment, regardless of race or income.
“This might be a little revolutionary, but I don’t think we should make
young people pray in synagogues. Take them on hikes! The building is
beautiful, but we need to meet young people outside and inside the
building. Our community is larger than a building.”
For Ruhi, service is all about building relationships and making connections between our
actions and the environment.
Matthew Adler, Age 24
Jews United for Justice leads Washington-area Jews to act on
shared Jewish values by pursuing justice and equality in local communities.
2027 Massachusetts Avenue, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20036
202-408-1423 • www.jufj.org
“I didn’t even know you could run to be a delegate in the Democratic
primary!” says Matt, before describing his own experience becoming
one of the youngest delegates for the 2008 presidential elections in St.
Louis, Missouri. Matt, who’s since built on that experience, attributes his understanding
of the ties between social justice and Judaism to a college internship
with Jewsh United for Justice (JUFJ) in 2006. “As I was becoming more
active politically, it really empowered me that my tradition had something to say about it,” he says. “To hear rabbis using text to discuss
affordable housing and labor issues was eye-opening. JUFJ taught me
that faith isn’t just about praying. It’s also a way to mobilize people to
change the world.” With JUFJ, Matt
worked with congregations to bring
Matt attributes his
information about labor, immigration
understanding of the
and domestic worker issues to the
forefront.
ties between social
justice and Judaism to an
Growing up in a Reform congregainternship with JUFJ.
tion with progressive leanings, Matt’s
Jewish background and his own experience as a gay youth helped him realize that the most vulnerable
people in society are often those at the “intersections of identities.
Being a minority within a minority, I feel sensitive to people who are
excluded.”
His strong ethics and drive to serve excluded communities will be
invaluable in his newest position, as special assistant to the director of
US Citizenship and Immigration Services. “Service is about taking the
time out of your day to give back to others and empower them to be
advocates. It could be going to volunteer at a homeless shelter, but it
could also be working with your elected officials to create a program
in your community to teach people English.”
Matt’s position will involve working with the director to ensure that
the agency serves “immigrants’ public interest.” His work will include
combating fraud attempts against immigrants, providing benefits to
refugees and partnering with community organizations.
“As a minority almost anywhere I go, I identify with immigrants and
anyone who is vulnerable. I grew up with this consciousness that my
people have been in extreme danger,” he says. “We were blessed to
sometimes have people looking out for us, and sometimes we didn’t.
As immigrants, American Jews can see that immigrants are just as
valuable as we are.”
“Faith isn’t just about praying. It’s also a way to mobilize people to change the world,” says
Matt, pictured here as part at a rally in Washington, DC, for immigration reform.
Gabe Ferrick, Age 15
Jewish World Watch
is a hands-on leader in the fight against
genocide, engaging individuals and communities to take action locally to
produce powerful results globally. Motivated by the Jewish imperative to “not
stand idly by,” JWW educates, advocates and raises funds to stop the atrocities
and empower survivors.
17514 Ventura Boulevard. Suite 206, Encino, CA 91316
818-501-1836 • www.jewishworldwatch.org
“Both of my parents have always been big with tzedakah and tikkun
olam. They raised me that way,” says Gabe. The hours Gabe’s parents
spent with him at soup kitchens and bringing meals to workers on Christmas Eve are readily apparent in Gabe’s passion for community service
and social justice.
In his fifth grade humanities class, Gabe learned about the genocide
in Darfur. “In Darfur, they don’t have anything. We have too much,”
Gabe says. “We have to even the playing field.”
Recognizing his passion, the rabbi
Gabe organized his bar
at Gabe’s Reform congregation,
mitzvah project around
Congregation Shomrei Torah in
Santa Rosa, California, connected
JWW's Backpack Project,
Gabe with Jewish World Watch
collecting funds for school
(JWW). JWW has mobilized local
communities to combat genocide
supplies for young people in
for six years, first in Darfur and now
refugee camps. in Eastern Congo. With JWW’s
support, Gabe organized his bar
mitzvah project around JWW’s Backpack Project, collecting funds for
school supplies, shoes and hygiene projects for young people in refugee camps.
After the success of that project, Gabe organized the Santa Rosa arm
of JWW’s annual Walk to End Genocide, raising awareness and money for Darfur. “The first one was two years ago. Last year in April was
the second walk, and I doubled the people who came out and the
amount of money I raised. I want it to expand every year until I go to
college. I would love to pass it on to another young person in my community who is passionate about these issues. Hopefully Darfur will be
over, but there will be another issue to focus on.”
Learning about the Holocaust became a major impetus for Gabe’s
service work, which he thinks of as anything that’s “helping people that
are less fortunate.” For him, it was a trip to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum that helped Gabe see the connections between Jewish
history and present-day genocides. “They give you a card of a person
who was in the Holocaust, and you find out if that person survived at
the end of your visit. My whole family got cards of people who died.”
Moved by the history of the Jewish people, Gabe speaks passionately
about his belief that “we have to help. It’s the saying we have: Never
again. We mean genocide should never happen again, so we have to
help when it is happening.”
Gabe at a walk he organized last year to raise awareness about what’s happening in
Darfur. Gabe became passionate about helping Darfurians in fifth grade.
Taan Shapiro, Age 29
Keshet
is a national grassroots organization that works for the full inclusion
of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Jews in Jewish life. Led and
supported by GLBT Jews and straight allies, Keshet offers resources, trainings, and
technical assistance to create inclusive Jewish communities nationwide.
284 Amory Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02131
617-534-9227 • www.keshetonline.org
Taan’s story is a lot like many young, practicing Jews. “I grew up
secular in Cleveland, Ohio. I went to Hebrew School for a bit, but my
parents didn’t like it and took me out. In high school, I got pulled into a
Jewish youth group. Then, I started to understand that I wanted Judaism to play a role in my life. As an undergrad, I went to services more
regularly. Now, living in Boston, I go on a weekly basis to a Reform
congregation.”
However, unlike many Jews, Taan is openly transgender, not identifying
as male or female, but some of each and all of neither. “Pronouns like
he/him or she/her don’t fit how I feel about myself,” says Taan.
Taan thinks everyone should explore their gender identity. “It’s about
learning about ourselves. Even if you go shopping and never think
twice about which clothing section to
shop in, by reflecting on your gender
Taan engages with
you will learn about yourself and, in turn,
others in your community who may not
service this way to
fit into gender boxes.”
create space within the
Jewish community for
all Jews with complex
gender identities.
Taan is co-chair of the Transgender
Working Group (TWiG) of Keshet. Keshet
helps Jewish communities around the
country become more inclusive of gay
and lesbian Jews. Now, Keshet is taking on inclusivity for a less understood
population of Jews: transgender Jews. As part of TWiG, Taan is working
on writing curriculum for Jewish institutions. Including text study and
activities, it focuses on helping people understand their own gender
and inclusivity of people of various gender identities.
“We’re testing the curriculum with some small, local Jewish institutions
and a synagogue.” Indeed, Keshet staff recently facilitated a training
focused on gender for the entire staff of a Jewish school that has an
openly transgender student.
Taan engages with service this way to create space within the Jewish
community for all Jews with complex gender identities. “Whenever I
have a conversation with someone about gender variance, I’m doing
service work,” says Taan. “I have a friend who I knew had the ability to
be a really strong advocate, but it took a lot of patience and nonjudgmental conversation. Now, that friend advocates and provides
that service for others. If someone else asks my friend, ‘Why doesn’t
Taan use pronouns?’ they can say why.”
Taan defines service broadly, including being an ambassador for inclusiveness “Whenever
I have a conversation with someone about gender variance, I’m doing service work,” says
Taan, co-chair of the Transgender Working Group at Keshet.
Trevor Brandt-Sarif, Age 18
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
is a national nonprofit
organization that allocates donations from the Jewish community to prevent and
alleviate hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds.
10495 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90025
800-813-0557 • www.mazon.org
“I’d like to get a job. And I will be studying Krav Maga intensely. I want
to learn more Hebrew this year, and possibly even take up piano,”
Trevor says, as he touches on just a few of his many goals for the “gap
year” he’s chosen to take off between high school and college.
In 2011, Trevor will attend Harvard College, although he’s far from
deciding whether to major in math, engineering, statistics, economics
or public policy. “I have so many varied interests!” Add to this list his
service work toward ending the injustice of hunger.
“I’ve traveled a lot with my dad, and we’ve visited too many places
where people are suffering from hunger. It troubles me that large populations here in the United States and abroad go without something
as basic as food. I don’t understand
how the system allows it.”
Aware of Trevor’s commitment to
hunger-related issues, a family friend
recommended he get involved
with MAZON: A Jewish Response to
Hunger. After starting as a volunteer,
Trevor now works part-time for MAZON, encouraging clergy to discuss
issues of hunger and food insecurity
with their congregants.
"I've visited too many
places where people are
suffering from hunger.
It troubles me that large
populations here in the
United States and abroad
go without something as
basic as food. I don't
understand how the system
allows it."
Motivating Jews to get involved
in helping people who are at risk
of hunger, regardless of whether
they’re Jewish, makes sense to
Trevor, who is Modern Orthodox. “Judaism demands that we think
about serious issues. We’re obligated to take moral stands. I’m proud
to come from a nation of people that has influenced the world’s values and is still committed to doing the right thing.”
Trevor, who prides himself on his logical approach to the world, says
doing the right thing is about more than making yourself feel good.
“I don’t think volunteering should feel like a novelty or only be about
getting required hours for school. We all should devote more time to
fighting for important issues like hunger relief. It’s vital that we all step
up and give it our all.”
Trevor graduated last June and is taking a year off before attending Harvard College. In
the meantime, he’s been reaching out through MAZON to clergy, spreading awareness
about food insecurity issues.
Joanna Packer, Age 24
The New Israel Fund
is the leading organization advancing
democracy, justice and equality for all members of Israeli society. Since 1979, NIF
has worked to protect civil and human rights, bridge the social and economic
gaps in Israeli society, promote tolerance and religious pluralism and protect
Israel’s environment.
330 7th Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10001
212-613-4400 • www.nif.org
“I went to a Conservative synagogue growing up, but I wasn’t very
religious. Especially through my teens I wasn’t involved in the organized Jewish world. Now, taking part in the Jewish social justice work
is my way of expressing my Judaism. I’m not so drawn to prayer, but I
like learning with other people who want to change the world for the
better.”
Until she actually went to Israel, Joanna knew little about it. All of that
changed on a Birthright trip in 2007. Joanna says she felt an immediate connection to the country, her Judaism and her service project
placement at the African Refugee Development Center. Afterward,
she applied to become a New Israel Fund (NIF) Social Justice Fellow
and, after being accepted, embarked on a “life-shaping” 10-month
placement. In Israel, she taught
English and Hebrew to African
"Taking part in the Jewish
refugees, who live in a state of
limbo because of unclear and
social justice work is my way
hotly debated laws around refuof expressing my Judaism. I'm
gee access to civil rights.
not so drawn to prayer, but I
Joanna remembers that, after
like learning with other people
her first experience volunteering
who want to change the world
in Israel, “talking to people and
then painting some walls and
for the better."
going home just didn’t feel right.
I wanted to go back. I wanted
to work toward change that would last.” Her relationship to service
had shifted. “I’m interested in service that is more than a one-day fix.
It’s important that it involves relationship-building, whatever kind of
work you’re doing.”
“I want the opportunity I had through New Israel Fund to become pervasive in the Jewish community. After college, everyone should do a
year of service and learn about tools for giving back, just like how NIF
taught us. This is the kind of Judaism that I didn’t know existed growing
up.”
Now living and working in Boston, Joanna teaches Sunday school in a
school committed to secular Jewish values and has a vibrant Jewish
community. Her dream is to run her own organization focusing on supporting African refugees.
Joanna with students, on the last day of class at the African Refugee Development Center
in Tel Aviv, where she taught English to students from Sudan, Congo and Ivory Coast.
Anne Hromadka, Age 30
Progressive Jewish Alliance
engages Jews of diverse
backgrounds to learn, lead and act in local communities to create a just and
equal society. PJA connects Jews to social justice issues of the day, to the life of
the cities in which they live, and to the Jewish tradition of working for tikkun olam. 5870 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-761-8350 • www.pjalliance.org
Last Passover, Anne posed a question to two busloads of activists
traveling through East Los Angeles: “Why is it that in some parts of Los
Angeles one can purchase both healthy food and unhealthy food,
but in food deserts one is often forced to purchase unhealthy food?”
Anne is working with the Progressive Jewish Alliance (PJA) to transform
the food deserts (areas with minimal access to healthy foods) of Los
Angeles, bringing access to healthy food and opportunities for good
jobs to neighborhoods lacking both. The seeds of this work were planted in Anne’s upbringing: Anne was raised in the South, surrounded by
a family equal parts soul food and Judaism. “Soul food is about the
community that’s created around sharing food,” says Anne. “Comfort,
love and care goes into each recipe.”
Anne’s passions for Judaism and social justice intersect at PJA.
“When I first studied social justice through my graduate work, it was
very theoretical,” she says. That changed when Anne participated
in PJA’s Jeremiah Fellowship, a program that educates and trains a
cohort of young adults to become social justice changemakers. After
the fellowship, Anne joined PJA’s Economic Justice Working Group,
which tackles social justice needs in
their community—everything from
Achieving social change
campaigns for a living wage to the
eradication of sweatshops.
requires persistence,
patience and time,
Anne takes inspiration from the
reminding Anne of her
“talmudic concept that you don’t
have to complete the work, but
favorite family recipes
neither can you desist from it.”
Whether someone is doing a “onetime activity that is meaningful and serves a deep purpose to make
community improvements” or has developed an “ongoing relationship with a situation, topic, or community,” Anne says it’s all important.
“What motivates a person out of a space of complacency toward
action isn’t the same for everyone.”
As everyone who works to create a better world knows, achieving social change requires persistence, patience and time, reminding Anne
of her favorite family recipes. “My father’s family is Cajun, from Central
Louisiana, and my aunts now make the beignets my grandmother
once made, they’re my comfort food.” Much like her work for social
justice, her family beignets are “difficult to make well, but possible with
a whole lot of love involved.”
In March, Anne spoke inside the historic Breed Street Shul during a Progressive Jewish
Alliance bus tour of food deserts in East Los Angeles.
Rabbi Ethan Linden, Age 33
The Rabbinical Assembly
is the international association of Conservative rabbis and is the creative force shaping the ideology, programs, and practices of the Conservative Movement. Committed to strengthening the totality
of Jewish life, our rabbis serve congregations throughout the world, and work as
educators, officers of communal service organizations, and chaplains.
3080 Broadway, New York, NY 10027
212-280-6000 • www.rabbinicalassembly.org
“Heschel says that the goal of a prophecy is to afflict the comfortable
and comfort the afflicted. I’m not a prophet, but my goal is to push
my congregants,” says Ethan, who is currently searching for a community need that his New Orleans congregation can work to fill.
One year ago, the Rabbinical Assembly posted a job announcement
for Shir Chadash, a Conservative congregation in New Orleans. “I was
looking for a way to help a Jewish community, especially a community that was eager to try new things and connect to social justice. I
showed the job posting to my wife, and we were both excited, especially as we learned more about New Orleans.” Ethan, who was
raised in Philadelphia, knew little about New Orleans before he moved
South.
Ethan has spent a year adjusting to the warm weather, learning that
the South isn’t monolithic and listening to stories of inequality that exist,
many that began before Hurricane Katrina. Now, he is on
A community organizer at
a quest. “I want to work with
my community to figure out
heart, Ethan sees working on
what major challenges my
community issues across race
Jewish community can commit to working on.” A comand class lines as a way to build
munity organizer at heart,
his Jewish community,
Ethan sees working on community issues across race and
class lines as a way to build his Jewish community, if done strategically.
“What can we make an impact on, and what will bring us closer as a
community?”
“I love Jewish text and tradition. I want to find a way to have people
care for these elements of Judaism and make them a part of their
lives. From keeping kosher to pursuing a better world, part of the goal
of the Jewish religion is to give people a sense of things that exist
beyond their personal lives. Your desire for cheeseburgers or to go to
the movies on a Saturday night is not the most important thing. Many
people in my congregation live a life that is largely within their own
control and that’s something that gives us a certain responsibility to
work for the benefit of others.”
“Keeping kosher and keeping Shabbat elevate the sense of urgency
to create a more fair and just peaceful society, and vice versa,” he
says. “A more peaceful society elevates and sanctifies the mitzvah of
Shabbat.”
“From keeping kosher to pursing a better world, part of the goal of the Jewish religion is to
give people a sense of things that exist beyond their concerns,” says Ethan.
Anya Manning, Age 25
Repair the World
’s mission is to make service a deﬁning element of Jewish life, learning and leadership. It creates effective opportunities to serve, bring
more young people into service and connect service to Jewish learning and
values. It envisions an inspired Jewish community fully engaged in and committed
to repairing the world.
555 8th Avenue, Suite 1703, New York, NY 10024
646-695-2700 • www.werepair.org
In college, Anya and her sister volunteered for six weeks in Guatemala
City with a program that provides educational and financial support
to children who were living and working in the garbage dumps. Anya
felt satisfied with herself when she returned. Then, a friend challenged
her to think bigger. “I remember my friend saying, ‘So, you had a fun
and meaningful experience, but now what are you going to do?’”
Inspired, she put up signs around the Barnard College campus for a
service trip back to the same community. So many people were interested that she had to make an application, admitting now, “I had no
idea what I was doing. No money
and no plan!” Together, the group
"All Jews should have an
fundraised and planned, meeting
opportunity to do work
weekly for three months before
the trip. The trip was life-changing
they're excited about
for Anya. “I saw how meaningful
through a Jewish lens."
a longer-term commitment to a
community or organization could
really be.” Little did Anya know then, Guatemala was just the beginning of the work she would embark on to connect Jews to meaningful
service experiences.
Now the program and education associate for Repair the World, Anya
spends her days making those links. “We’re working to expand the
field of Jewish service and service learning so all Jews have an opportunity to do work they’re excited about through a Jewish lens.”
“I’m proud to say that my career is a direct outgrowth of the opportunities I found during high school and college,” she adds. “I’m grateful
that there is a field around Jewish service beginning to take form, so I
can make a career out of my passions.”
The growing field has changed the way she defines service. “The
people who are on service trips, who are ‘serving,’ are also served.
They’re really moved and changed by their powerful experiences.”
The thousands who have gone through service learning experiences
are sharing with their communities. “At this point, many service learning programs are turning people away! This is the beginning of a shift
in the Jewish community.”
Besides making sure that all Jews have an opportunity to participate
in service learning, Anya hopes to see something else achieved: “Most
importantly, I want to see a shift in the Jewish psyche. Service is a way
to act Jewish, just like we think prayer is a Jewish act, so is service.”
Anya, pictured during a family day hosted by Safe Passages, which helps young people
find alternatives to scavenging in garbage dumps.
Members of the
Jewish Social
Justice Roundtable
American Jewish World Service
Jewish Reconstructionist
Federation
AVODAH: The Jewish Service
Corps
Jewish World Watch
The PANIM Institute of BBYO
Keshet
Hazon
Mazon: A Jewish Response To
Hunger
Jewish Community Federation
of San Francisco, the Peninsula,
Marin and Sonoma Counties
National Council of Jewish
Women
New Israel Fund
Jewish Community Relations
Council of Greater Boston
Progressive Jewish Alliance/
Jews United for Justice
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
The Rabbinical Assembly
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
Repair the World
Union for Reform Judaism/
Religious Action Center
of Reform Judaism/Just
Congregations
Jewish Organizing Initiative
Top row: Taan, Anne,
Joanna, Anya
Second row: Ethan,
Trevor, Jackie, Leah
Third row: Alexandra,
Matt, Ruhi, Dani
Fourth row: Rachel,
Dan, Gabe, Elyssa
Bottom row: Sasha,
Hannah, Stephan
“I felt that
my legs were
praying.”
Rabbi Abraham Joshua
Heschel, on marching
for civil rights with Dr.
Martin Luther King

Praying With Our Legs - Jewish Social Justice Roundtable

Transcription

Similar documents

Centrale Magazine - 18 >> Dear friends of the Jewish community

to the invitation

U.N. Partition Plan - Project Interchange

November 22nd

it`s the world`s most difficult job.

S ANC TU AR Y - reformjudaismmag.net

THE SHOSHANA S. CARDIN JEWISH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

Berdychiv - The Radov Chronicles

S. Mitchell Weitzman Author Bio

Zagreb celebrating Jewish culture Aus: Nachrichtenagentur Hina