With 20 years of training Jewish social justice leaders under our organizational belt, we’ve got a lot of experience. And we love to share it.
Avodah Service Corps and Fellowship alumni are key players within the Jewish social justice field. Our Alumni Justice Ambassadors (AJAs) are trained to work with Jewish communities across the country to deepen their approach to social and economic justice, and to understand and engage with the most crucial issues that people in America are facing today.
AJAs are available to speak, teach, consult and facilitate in your communities. We have taught at synagogues, Hillels, conferences and more. AJAs are primarily located in NYC, DC, Chicago, and New Orleans, though we have a few AJAs in other locations, and we may be able to travel to you.
Click here for a menu of our current workshops, and please note that all trainings are designed to be about 2 hours in length (though we can adapt to fit different time frames), and are customized to fit the needs of your community. The trainings can be offered individually or combined to create a series. For teen audiences, we also have Tikkun Olam: Our Turn, a curriculum focused on helping them deepen their social justice projects.
Here’s what participants from our AJA trainings have to say:
“Thank you very much for working with our staff on enhancing how we approach and implement inclusivity practices into our work and our Hillel space. I really appreciated it and I know my colleagues did, too.”
—Michael Simon, Executive Director, Northwestern Hillel
“Having Rory speak to my Fellowship in Jewish Social Entrepreneurship students was wonderful. Not only did my students learn about different methods of social change, they got to hear how an Avodah alum continues to pursue justice through her professional endeavors.”
—Jonathan G. Lerner, JD, MSW, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies, Jewish Theological Seminary
“The Avodah training was engaging, substantive and relevant. Our AJA worked closely with the Hillel staff, and helped our students gain perspective and understanding. We’re looking forward to our future sessions.”
— Lauren Bloom, Assistant Director, Tufts Hillel
AJAs are available on a sliding scale to organizations, depending on organizational size.
If you would like an Avodah Alumni Ambassador to lead a learning session with your synagogue, community, students, or other individuals, contact Alumni Director Rachel Glicksman at rglicksman@avodah.net or fill out this form.
Our session offerings include:
What’s Jewish about Justice?
Why a Jewish Social Justice Community?
Intersections of Justice
From Tzedakah to Tzedek
To Be of Use
From the Personal to the Political
For teens, or younger audiences, please also see Tikkun Olam: Our Turn, and please contact us at info@avodah.net if there is another topic you are interested in.
The fees for our teaching below are based on a 2-hour session with one educator, using our existing materials, in addition to out of city travel fees, if any. Longer sessions, shorter sessions or other special adaptations will involve adjustments to this range–we’re happy to discuss ways to meet the needs of your community!
National Conference Manager, Bend the Arc Social Worker, Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights Educator and Musician Housing & Environmental Justice Researcher Social Worker, Justice Resource Institute Political Organizer Corporate Account Manager, Cara Chicago Federal Policy Advisor, Interfaith Alliance International Rescue Committee, Global Policy and Advocacy Founder, Constructive Communities Facilitator Facilitator and Counselor Adolescent Health Educator Director of Development, NCJW Director, Bronx Freedom FundAdina Alpert
Hannah Biskind
Rena Branson
Sophie Dulberg
Marissa Dungan
Elizabeth Heyman
Liz Jones
Katy Joseph
Joshua Kurtz
Liz London
Sara Mosenkis
Elena Pinsky
Corinne Vandagriff
Sarah Waldbott
Elena Weissmann