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
For the first time, Avodah DC’s spring retreat brought together current Corps Members and alumni from the two previous cohorts—a weekend that showed what it looks like when the connections made in the bayit (communal home) extend beyond the service year.
The federal takeover of Washington, D.C., has escalated the crisis for the city’s unhoused population. Avodah CEO Cheryl Cook spoke with two Avodahniks on the front lines of this fight.
Jessica reflects on the power of building relationships, the importance of coalition work, and why, in difficult moments, we must continue to lean in. Continue reading
Service Corps Alum Rachel Sumekh (Chicago 2013) on the imperative to weave a social safety net for all Americans, including the Jewish community. Continue reading
Outgoing Board Chair Ilana Zafran Walden reflects on her journey, leadership, and hopes for Avodah’s future. Continue reading
Avodah alumni on how they pursue justice through their professions, and through uncertain times. Continue reading
Leora shares what brought her to the Service Corps, insights on her work supporting young immigrant women at The Brave House, and why radical hospitality is more important than ever.
Lanie Cohen discusses the Justice Fellowship and their work at Keshet, the leading LGBTQ+ Jewish organization in the United States.
Rabbi Deborah Goldberg discusses how her experiences in the Justice Fellowship and HUC propelled her career and commitment to Jewish communal life.
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Here are stories from just a few of the many Avodahniks organizing to build worker power and a more just United States.
There are so many benefits to doing Avodah, long after the program ends. Avodah alumni manager Lauren Fine breaks down the best hidden perks of serving in the Jewish Service Corps or participating in the Justice Fellowship.
Meet the Service Corps Member and alum who work together at CASA, helping hundreds navigate the immigration system.
Buy your Hanukkah gifts while supporting Avodah alumni artists, crafters, and makers who use art for social change.
Service Corps Members used the themes of Sukkot to consider how our societal structures, such as prisons and incarceration systems, can be reimagined, shifted, and changed.
Justice Fellowship alum Naomi Barnett empowers Jewish youth to become social justice leaders.
Learn how an alum’s year in the Service Corps led to a career of researching cooperative decision-making and mutual aid groups.
Jane Yamaykin was a DC Service Corps Member in 2008-2009. She now works as the Associate Director of Engagement & Leadership at the National Council for Jewish Women (NCJW). Jane reflected on the impact her Service Corps participation has had on her life: Avodah’s...
Eytan Deener-Agus is a Boston native who participated in our DC Service Corps program in 2020-2021. He now works for Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA), helping with refugee resettlement. We spoke with him about his Avodah experience and...
Hannah Recht (Chicago Service Corps, 2017-2018) has a passion for organizing that’s taken her across the U.S. — and abroad! After graduating from Tufts University and working on the 2016 election, she relocated to Jerusalem for a movement-building, Jewish-Palestinian...
Rachel Davidson (Chicago Service Corps, 2006-2007) is the Managing Attorney for Policy and Special Projects at The Door in New York City and the founder of the End SIJS Backlog Coalition, which recently published its first report on the Special Immigrant Juvenile...
Avodah alumna Corinne Vandagriff (New Orleans Service Corps, 2016-2017) hopes to change the way children and adolescents experience stressful situations.
In an economy dominated by Amazon and big-box stores, we know small business owners and creators are facing an increasingly difficult battle for customers. This season, we encourage you to shop small. In addition to shopping at stores local to your area, we’d like to...
Benjamin Altshuler (he/him), is the Rabbi of Mount Sinai Congregation in Wausau, WI and an alumnus of the Avodah Jewish Service Corps (Chicago, 2013-2014). He spent the year serving at Friedman Place, a supportive living facility for adults who are blind. He has...
After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Avodah Service Corps alumna Leah Starbuck Schuckit (New York City cohort, 2018-2019) knew she wanted to try direct service work. When she heard about...
Avodah alum Hayley Rein (New York Service Corps, 2019-2020) has known for a while that she wanted to build a career helping people. Most recently, this aspiration has landed her in Eger, Hungary. Originally from Brooklyn, Hayley studied psychology and sociology at...
Avodah alumni, partners, and educators helped secure the most comprehensive civilian oversight of a police department in the country.
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) — and she’s worked...
Emily Piff (she/her) lives in Chicago, IL, where she participated in the Avodah Justice Fellowship in 2019-2020. Emily attended college in Atlanta, GA at Agnes Scott College. She now works as a Data Analyst for the Chicago Transit Authority. Emily is passionate about...
While Avodah’s mission is focused on social justice through a Jewish lens, we are proud to say that our programs often help participants gain a deeper understanding of their own identities. One such program alum is Emily Saltzman (New York City Service Corps,...
In honor of Pride Month, we are highlighting queer Avodah alumni like Abi Weber. We sat down to talk about her experiences as a queer Jew who was recently ordained as a rabbi. Abi Weber (Avodah Chicago alum 2011-2012) has had a busy year. In addition to navigating the...
In honor of Pride Month, we’re spotlighting queer Avodah alumni leaders like Rakhel Silverman. We sat down with them to discuss their experiences and work as a queer Jewish person. What was your year with Avodah like? I did the Service Corps in 2019-2020 and was...
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we spoke with Avodah Chicago Justice Fellowship alumna Molly Schneider on her experience as a mental health professional. For years, Molly Schneider (Avodah Justice Fellowship, 2018-2019) has spent her days listening to the...
Meet an alum who found the Justice Fellowship to be a safe space to grapple with social justice issues.
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we spoke with mental health professional and Avodah Service Corps alumna Camellia Heart about her experiences in the field. Camellia Heart had just finished college at University of Georgia and was looking for her next move...
Meet an alum who launched into a career of social justice work following the Service Corps.
In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we spoke with Avodah Fellowship 2018-2019 alumna Kelsey Saragnese about her work in the field of violence prevention. A fervent advocate for violence prevention, Kelsey Saragnese has dedicated her career to helping people...
Dahlia Rockowitz is an alumna of Avodah’s Service Corps program and climate justice advocate. Since completing the Service Corps in 2009, she has held multiple roles in the climate justice space, and recently became the Washington Director of Dayenu: A Jewish Call to...
Avodah alumni Absera Melaku and Cydney Wallace were named today to Oy Chicago’s prestigious “36 Under 36” list. The pair, both alumni of the Chicago Justice Fellowship (2017-2018) were noted for making a difference through their work, giving back in their free...
The following speech was given by Avodah alumna Cydney Wallace (Chicago Justice Fellowship ’17-18), co-founder of Kol Or, Jewish Council on Urban Affair’s (JCUA) Jews of Color Caucus, at a Black Jews for Black Lives action last Friday, leading into a major...
Two-hundred and fifty swabs. That’s how many COVID-19 tests Avodah alumna and medical student, Tal Lee, and a small team of doctors, nurses, and fellow medical students conducted in a single day during a recent swab drive within a North Philadelphia church parking...
Today’s New York Times features an amazing story about an inspirational man. Calvin Duncan served 23 years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, the nation’s largest maximum security prison. During his years at Angola, Calvin worked as a “jailhouse lawyer,”...
The following speech was originally given by Avodah Alumna Jessica Schaffer at Partners in Justice in Chicago on May 16, 2019. It was happenstance that I joined Avodah as a Corps Member in 2007. A relative of mine who I hadn’t seen in years happened to be in Montreal,...
Jenna Gold originally gave this acceptance speech at Avodah DC’s 2019 Partners in Justice event on May 22, 2019 at Adas Israel Congregation. There are currently 1,076 Avodah alumni. I am just one of them. My Avodah story is both typical and atypical. Like...
From China to Chicago, learn how this alum found his Jewish justice community at Avodah.
Service Corps alum Sammy Bosalavage shares her experience supporting an innocent man on death row.
Brian Fink shares his Jewish social justice journey from Service Corps Member to Reconstructionist Rabbi.
In 2006, we placed Ilana Zafran Walden at Umoja Student Development Corporation in Chicago, where she continued to work for over a decade.
Meet the Service Corps alum who founded Swipe Out Hunger.
Meet the Justice Fellowship alum who created a program modeled after his experience in Avodah. Continue reading
When Dana arrived in New Orleans for the Service Corps in 2010, she found an instant connection with the city.