Category Archives: New Orleans
Growing Greens and Environmental Justice Values
Avodah’s 2021-2022 Service Corps Members graduated from the program in late July and joined our 1,300+ strong alumni network. We are excited to see these young Jewish changemakers take their next steps, and are grateful for the impact they’ve … Continue reading
Avodah’s Shosh Madick Speaks Out Against Death Penalty at Louisiana State Capitol
Avodah’s Shosh Madick speaks out against the death penalty with interfaith justice leaders, including placement organization Promis of Justice Initiatives, at the Louisiana State Capitol. Continue reading
Alumni Spotlight: Corinne Vandagriff on Helping Adolescents Navigate Stress and Trauma in Healthcare
Avodah alumna Corinne Vandagriff (New Orleans Service Corps, 2016-2017) hopes to change the way children and adolescents experience stressful situations. For her, the work is deeply personal. At 19, she met a child life specialist for the first time, due … Continue reading
Gratitude is not Enough: Accountability and Action on Thanksgiving
As the name implies, Thanksgiving is traditionally a holiday about gratitude. While acknowledging the things we are grateful for is important, the gathering of friends and family also provides an opportunity for critical conversations on accountability. From as early as … Continue reading
NOLA Corps Member Katie Schmidt Helping Immigrants and Afghan Refugees
In mid-August, the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, further worsening the Afghan refugee crisis. At the same time that advocates and organizations sought to help arriving Afghan families, Hurricane Ida was rolling into Louisiana, displacing thousands. Avodah postponed the arrival … Continue reading
NOLA Corps Member Ellie Moskowitz Kicks Off Service Year with Hurricane Relief Efforts
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
New Orleans Corps Members Provide Hurricane Ida Relief to Local Tribal Community
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
Overcoming Voting Barriers With a Focus on Gen Z
Sylvia Finger and Jill Israel were honored at Avodah’s 2020 Annual Partners in Justice event in New Orleans for their efforts to organize and register more than 9,000 new voters in just two years through their work with the … Continue reading
In Today’s NYT — An Amazing Story About an Inspirational Man
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,” paid … Continue reading