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...
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.
Meet Oscar, an Avodah Jewish Service Corps Member at Food & Water Watch in Washington, D.C., where he’s mobilizing people to make their voices heard. As he puts it, “We have more say and power, and it’s our responsibility to keep fighting for it.”
This past Monday, Avodah, Elluminate, PACT, and CYD gathered at Central Synagogue to celebrate the deep connections that sustain the Jewish social justice community in New York.
Jewish Service Corps Member River supports immigration attorneys and helps organize community outreach efforts as ICE enforcement increases.
Zev reflects on organizing a federal text advocacy campaign at his placement Food and Water Watch. Continue reading
Reflections on over two decades of partnership with Sanctuary for Families in New York City. Continue reading
Avodahniks participate in a panel on the power of relationships to addressing a the most pressing issues in the US.
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.
Learn how our National Mental Health Advisor provides support for Corps Members as they devote a year to intensive direct service in cities across the United States.
Rippling from Avodah to our placements to Chicago’s larger community, a simple but powerful message: “You are not alone.”
Here are stories from just a few of the many Avodahniks organizing to build worker power and a more just United States.
Outgoing Avodah Jewish Service Corps Members to reflect on the impact of their year of service.
Learn how a Service Corps Member found their people and professional purpose through Avodah.
Meet a Service Corps Member whose year at Avodah taught her how to strategize for long-term success.
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.
Learn how our Corps Members connected to the Shmita year through community-based agriculture and climate justice.
Nina McKay is one of our 2021-2022 DC Service Corps Members. She grew up just outside of Philadelphia and recently graduated from Bowdoin College with a degree in history and religious studies. We spoke with her about her service year so far: How did you hear about...
Zoë Mermelstein is a member of our 2021-2022 DC Service Corps cohort. Prior to becoming a Corps Member, Zoë graduated with honors from Brown University and holds a degree in History & Classics. We asked her to share a bit about her Avodah experience thus far, a...
2021-2022 Avodah Service Corps Member Noa Garfein served as the Program Support Specialist for the JFS Center for Jewish Care, which seeks to end Jewish poverty and strengthen the Jewish community.
Naomi serves at Dreams for Change in San Diego, where she is recruiting volunteers to help recover tax refunds for eligible families. Those unclaimed funds help to reinvest in the local community.
Katie serves as the Community & Logistics Coordinator for Home is Here NOLA, which is dedicated to supporting immigrants and refugees through housing and hospitality.
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 Color Bayit in New York, our New...
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 Corps Members’ travel,...
Elianna has spent the last year serving as the Montgomery County Community Organizer for Jews United for Justice (JUFJ). The organization’s work spans issues including state-level immigrant rights, prison reform, and police accountability. Continue reading
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 service year with...
Mandy Peskin spent this year serving as a legal clinic coordinator at Bread for the City, as part of Avodah’s Jewish Service Corps. The organization focuses on eviction defense, family law for survivors of domestic abuse, and helping people access public benefits,...
Mire chose to serve in Chicago for the opportunity to work at Thresholds, an organization committed to providing housing, healthcare, and hope to thousands of underserved Chicagoans. Continue reading
Meet an alum who launched into a career of social justice work following the Service Corps.
Joshua Singer spends most of his time in a van, but he’s not on a road trip. He’s currently an Avodah Service Corps Member, serving with the New York City nonprofit, Project Renewal, which provides healthcare and social services to those in need. Joshua spends...
“Climate justice intersects with all the other justice issues,” says Noa Gordon-Guterman. “The Earth houses all of both the beautiful work and all of our flaws as a human people. When the Earth is hurting, human beings are hurting as well. It is important to act on...
In an election fraught with anti-immigrant rhetoric and threats of voter suppression, Avodah DC Corps Members Francesca Rubinson and Jordan Pollack visited Pennsylvania on Election Day to serve as voter guardians for those who might have faced intimidation at the...
The following speech was given by Avodah Service Corps Member Julie Schreiber at Avodah’s 2020 virtual Partners in Justice Gala. How will we remember this time? I ask myself this every day. During crises – or “unprecedented times,” as our bosses love to call...
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.
When Dana arrived in New Orleans for the Service Corps in 2010, she found an instant connection with the city.