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 relationships with those most impacted by injustice. We know that our work is strongest when rooted in coalition and connection, which is why we’re so proud to partner with this slate of placement organizations.
This year, most of our Corps Members are engaging in direct service, working with clients to meet immediate needs like housing, food access, gender-based violence, and healthcare. Others engage in community organizing or legal advocacy, like helping people navigate the criminal legal system, fighting for a healthier planet, and providing legal representation for immigrants.
Our Jewish Service Corps Members’ year of service is not only the perfect springboard to a career in the justice field, but a pathway to infusing any career with Jewish social justice values. And while our focus has always been on setting Corps Members up for a lifetime of meaningful, sustainable, and effective social justice work–not saving the world in one service year–it’s undeniable that the contributions of Corps Members to their placements and their impact on the clients they serve are invaluable. In fact, 41% of our alumni have worked at a placement organization after their service year.
This year, 53 Jewish Service Corps Members are showing up for their communities at 45 placement organizations:
Chicago
The Ark – Food Insecurity
A Jewish social service agency offering free healthcare, food assistance, mental health counseling, and financial aid to Chicago-area Jewish individuals and families in crisis.
Arts of Life – Employment Services
Provides community, art-making studio space, and creative opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Beyond Legal Aid – Immigration and Refugee Resettlement
A community-based legal organization offering free legal services designed around client relationships and community partnerships, particularly for immigrant and low-income communities.
Cabrini Green Legal Aid – Criminal Legal System
Provides free civil legal services to low-income Chicagoans, with a focus on housing, criminal record relief, and family law.
Erie Family Health Centers – Healthcare
A network of community health centers providing affordable primary and preventive care to underserved Chicago-area residents regardless of ability to pay.
Girls in the Game – Education and Youth Development
A youth development organization using sports, health education, and leadership programming to build confidence and life skills in girls.
Inspiration Corporation – Housing Insecurity
Serves people experiencing homelessness and poverty through meal programs, workforce development, and supportive housing services on Chicago’s north side.
Heartland Human Care Services – Immigration and Refugee Resettlement
A program of Heartland Alliance that resettles refugees and provides case management, housing, and support services to immigrants and other vulnerable populations, including trafficking survivors through its Freedom From Trafficking Program.
Jewish Child & Family Services (JCFS) – Jewish Community & Belonging
Provides mental health, disability, family, and community support services rooted in Jewish values, serving people of all backgrounds.
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA): Immigration and Refugee Resettlement
Combats poverty, racism, and antisemitism in partnership with Chicago’s diverse communities, organizing on issues including housing, workers’ rights, and immigration.
National Immigrant Justice Center – Immigration and Refugee Resettlement
Provides direct legal representation to immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees, alongside policy advocacy and litigation on immigration issues.
ONE Northside – Housing Insecurity
A community organizing coalition working on housing affordability, healthcare access, immigration, and mental health in Chicago’s north side neighborhoods.
New Orleans
Covenant House New Orleans – Housing Insecurity
Provides shelter, crisis care, and support services to youth facing homelessness and survivors of human trafficking.
EXCELth, Inc. – Healthcare
A community health network providing affordable primary care, dental, and behavioral health services to underserved communities in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, regardless of ability to pay.
The First 72+ – Criminal Legal System
Provides re-entry support (i.e. housing, case management, job training) to formerly incarcerated people returning to New Orleans, led by people with lived experience.
Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center Housing Insecurity
Investigates and litigates housing discrimination, provides education and foreclosure counseling, and advocates for fair housing policy across Louisiana.
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, Law Clinic – Legal Advocacy
A law school clinical program providing supervised legal representation to low-income clients, while training law students.
Morris Jeff Community School – Education & Youth Development
A New Orleans public charter school serving Pre-K through 12th grade with an emphasis on community engagement, diversity, inclusivity, and an International Baccalaureate curriculum.
The Promise of Justice Initiative – Criminal Legal System
Louisiana-based legal and policy organization litigating against wrongful convictions and extreme sentencing, and advocating for criminal justice reform.
Southeast Louisiana Legal Services – Housing Insecurity
Connects low-income residents with free legal assistance across housing, family law, consumer, and public benefits matters.
Trinity Loaves & Fishes – Food Insecurity
A hunger-relief program of Trinity Episcopal Church providing meals, food assistance, and disaster relief to unhoused and food-insecure people in the New Orleans area.
UNITY of Greater New Orleans – Housing Insecurity
A nonprofit leading a collaborative of agencies working to prevent, reduce, and end homelessness through housing programs and coordinated services.
New York City
Adamah – Climate and Environmental Justice
Combines Jewish learning with environmental and food justice education and programming.
Catholic Migration Services – Immigration and Refugee Resettlement
Provides free immigration legal services, tenant rights assistance, and workers’ rights support to immigrant communities in Brooklyn and Queens.
Comprehensive Youth Development (CYD) – Education and Youth Development
Partners with NYC public high schools to help students ages 14-24 with academic support, college and career preparation, and case management.
Eshel – LGBTQ+ Advocacy and Services
Supports LGBTQ+ individuals and families within Orthodox Jewish communities through advocacy, education, and community-building.
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) – Immigration and Refugee Resettlement
Provides legal services, resettlement support, and advocacy for refugees and asylum seekers in the U.S. and around the world, with legal services offices in the DC and NYC areas.
Jewish Queer Youth (JQY) – LGBTQ+ Advocacy and Services
Provides support, community, and mental health resources for LGBTQ+ youth from Orthodox, Hasidic, and Sephardic/Mizrahi Jewish backgrounds—communities that have historically been non-accepting of LGBTQ+ identities.
New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) – Legal Advocacy
Provides broad civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers across housing, immigration, family law, and public benefits.
Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACT): Education & Youth Development
Focused on preventing child sexual exploitation and trafficking through education, legislative advocacy, and community partnerships.
Project Rousseau – Immigration and Refugee Resettlement
Provides mentorship, academic support, and community service programming to help underserved NYC youth reach college and career goals.
Sanctuary for Families – Gender-Based Violence
Provides legal services, shelter, counseling, and economic empowerment to survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and gender violence.
Undue Medical Debt – Healthcare
A national organization that identifies, purchases, and forgives medical debt for people in financial hardship.
United Jewish Council of the East Side (UJCES) – Food Insecurity
A Jewish community-founded organization providing housing, senior services, and social services to older adults and marginalized residents on the Lower East Side.
Washington, D.C.
Amica Center for Immigrant Rights – Immigration and Refugee Resettlement
Provides legal representation to detained immigrants and unaccompanied children, with a focus on due process for vulnerable populations.
Bread for the City – Food Insecurity
Provides food, legal, medical, and social services to low-income DC residents through an integrated one-stop-shop model.
We Are CASA – Immigration and Refugee Resettlement
Builds power and improves quality of life in working-class Black, Latino/a/e, Afro-descendant, Indigenous, and immigrant communities through direct services (i.e., legal, workforce, benefits navigation), organizing, and advocacy.
Everyone Home DC – Housing Insecurity
Supports individuals and families at risk of or experiencing homelessness in DC, starting with housing stabilization and extending to basic needs, wellness, and learning support.
First Shift Justice Project – Employment Services
Provides free legal advice and representation to low-wage pregnant workers and caregivers, helping them assert workplace rights related to discrimination, accommodations, and paid leave.
Food & Water Watch – Climate and Environmental Justice
A national advocacy organization campaigning on food system, water access, and climate policy, with a focus on holding corporations and government accountable.
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) – Immigration and Refugee Resettlement
Provides legal services, resettlement support, and advocacy for refugees and asylum seekers in the U.S. and around the world, with legal services offices in the DC and NYC areas.
Jews United for Justice (JUFJ) – Housing Insecurity
Organizes the Jewish community across DC, Maryland, and Virginia around local social and economic justice campaigns, including housing, wages, and policing.
Miriam’s Kitchen – Housing Insecurity
Works to end chronic homelessness in DC through meals, case management, permanent supportive housing, and policy advocacy.
Red Tent Fund – Healthcare
A national abortion fund rooted in Jewish values, providing direct financial assistance for abortion care with no restrictions on religion, identity, or income.
Tzedek DC – Legal Advocacy
A Jewish-values-driven legal aid organization defending low-income DC residents against predatory debt collection and consumer financial abuse, while advocating for systemic policy reform.
The Jewish Service Corps is made possible through our partnerships with organizations doing vital work in their communities, and donors who support our Corps Members throughout their year of service. Learn more about becoming a placement organization or make a gift to keep this work going.
