Thank you to Jewish Family Service for being a 2021-2022 Service Corps partner and supporting the launch of Avodah San Diego!

With the shared Jewish values of tzedek (justice), and tikkun olam (repairing the world), Avodah and Jewish Family Service work together to address the most pressing social justice issues facing the San Diego community — from hunger to homelessness, and beyond. For more than a century, JFS has leveraged the strength of the community to help people transform their lives. With an approach rooted in personal relationships and community partnerships, JFS delivers services to foster the health, skills, confidence, and resilience of every person served.

By working together to uplift individuals and families, we strengthen the whole community. Through critical relief and supportive services, JFS sustains families struggling to put food on the table or sheltering in their vehicles; helps older adults age with dignity; welcomes strangers with compassion; and fosters connections in San Diego’s Jewish community. 

Avodah Service Corps Member Noa Garfein serves as the Program Support Specialist for the JFS Center for Jewish Care, which seeks to end Jewish poverty and strengthen the Jewish community. Noa is an integral part of the team, supporting community members struggling to make ends meet. Noa’s work is especially crucial for those whose needs have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. She assists with identifying each individual’s most pressing needs, such as housing, nutrition or transportation, and helps connect them to services and resources within JFS and the broader community. This often includes navigating complex government benefits systems — Noa has become well-versed in local housing programs and the rental relief and eviction moratoriums made available during the pandemic.