Service in New Orleans

I just returned from the Jewish Federation of North America's General Assembly held in New Orleans.  In addition to the plenary sessions featuring Vice President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, and dozens of workshops and other meetings, Monday afternoon was set aside for community service projects.  While it may be difficult to assess the overall benefit of short term volunteer projects, I can attest to the value to the participants.

My wife and I went to the Lower 9th Ward to help clear brush from lots still containing the concrete slabs for homes that were destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  We worked with an organization called Beacon of Hope, formed by a New Orleans native after her own Katrina experience.  These overgrown lots have become a haven for criminal activity, as only a few weeks ago a rapist was able to commit his crime and escape detection by hiding in the weeds.  We were only able to give a few hours of service, but the hundreds of volunteers were able to make a measurable difference in the landscape--a small step towards rebuilding a community that now has only a few scattered homes, but with more being built each year.

For me, the opportunity to work side by side with fellow Jews from across North America from multiple generations was an important lesson in how to make volunteer experiences meaningful.  Often we concentrate on creating volunteer opportunities for particular age cohorts--teens, young adults, baby boomers, etc.  On Monday we were all working together and the sharing of stories with one another brought new meaning for me to am Yisroel chai.  Hillel students alongside of veteran community leadership, we were joined together for a common purpose.

As we were walking back to the buses, one of the residents of the Lower 9th Ward pulled into her driveway, one of only a few rebuilt homes in a multi-block area.  She saw us, came down to the end of her driveway and thanked each of us for being there.  It was us who were thankful for the opportunity.

Who Are Jewish Communal Professionals?

The Jewish Communal Service Association recently teamed with Dr. Steven M. Cohen of the Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ NYU Wagner to create a new study, Profiling the Professionals: Who's Serving Our Communities?  This unprecedented study of 2,435 Jewish communal professionals surveyed throughout the United States and Canada was conducted during 2009 and early 2010.  Most likely, many of you participated in the survey.

Profiling the Professionals provides important information for anyone who identifies as a Jewish communal professional and who cares about advancing our community.  Read the study to learn about continuing gender gaps and diminshing connections to Jewish peoplehood, among just two of the findings.

The implications are profound.  You'll want to read this report and share it with your colleagues and friends.  You can click here to access the complete study.

Upcoming Webinars on Services to the Aging

I have been participating in a task force to plan a series of webinars with the World Council of Jewish Communal Service.  The webinars are designed to facilitate an exchange of information and ideas on the work Jewish communities around the world are doing to serve their aging populations.  The series of three webinars promise to be informative and engaging, and I invite you all to join.  For details and a link to register, click here.

The New York/Jerusalem Experts Exchange brings together professionals from Israel, New York and around the world, who work in the fields of diversity, coalition building, community organizing and dialogue, facilitated by CAUSE-NY/JCRC and JICC. This webinar series is co-sponsored with: World Council of Jewish Communal Service and Jewish Communal Service Association of North America.

Mazel Tov

Former AJFCA Washington Representative Amy Rosen gave birth to Zachary Murray Rosen on November 8, 2010 at 1:30 p.m., weighing in at 5 pounds, 12 ounces.  Congratulations to Amy and Evan and the newly expanded Rosen family.