Late this summer, we celebrated the graduation of our 2020-2021 Corps Members and prepared to welcome a new cohort across six bayitim (houses) in five cities. In addition to new Service Corps programming in San Diego and our Jews of … Continue reading
8th Oct, 2021
Just as our newest New Orleans Corps Members were embarking on their trip to the Avodah bayit (home), Hurricane Ida, the second-most damaging hurricane to strike Louisiana on record, touched down in the region. While the storm delayed the … Continue reading
1st Oct, 2021
After years of community actions and meetings in Chicago, the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance passed recently, creating the most comprehensive civilian oversight of a police department in the country. ECPS is designed to create a system of … Continue reading
31st Aug, 2021
Last week, we probed the Torah’s preemptive disgust at wealth hoarding, class entitlement, and civic irresponsibility, which crouched at the threshold of the Land of Israel, ready to seduce the Israelites as soon as they became securely housed landowners and … Continue reading
6th Aug, 2021
The main theme of this week’s parasha is the entitlement and arrogance of rich people. The main thesis is that that entitlement and that arrogance, the main features of wealth, undermine religious life and social responsibility. While this theme and … Continue reading
30th Jul, 2021
“It’s really powerful to be connected to people and organizations in the fields of social justice and change-making in Maryland,” says Service Corps Member Elianna Cooper (2020-2021 DC cohort). Elianna has spent the last year serving as the Montgomery County … Continue reading
27th Jul, 2021
In our parasha, Moshe, in his final charge to the Israelites, completes the recapping of their story which occupied last week’s parasha and moves into his review of the mitzvot (commandments) and multiple exhortations not to abandon them upon entering … Continue reading
23rd Jul, 2021
Diana Levy Moldovan has been involved with Avodah in multiple capacities, with involvement spanning more than a decade. In 2007, she became the first Service Corps Member to be placed at the Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice (SLJ) … Continue reading
19th Jul, 2021
This week we begin the book of Devarim, Moshe’s great, booklong speech to prepare the people for liberated, responsible, landed civic life after his imminent death. At the beginning, he recalls desert history (Devarim/Deuteronomy 1:6-13): “YHWH our God spoke to … Continue reading
16th Jul, 2021
In honor of Avodah’s 2020-2021 Jewish Service Corps graduation, we’re highlighting some of our outgoing Corps Members. We spoke with Francesca Rubinson, a member of our D.C. cohort about her next steps after Avodah. Where were you placed for your … Continue reading
12th Jul, 2021