We believe that Jewish leaders have the power to help change our country for the better. We train and support Jewish professionals at all levels of their careers with the tools, knowledge, and networks they need to contribute their skills and passion to advance social justice across the country and deepen the fabric of our diverse Jewish communities.
We’ve brought together a powerful community of experts, advocates, educators, and scholars to guide Avodah toward making the greatest impact within the communities we serve, and the larger Jewish community.
“The Justice Fellowship connected me to a community of kindred spirits, all of whom shared passions and interests similar to mine. It also sparked in me the desire to deepen my relationship to my faith and connect my Judaism to my social justice work.”
— 2015-2016 Chicago Justice Fellowship alum
Everything that we do is rooted in a rich relationship with Judaism – we draw inspiration from sacred text, and our spirits are nourished by the power of Jewish celebration and community.
We approach all human beings with radical empathy. Our commitment to justice centers around the dignity and sacredness of each human being. We value this in times of peace and of tension, remembering that at the core of justice is a deep, abounding love for humanity. We seek to ensure that respect and care is reflected in our community expectations and practices. We know all human beings are made in the image of the divine (b’tzelem elohim) and thus, we see the wholeness of each person.
We believe justice is rooted in joy and love. We know that our world is filled with grave injustices, but also that it is a joyful and loving act to build a better future. Our Jewish tradition anchors us in the balance between the challenges we face and the opportunity for celebration. We’re committed to making the journey toward the vision of a world where everyone can fully experience joy.
We know our lives are intertwined and we can’t do this work alone. Most Jewish practices are grounded in community, from how we pray to how we study to how we mourn to how we celebrate. We know that no one person, no one organization, no one movement, can build a just future alone. We commit to finding our lane within existing networks of justice movements and organizations to enhance our capacity and impact.
We seek to understand across difference. While we do hold boundaries in order to clarify what is necessary to achieve our mission, we work hard to make sure that we are as expansive as possible. Our pluralism includes all who believe that we have a collective responsibility to build a better world for everyone. We see the respectful and vigorous debate of the Talmud (the principle of machloket) as a model for our community. We stand up for our core beliefs, while reaching for others.
We continue the Jewish tradition of wrestling with big questions and exploring multiple answers. In the Torah, Jacob was given the name “Yisrael”, or “the one who wrestles.” Our Jewish tradition continues that legacy of wrestling with big questions and hard discussions. We commit to consistent evolution of our ideas, programs, and practices to ensure that we are evolving with the world around us. We know that hard questions have many answers, and sometimes that means there are multiple valid perspectives. We hold the “both/and” of the world–knowing that the systems we operate in are flawed, while doing what we can to transform them.
For 27 years, we’ve been inspiring Jewish leaders to commit to a life of social change, promoting a vision of Jewish life rooted in justice, and engaging the broader Jewish community in some of the most pressing issues facing our country at a local and national level.
In 1998, nine young volunteers moved into Avodah’s first Jewish Service Corps bayit (home) in New York City. Over the years, we expanded to Chicago, New Orleans, and Washington D.C, where more than 1,370 young Jewish leaders have served in local community nonprofits. It remains a core part of Avodah’s programming today.
In 2014, we launched the Justice Fellowship, which now operates in Chicago and New York City, bringing justice education to more than 330 young Jewish professionals in social change fields.
In 2016, Avodah began making our Jewish social justice expertise available to the wider community through educational resources, workshops, speaker events, and consulting that have reached thousands of individuals and organizations.
In 2022, we launched the Avodah Institute for Social Change to help Jewish leaders make lasting structural transformations within their communities and institutions.
All along the way we have been proud to build a community of more than 1,700 alumni continuing to work for justice as professionals and lay leaders, in the Jewish community and beyond. They’re leading organizations, educating Jewish communities on the issues that matter, advocating for change on a local and national level, and helping everyday Americans who are working to make ends meet. They support each other, celebrate Jewish life together, and collaborate in their work for change.
Today, we continue to build on our rich history by providing the tools, experience, and networks for Jewish leaders to create meaningful change. We educate hundreds of people each year who are passionate about exploring justice, Jewish life, and the powerful intersections between the two. Through social justice education, relationship building, and pluralistic Jewish community, we are creating a more just and equitable world.
Learn about this year’s cohort of Jewish Service Corps Members.
of alumni are a CEO, Executive Director, or senior leader in their organization.*
of alumni have been involved in social justice work in some way since participating in Avodah*
of alumni feel their Jewish identity more strongly influences their pursuit of social justice.*
of alumni consider Avodah to be one of their most meaningful connections to the Jewish community.*
* of alumni polled in 2024 Avodah Alumni Survey
Every year, Jewish Service Corps Members put their values into action, serving at organizations doing critical justice work in Chicago, New Orleans, New York City, and Washington, D.C. At Avodah, we believe in the power and importance of developing deep, authentic...
Avodah provides its Jewish Service Corps Members with a house, a program, and a framework for building Jewish community together. But what they actually build inside it—the specific relationships, the trust, all the good that comes out of a group of people living in a...
When Representative Larvadain III asked Sam if people of her generation would make Louisiana a home under these conditions, the subtext of the question seemed to be: Will you settle down and accept this proposed injustice as the new status quo? Sam said, emphatically, no. Continue reading
By becoming a donor today, you’re investing in the next generation of Jewish justice leaders and the creation of a more equitable world.
