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February 2009
:: Upcoming Events
:: What's Been Happening in the Community?
:: Alumni Highlights
:: AVODAH News
:: Awards and Fellowships
:: Programs
:: Jobs
:: Update Your Contact Information
Upcoming Events

National

Jewish Mindfulness Retreat for Social Justice Leaders
This retreat will be an opportunity for a small cohort of leaders to come together in a place of natural beauty to focus on the critical work of weaving together our spiritual and social justice lives in order to become more balanced, healthy and sustainable leaders. The retreat will be predominantly silent with a handful of talks and interactive trainings/sessions. The retreat is based in mindfulness meditation in a Jewish framework. There will be meditation, yoga, time to be on your own, nourishing kosher food and April landscapes.

When: April 2-5, 2009
Where: The Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, Falls Village, CT.
Cost: $125 program fee.  Room and board additional.

Brought to you by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, Jewish Funds for Justice, and the AVODAH-AJWS Partnership.

For more information and to register, visit IsabellaFreedman.org/socialjustice.


Bay Area

Bay Area Eco Tu B'Shvat Seder
Calling all Bay Area AVODAH & AJWS alums, friends, the young at heart, and earth lovers! Emerge from your winter sleep and start a new cycle as we celebrate Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish new year for the trees. Together we will reinterpret this mystical holiday and raise our consciousness with hands-on and thought-provoking experiences throughout the day. We will celebrate the many gifts that trees have to offer during this evening of discussion, singing, and of course eating. You are not going to want to miss this gathering--it will be 100% beginner-friendly, will feature fabulous seder leaders who will inspire you to take action, and our feast of exotic fruits will be an unforgettable treat!

When: Sunday, February 8 (Erev Tu B'Shvat), 5:15 p.m. Doors, 6:00 p.m. Begins
Where: The Women's Building, 3543 18th St., San Francisco
Cost: $18
RSVP: www.bayareaecoseder.com

**This event sold out last year and will likely sell out again this year so get your tickets in advance.** Capacity is 250.

Inside the Activists' Studio
Join us to learn from and be inspired by local Jewish change-makers and to celebrate the multitude of ways we are all working to create a more equitable world. Engage with a panel of local Jewish change-makers, interact with other socially-conscious folks in skill-share workshops, experience an excerpt of the theater production Angry White Black Boy by Dan Wolf... it's going to be an amazing day!
 
When: Sunday, February 22, 2009, 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., registration at 2:30 p.m.
Where: The Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission Street, SF
Cost: $8-$18, sliding scale (No one will be turned away for lack of funds)
RSVP: www.whoinspiresyou.org
 
Hosted by the AVODAH-AJWS Partnership with our partners The Hub at JCCSF, Progressive Jewish Alliance, and New Generations of the New Israel Fund


Boston
Book Club
In coincidental honor of Black History Month, the book club will be reading Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon.  Also, in honor of the last book, The Namesake, in which author Nikolai Gogol played a significant role, the book club will be reading his short story "The Overcoat" (but don't worry if you haven't read The Namesake!).

The next meeting will be safely after the Superbowl, on Saturday, February 7th at 6pm at Amy Horning's house in Davis Square - email Amy for address/directions. Snacks/side dishes/entrees are welcome, but not required.  Let Amy know if she'll see your smiling face!

Celebrate Tu b'Shevat!
Celebrate the earth and its bounty by partaking of delicious fruits and nuts, and tasty juices and wine. Explore the rhythms of nature, community, and ourselves through ritual, music, and conversation. Hear from local farmers about their lives during a New England winter. Learn about community supported agriculture (CSA).

When: Sunday, February 8th, 2009, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Where: Temple Beth Zion
1566 Beacon St, Brookline, MA (map)
Cost: Free
RSVP by February 2nd, 2009 at: bostontubshevatseder.blogspot.com

Sponsors:
Hebrew College | Moishe House Boston: Kavod Jewish Social Justice House | Temple Beth Zion | AVODAH-AJWS Partnership. This event is made possible by a generous grant from Combined Jewish Philanthropies.


DC

Tu B'Shvat Seder with Shomrei Adamah
Please join Shomrei Adamah of Greater Washington, local activists, young professionals and families for a  celebration of the the birthday of the trees. We'll dine on a kosher meal and symbolic foods highlighting local and Israeli produce, get copies of the Green and Just Celebrations Guide and learn about hosting your own sustainable events.

When: Monday, February 9, 2009 at 6:30 PM
Where: Sixth & I Synagogue, 600 I ST NW
Cost: $18 in advance/$20 at the door
$12 student/service corps
RSVP: Reserve your space now!
Please email [email protected] for a reduced rate by offering to volunteer at the seder.

Co-sponsored by: AVODAH-AJWS Partnership, Birthright NEXT, Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light, Israeli Cooperative, Jews United for Justice, Moishe House Silver Spring, Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, and Teva Learning Center


New York

Tu B'Shvat Seder with Hazon
Join us and our friends at Hazon for the 7th annual Tu B'Shvat seder. Learn and be inspired, and share a delicious seasonal dinner. Participate in a seder with organic fruits, nuts, and wine as we celebrate the holiday of the trees together. Examine how food connects us to Jewish tradition, to the earth, to other people, and to ourselves. This event is brought to you by Hazon and the AVODAH-AJWS Partnership.
 
When: Sunday, February 8th @ 6:30pm
Where: JCC in Manhattan @ 334 Amsterdam Ave, corner of 76th St.
Cost: $36
RSVP: Pre-registration required by calling 646-505-5708.
**This seder sells out every year - register now to reserve your spot!**

Exodus and Revolution: Four-Part Series on Michael Walzer's Exodus and Revolution
Exodus and Revolution, by Michael Walzer, traces the dynamics of revolution, redemption and liberation through the biblical story of the Israelites leaving Egypt for the Promised Land. It also examines later retellings of Exodus by diverse groups including classical rabbinic interpreters and political actors who used the story as the rallying point for their own revolutionary struggles.
 
Back by popular demand, this 4-week course will unpack Exodus and Revolution through intensive learning in chevrutah (in pairs) and through facilitated discussions that will be guided by some of NYC's leading scholars and activists. The primary instructor for the course is Rabbi Brent Spodek, Director of Jewish Communal Relations at American Jewish World Service.
 
When: Weekly and in the evenings, starting on Wednesday March 4th and ending on Wednesday, March 25th
**The course will end just in time for you to bring your newfound insights to your Passover Seder!**
For more info: Contact Audrey.
 
Board Service for Social Change
The AVODAH-AJWS Partnership is pleased to offer an intensive training to young people in their 20s and 30s who are interested in learning how serving on a board of directors for a non-profit organization can help to advance social change. This leadership training is back by popular demand and will be offered in the spring of 2009. If you're interested and would like more information, contact Audrey.
What's Been Happening in the Community

National
Sixty-five alumni, seven partners, two little ones, and alumni staff joined together for the 2009 AVODAH Alumni Retreat at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center January 9th - 11th. Workshops included such topics as Finding Balance in Life and Work, Tzedakah: Justice and Charitable Giving in Modern Times, and Finding Your Inner Clown: Ways to Find Humor in Daily Life.  And text studies covered topics as diverse as The Ethical Obligations of Non-Jews, Gender/Sexual (in)justice, and Naughty Talmud. In addition to praying, singing, networking, learning and dancing the time away the community committed to supporting AVODAH through an expanded alumni giving campaign. Forty-one alumni were involved with planning or executing the retreat making the weekend a characteristically organic AVODAH experience.


Bay Area
Forty-five people attended the inauguration-related event 100 Days, 100 Ways on January 22. We learned about the Progressive Jewish Alliance's work on pressing issues and thought about how we're going to hold ourselves accountable to the new administration.  Rabbi Lee Bycel, Executive Director of the AJWS Western Region, invoked Heschel and reminded us to ask ourselves what we can do, not to wait for the question to be asked of us.  Everyone had a chance to fill out their own pledge sheets of what they want to commit to in the next 100 days.


 Boston
Mimi Garcia (DC 04-05) and Amy Horning (DC 04-05) hosted an Inauguration Party on January 20th.  Everyone watched live coverage of the inaugural balls, a tape of the oaths and President Obama's speech, and shared desserts.  Ten people came to celebrate the historic occasion including AVODAH alumni David Perechocky (DC 07-08), Ari Mueller (NY 00-01), Aaron Devine (DC 04-05), Elesheva Soloff (DC 03-04), Rachel Benedict (NY 03-04), and Daniel Schaefer (DC 04-05).


DC
On Saturday, January 17, over seventy alumni and friends of AVODAH and AJWS gathered to celebrate the transition from havdalah to the rest of the week, and from one president to the next. The energy in the room was magnetic as we shared in a havdalah led by Evan Isaacson and AVODAH alum Sarah Beller (DC 03-04), both members of Tikkun Leil Shabbat. We then settled in for a panel featuring Ronit Avni of Just Vision, Saul Garlick of Student Movement for Real Change, and AJWS alum Ben Brandzel. Jon Wheeler, managing director of Democracy in Action, facilitated the discussion.  Attendees shared their excitement at listening to a conversation between change makers about the intersections of the work they do, the ways one can make change, and effective strategies and ways of thinking about the world. The event was developed in partnership with Jews United for Justice, and co-sponsored by Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society's Young Leaders and the local Moishe Houses.


New York
On Tuesday, January 20th, more than 300 people gathered at S.O.B.'s (Sounds of Brazil) to celebrate the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama. The Inauguration Party was organized by S.O.B.'s in collaboration with the AVODAH-AJWS Partnership and co-sponsored by the New Israel Fund's New Generations and the Young Leaders of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. The event was open to the general public and attracted a huge crowd - with the Jewish social justice community well represented! More than 120 of the participants came as part of their affiliation with the AVODAH-AJWS Partnership, NIF, or HIAS. One of the features of the evening was a postcard to President Obama that the AVODAH-AJWS NY City Team designed with space for people to write out their hopes and dreams for the new administration. Sixty people filled out postcards on the spot. There was a re-broadcast of the speech and swearing-in for anyone who missed it during the day, followed by lots of dancing and celebrating in community. It was a festive evening and a night to remember!
Alumni Highlights

Mazel Tov to Benjamin and Meredith Levy (formerly Weinberg) on their recent wedding. Meredith (DC 04-05) and Benjamin were married in Jerusalem on December 22nd and AVODAH alum Rachel Sandler (DC 04-05) was able to join in the festivities.

Do you have great news that you want to share with the AVODAH alumni community?  Do you want to see your name in e-print?  Please tell us about all the great stuff you are up to so we can feature you in our alumni highlights.
AVODAH News

New Staff Welcome!
We are thrilled to introduce Jocelyn Berger as the new Bay Area Partnership Program Officer. Jocelyn moved to San Francisco in 2005, joining the Jewish Community Federation in the Young Adults Division. Most recently Jocelyn worked as the Development/Marketing Associate at the Fritz Institute, a nonprofit devoted to improving systems for humanitarian aid and disaster relief.  She is active in the Mission Minyan and San Francisco Jewish life, and thrilled to join the AVODAH-AJWS team!

AVODAH in the News
Oregonian AVODAH Corps members are featured in The Jewish Review; AVODAH alumni and Corps members are featured in the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle.  Check it out!

How much can you GET?
At the alumni retreat we discussed having a goal of getting one hundred alumni to raise $500 and reach out to at least thirty people by the end of April. No need to get gory, but you all see what is happening in the economy, so finding more small (or large) donors is extremely helpful.
 
If everyone just sent word about AVODAH to at least thirty people that is over 6,000 folks who hear about AVODAH. That is huge! If all the alumni meet or exceed the goal of $500 that's INCREDIBLE. Whoa. Getting excited just thinking about it.
 
Please join me, and get started TODAY. To learn about how to set up a fundraising page and for some fundraising tips, read the materials available here.
 
Thanks,

Yosh Schulman (NY 98-99)


Help AVODAH's Recruitment Efforts
Please help AVODAH recruit applicants for the 2009-2010 year! We will get our best applicants with your help. The application is due February 6th.
 
1. Spread the word about AVODAH: send an email to talented individuals who should apply AND to family, friends, and colleagues who can help spread the word. The more people that know about the program the better. Please send 5-7 emails out about applying to AVODAH.
 
2. Donate your status to AVODAH through facebook, IM, and gchat. Simply add a line saying Apply to AVODAH. Start this today and have it run through February 1.

Together, we can build the most talented cohort for AVODAH 2009-2010.
Awards and Fellowships

Advocate for Justice Scholarship Program (DC)
The Advocate for Justice Scholarship is specifically designed to enable those who seek a law degree to further public service goals to graduate without the crippling debt that can make public service salaries untenable. The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC-DCSL), the nation's most racially- and age-diverse law school, will offer up to 20 three-year full-tuition Advocate for Justice Scholarships each year to applicants with a demonstrated commitment to working for justice. For more information, please click here.

Do Something Awards
The Do Something Awards (formerly the BR!CK Awards) honors amazing young people who have significantly changed the world for the better. They identify young world-changers who are the pivotal "do-ers" in their cause, issue, or field and empower their work through community grants, knowledge, and support. Five winners will receive a minimum of $10,000 in community grants and scholarships (if applicable). Of those five winners, one will be selected as the grand prize Do Something Award winner. That grand prize Do Something Award winner receives a total of $100,000 in community grants. The Do Something Award community grant money is paid directly to the not-for-profit of the winner's choice. For more information, please click here. Applicants must be age 25 or under. The application deadline is March 1, 2009 and only online applications will be accepted.

PresenTense Fellowship (Israel)
The PresenTense Institute is an accelerator for social ventures that seek to solve problems facing the Jewish People and the World. PresenTense helps individual social entrepreneurs take their ideas, build them into pioneering expeditions, and launch them into a supportive community committed to its success. The PresenTense Fellowship begins with an intensive six-week boot camp for social entrepreneurs in Jerusalem, Israel from June 15 to July 26, 2009 where fellows are trained in the practical skills of social start-up development and are helped by PresenTense and the PresenTense Network to launch their ventures into the world. For more information, please click here.
Programs

AJWS Rabbinical Students' Delegation (Senegal)
AJWS's seventh Rabbinical Students' Delegation (RSD) will go to Senegal in June 2009, where participants will be working with Tostan, one of AJWS's most successful grantees. Attending the delegation will be scholar-in-residence Rabbi David Teutsch, director of the Levin-Lieber Program in Jewish Ethics at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. The participant fee will be $750, and applications, which are due March 7, 2009, are available by writing to [email protected]. This delegation is open to rabbis ordained in 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.ajws.org/rsd.

AJWS World Partners Fellowship (India)
AJWS World Partners Fellowship is awarded to recent Jewish college graduates and young professionals seeking an intensive international volunteer service opportunity. For ten months, fellows live independently and volunteer at an NGO (non-governmental organization) in India. As part of this service-learning experience, fellows engage in personal reflection, educational seminars and skills-building workshops through an in-country orientation and retreats with a peer-learning community. The next departures are in October 2009 and the application deadline is January 30, 2009. For more information, please click here.

Bikkurim (New York City)
Bikkurim: An Incubator for New Jewish Ideas is accepting applications for 2009.
Bikkurim seeks innovative, NYC-based, Jewish, non-profit projects that are in early stages of formation and organizational growth. Bikkurim provides free office space, free and subsidized capacity-building consulting, small stipends, and a peer community with other Jewish start-up initiatives. Bikkurim is a joint project of UJC and the Kaminer Family. Pre-applications can be downloaded from www.bikkurim.org and are due February 11, 2009. For more information, contact Nina Bruder at [email protected] or 212-284-6892.
Please help spread the word!

Southwest Conservation Corps (CO, NM, & AZ)
SCC: Empowering individuals to positively impact their lives, their communities and the environment. The Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) employs and trains a diverse group of young women and men to complete conservation projects for the public benefit. SCC service projects take place throughout the Four Corners states. Projects include trail construction and maintenance, fuels reduction, habitat restoration, erosion control, tree planting, fencing and exotic plant removal. For more information please check out www.sccorps.org or contact Eli Herb at 970-403-0141 or [email protected].
Jobs

AJWS Group Leaders (Int'l)
AJWS Volunteer Summer is the centerpiece of a year-long program of service, study and cultural exchange. Jewish adults ages 16 to 24 spend seven weeks as a group, living alongside an AJWS partner non-government organization (NGO) in a rural area in the developing world. The group works with local community members on projects such as construction, agricultural or clean water systems, engaging in cultural exchange. Group leaders work with either one or two co-leaders to jointly lead all aspects of the Volunteer Summer program. They facilitate groups of volunteers ages 16 to 17 or 18 to 24. International program length is seven weeks. Trainings and orientations will be held in April and June 2009. Previous experience as an informal educator and in positions of leadership is required. Candidates must be at least four years post-graduation from an undergraduate program. For the complete job description, please contact Nina Kaufman at [email protected]. Applications are due by January 23, 2009.

As You Sow (Bay Area)
As You Sow (AYS) is dedicated to ensuring that corporations and other institutions act responsibly and in the long-term best interests of the environment and the human condition. AYS is currently hiring for the following: a Human Rights Program Associate, who will be responsible for the daily activities of the anti-slavery campaign, whose goal is to eradicate slave labor from corporate supply chains; and a Development Manager, who will be the lead staff person on grants management, which includes identifying, managing and submitting letters of interest, grant proposals and reports, tracking income, and assisting with budget projections. For the complete job descriptions, please click here.

Bikkurim (NYC)
Bikkurim: An Incubator for New Jewish Ideas (http://www.bikkurim.org/) helps innovative, NYC-based, Jewish, non-profit organizations grow from start-up to organizational sustainability. Through a competitive application process Bikkurim selects promising new organizations to participate in its incubator program, which provides free office space, free consulting, some direct funding, a peer community, and exposure to local and national Jewish networks. Bikkurim seeks an Administrative Coordinator responsible for office management, administration, and operations; marketing/PR; and bookkeeping. For more information or to apply, please contact Nina Bruder, Executive Director, at [email protected].

Brit Tzedek v'Shalom (Chicago)
Brit Tzedek v'Shalom seeks a visionary professional for the position of Executive Director to provide leadership for their organization. The Executive Director will report to the Board of Directors. She or he will have political campaign and/or issue advocacy experience; a good track record in fundraising; proven program and organizational development skills; and strong personnel and financial management experience.  For full job description please contact Diane Balser, [email protected], Interim Executive Director of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom.

EARTHWORKS (DC)
EARTHWORKS is dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the destructive impacts of mineral development, in the U.S. and worldwide. EARTHWORKS seeks an Executive Director who will be responsible for building the organization's financial, creative, and human resources; forging strong partnerships with its allies; building relationships of value with leaders in all sectors; leading the strategic development of its campaigns and programs; advancing and articulating an organizational vision; and adding new constituencies to its campaigns. For the complete job description, please click here.

ENCOUNTER (NYC)
ENCOUNTER is an educational organization dedicated to providing Jewish Diaspora leaders from across the religious and political spectrum with exposure to Palestinian life. Through ground-breaking tours to Palestinian cities, dialogue facilitation trainings, and follow-up programming in North America, ENCOUNTER is creating breakthroughs in understanding and conflict transformation between Jews and Arabs as well as between Jews and other Jews. ENCOUNTER seeks an Administrative Coordinator to develop and implement the administrative structure it needs to accomplish its mission and sustain continued growth. For the complete job description, please click here.

HIAS Young Leaders (Los Angeles)
HIAS, Inc., the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the oldest international refugee serving agency in the U.S., seeks a part-time Los Angeles Young Leaders Coordinator to oversee and grow a HIAS Young Leaders chapter in Los Angeles. The LA Coordinator will organize all aspects of the HIAS Young Leaders Los Angeles chapter including recruiting/retaining members and implementing fund-raising projects, educational programming, advocacy, and community service initiatives. The LA Coordinator also will work with other HIAS Young Leaders chapters around the country to create cross-chapter programming, as well as plan and facilitate HIAS' West Coast Scholarship Ceremony. For the complete job description, please click here.

Jewish Coalition for Service (NYC)
The Jewish Coalition for Service (JCS) seeks a Program Associate, to be hired on a consulting basis, to assist in launching a new national organization which will propel service to the forefront of Jewish life. Although JCS has been in existence for several years, in August 2008 it was transformed into a brand-new "start-up," which will have completely new lay leadership, new funding and a vastly enlarged mission to be the leading voice, advocate and resource provider for expanding and elevating Jewish service learning. The Program Associate will work closely with the Interim Board of Directors to provide programmatic and administrative support during the transition from the current interim phase to official launch. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Jews United for Justice (DC)
Jews United for Justice (JUFJ) is a dynamic and growing organization whose mission is to lead Washington-area Jews to act on their shared Jewish values by pursuing justice and equality in their local community. JUFJ works on a variety of local justice issues including affordable housing, worker and immigrants' rights, and socially-conscious consumption. JUFJ seeks a Development & Communications Manager to broaden JUFJ's foundation of support by expanding its donor base and increasing the organization's visibility among the Washington area Jewish community. For the complete job description, please visit http://jufj.org/jufj_jobs.

J Street (Various)
J Street is the political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement. Four positions are available: a Legislative Liaison (DC), to promote J Street's agenda to policy makers and elected officials; a Deputy Political Director (DC), to play a leadership role in developing and implement J Street's legislative and political strategy; and East Coast (NYC) and West Coast (California) Regional Directors to recruit, engage and where appropriate solicit prospective J Street supporters. For more information, please contact [email protected].

TransFair USA (Bay Area)
TransFair USA promotes sustainable development and corporate social responsibility through fair trade. TransFair USA seeks a National Coordinator for Fair Trade Towns USA (FTT), an initiative that brings together businesses, community and faith-based organizations, and educational institutions throughout the United States to grow the fair trade movement. Duties include supporting local FTT initiatives, building strategic alliances, developing effective strategies, developing public communications materials, and public speaking. For the complete job description, please click here.

Unite For Sight (New Haven)
Unite For Sight is a non-profit organization that empowers communities worldwide to improve eye health and eliminate preventable blindness. Unite For Sight seeks a Program Coordinator to manage its domestic and international programs, including the relationships with 100 college chapters and with 300 volunteers traveling abroad each year. This position involves working directly with the C.E.O. to expand and enhance the organization's programs. For the complete job description, please click here.
Update Your Contact Information

Have you moved? Or changed your email address, mailing address, or phone number recently? Please let us know so we can update our records. Please email Ari Shapiro with your new information.

If you would like to be added to a regional listserve please email the following people:
Bay Area - Jocelyn Berger
DC - Jessie Posilkin
New York - Audrey Sasson
Chicago, Boston, or Israel - Ari Shapiro
Rachel Chertok, National Director for Alumni and Leadership Development
AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps
phone: 212-545-7759 ext 307