Upcoming Events
Bay Area
Coming Soon: More Food Justice
After the great success of Food Justice: It's What's For Dinner (see below for more), which AVODAH-AJWS co-produced with the Progressive Jewish Alliance, our very own Bay Area City Team
will be offering a follow-up event featuring real hands-on ways to do
your part to improve the food system. The event will be in San
Francisco in late October. Details TBA, more announcements coming soon.
Board Service
Follow-up events to Organizational Leadership for Social Change:A Board Service Training will happen this
fall. If you are interested in learning more about this series and
helping to participate in the planning, please contact Jocelyn at
jberger@avodah.net.
Boston
Help shape a new Community Service Initiative
The Jewish Community Relations
Council is putting together an exciting new community service initiative for
Jewish Young Adults launching this winter! The program will provide volunteer opportunities addressing homelessness, the elderly, children, and the
environment. It will provide the chance for learning and relationship building with other young adults from across the
Jewish community. The organizers, including Mimi Garcia (DC 04-05), would
love the input of AVODAH Alumni as they build this program.
Contact: Julie to get
involved.
October Book Club
The Boston Social Justice Book Club will meet to discuss The Glass Palace by Amitav Gosh.
When: Sunday, October 18th at 6:30pm
Where: The home of Riva Pearson; location available upon RSVP.
RSVP: Email Riva Pearson.
DC
Gleaning in the Nation's Capitol
Have you ever heard of
the biblical imperative of "gleaning"? It's the act of collecting leftover crops
from farmers' fields and redistributing them to the poor. On the afternoon of November 8th we will glean apples to provide produce for Bread for the city, a local organization providing support, services and food to low-income residents.
When: November 8th
Where: Details with time and logistics are forthcoming.
RSVP: We have limited space and high demand - let Jessie know if you are
interested in attending
New York
Meet the Change: The Yes Men Fix the World
On October 14th, the AVODAH-AJWS Partnership will be launching its new series, Meet the Change, with
a screening of The Yes Men Fix the World, followed by a private reception and
Q&A with The Yes Men themselves.
The post-screening reception will be
a great opportunity for our community to hear directly from The
Yes Men about their unconventional change-making tactics
and their philosophy on "fixing the world." For more information and to register, click here.
Simchat
Torah Shul-Hopping Extravaganza
The annual
Simchat Torah shul-hopping celebratory extravaganza with the AVODAH community in
NYC.
When: 7:00pmSaturday, October 10th
Where: All over the Upper
West Side
Why: Because it's an
AVODAH tradition!
To
RSVP: Contact your hostess
Leia Grossman (NY 02-03).
Social Justice Book Club
The AVODAH-AJWS-Hazon Book Club will be meeting to discuss The Tenants of Moonbloom by Edward Lewis Wallant.
When: Tuesday, October 6th, 6:00-8:00pm
Where: 45 W. 36th Street, 8th Floor
RSVP: To slipkin@ajws.org. The book club is open to
alumni, staff and friends of our organizations
Gleaning
Opportunity
Have you ever heard of
the biblical imperative of "gleaning"? It's the act of collecting leftover crops
from farmers' fields and redistributing them to the poor. The AVODAH-AJWS
Partnership may be teaming up with Hazon to offer a gleaning opportunity on
November 1st. Interested?
When: November 1st
Where: TBA
RSVP: Contact Audrey asap.
Inside
the Activists' Studio
Save the Date for this
year's Inside the Activists' Studio. On December 6th, the AJWS-AVODAH
Partnership will host its second annual Inside the Activists' Studio in
New York City,
featuring an impressive roster of local Jewish activists, socially conscious
spoken word performances, networking opportunities and workshops a plenty! This
year we'll be gathering at Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Stay tuned for more details in the coming
weeks.
NY
City Team's Fall Event
Keep your eyes peeled
for an email about the NY City Team's next event which will fall between Sukkot
and Thanksgiving and will be an opportunity to demystify the various labels in
our food system (organic, local, fair trade). For more info and / or to get
involved, please contact the NY City Team directly at newyorkcityteam@gmail.com.
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What's Been Happening in the Community
Bay Area
Food Justice: It's What's for Dinner
On the auspicious
9/9/09, around 150 people gathered at the über-green David Brower
Center in Berkeley to learn all about food justice: local
organizations, urban gardening, fair labor practices, environmental
impact, Jewish teachings, and more. We enjoyed delicious catering from
the Berkeley Student Food Cooperative, viewed a clip of the documentary
"Food Stamped" and heard from Mollie Katzen (author of the Moosewood
Cookbooks) and a panel of local activists. Be on the look out for more food justice events coming up
this fall from the Partnership.
Hidden Melodies Revealed: a Secret Celebration of Rosh Hashana
Over
650 people gathered to hear JDub Records' band The Sway Machinery
perform a "part ritual, part rock concert", with cantorial afrobeat,
blues and rock in Temple Emanu-El's gorgeous sanctuary on the 2nd night
of Rosh Hashana, September 19th. The AVODAH-AJWS Partnership was proud to be a
community cosponsor, along with our close friends at The Hub at JCCSF,
Reboot, and other local and national partners. Check out pictures from
the event here.
DC
Mitzvahstock
Fifteen Jewish organizations brought 200 volunteers together for a day of service at two sites. Transcending our different labels - alumni, friends, Young Leaders,
NextGen - we studied the roots of Jewish service, learned about the
shortage of affordable housing, care for people living with HIV/AIDS,
and the impact of environmental degredation on our city. Many attendees
celebrated together at Bar Louie afterwards - making it a fun and
productive day.
Mussar
At the impetus of
community members Becky Eisen and Zvi Beillin, we held our first class
on Mussar on September 23rd. Mussar, an 18th Century reflective
practice, gave our group of nearly 20 people a chance to think about
humility and forgiveness during the holy ten days between Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur. Stay tuned to hear about more chances for reflection
this fall!
New York
Justice
and Jewish Thought
On September 15th, participants came together for the launch of Justice and Jewish Thought, a
NY-wide study group hosted through the AVODAH-AJWS Partnership. Over 60 people
are participating in the program which will run throughout the fall and
conclude in mid-December. The study group is engaging multiple cohorts of 8-10
people each, all of whom are studying the same material. The reading list
explores how various oppressions,
such as race, class, gender, sexual identity, and anti-semitism, intersect with
and affect our identities as Jews, our Jewish practices, and our work for social
justice. Sarra Alpert (NY 02-03),
Miriam Eisenberger
(NY 02-03), Katie Goldstein (NY 07-08), Lauren Kranson (NY 07-08), Claire Meredith (NY 08-09), Lisa Ochs (NY 00-01), Ariella Slovin (NY 07-08) are all among the participants for this exciting and challenging program!
Teshuvah in a
Globalized Era
On September 22nd, more
than 20 people came together for a social justice beit midrash hosted by Uri
L'Tzedek and co-sponsored by the AVODAH-AJWS Partnership. Rabbi Tsvi Blanchard
engaged the participants in a conversation about the implications of
globalization during the Aseret Yemei Teshuva (ten days of repentance). It was a
meaningful and fruitful discussion.
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Alumni Highlights
Mazal
tov
To Becca Linden (CHI 06-07) and Ari Hart on their engagement. Becca works for Encounter
as their Middle East Program Assistant in Israel and Ari is Co-Director of Uri L'Tzedek.
Calling all Photographers
Are you an amateur or professional photographer interested in documenting our community at events? We want to hear from you! Email Rachel Ann Gross to declare your interest.
Insert YOUR news here!
Do you have 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. Email Rachel Ann with your news.
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AVODAH News
New Staff Welcome
Mollie Spevack joins AVODAH as the Recruitment Coordinator. Mollie recently completed her tenure as a Corps Member in New York where she worked at the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center. There, she helped diverse residents find employment and housing, develop leadership skills, build relationships with one another, and learn different ways to handle conflict. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in Anthropology and Jewish, Islamic, and Near Eastern Studies.
AVODAH Made the Front Page
AVODAH New Orleans was the cover story in New Orleans 's major daily, The
Times-Picayune, September 6th. The article highlights how our Corps members are
developing as the next generation of social change leaders. Read the full article here.
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Jobs
AJWS
(NYC)
AJWS has
an exciting opportunity available for an energetic, organized and responsible
individual as Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Finance and
Administration, who oversees Finance, Human Resources, MIS, Administration,
Safety & Security, and Facilities. This position will provide first hand
experience to an individual looking to gain a better understanding of how a
fast-paced, dynamic international development not-for-profit operates. For
information about this and other AJWS jobs, please click here.
AVODAH (Chicago)
AVODAH is seeking a Program Director who will plan and implement the
educational, work-related, and community-building aspects of AVODAH's year-long
program in Chicago.
The Program Director will be the primary resource for Corps members and serve
as liaison to Chicago-area worksites. He or she will also play a key role in
AVODAH's national network of program staff.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone whose own work and life is
defined by a commitment to connecting work for social change and Jewish life.
Qualifications include: 4-5 years work experience in the field of social
change, experience with team-building and skills-training, familiarity with and
respect for a wide range of expressions of Jewish life, interest in leadership
development for people in their early 20s, and the ability to prioritize and
multi-task. Established
connections to local activists and Jewish leaders preferred but not required.
Competitive salary and benefits. Email resume and cover letter only to
Jevera Temsky at pdchicago@avodah.net. For a more detailed job description, click here.
AVODAH (Chicago)
AVODAH is
currently seeking applications for the Administrative Coordinator position to
work in our Chicago
office.
The Administrative Coordinator is responsible
for ongoing administrative and operating functions for the Chicago site. We are looking for a
meticulously organized person, with an exceptional eye for detail and strong
writing, editing and computer skills.
Please email cover letter, resume, and three
references to Jackie Kaplan, Chicago Site Director, at acjob@avodah.net
AVODAH (National)
AVODAH seeks an experienced professional to
design and build a website for the AVODAH-AJWS Partnership. This is a short-term project that will commence
later this month and continue for approximately six weeks. For more information,
including a comprehensive RFP, please contact Rachel Chertok. Opportunity available through October 11th.
Action Against Hunger
(NYC)
The
mission of Action Against Hunger is to save lives by eliminating hunger through
the prevention, detection, and treatment of malnutrition, especially during and
after emergency situations of conflict, war and natural disaster. AAH seeks a
Communications Intern in the External Relations Department, which is responsible
for all private fundraising, press communications, corporate partnerships, and
major events. The Communications Intern will assist with projects designed to
help promote Action Against Hunger's humanitarian work and messages through the
press and various public media. For more details on this and other AAH
opportunities, please click here.
Bet Tzedek Legal Service
(Los
Angeles)
One of
the nation's premier legal services organizations since 1974, Bet Tzedek
provides free assistance to more than 10,000 people of every racial and
religious background in the Los
Angeles area. Bet
Tzedek is looking for an articulate, organized, creative, hard-working,
compassionate person with a commitment to social justice to temporarily manage
its Pro Bono Department. The
Interim Pro Bono Director serves on the management team and works closely with
the entire staff to run the innovative and effective pro bono and volunteer
programs that support Bet Tzedek's mission - To Provide Meaningful Access to
Justice for All - and Bet Tzedek's core values - Leadership, Innovation and
Community. For the complete job description, please click here.
The position is available immediately and will continue through at least
February 1, 2010.
buildOn (Connecticut)
buildOn empowers people and
transforms lives by partnering its afterschool service programs in the
U.S. with communities in developing
countries to build schools. buildOn is seeking a fund raising
professional with a passion for its mission, excellent communication skills and
demonstrated success in securing funding from foundations and government
agencies to meet an aggressive fund raising plan. The Director of Foundation
& Government Relations will strategically develop and mange a portfolio of
donors to ensure buildOn is building strong relationships, increasing donor
renewal and upgrade rates and securing new donors at all levels of support. For
the complete job description, please click here.
Center for Justice and
Accountability (Bay Area)
The Center for Justice and
Accountability (CJA) is an international human rights organization dedicated to
ending torture and other severe human rights abuses around the world and
advancing the rights of survivors to seek truth, justice and redress. CJA seeks
a Development & Outreach Director (DOD) to lead CJA's development and
outreach program from design to implementation. This position works closely with the
Executive Director and Board of Directors to secure operational funds of
approximately $1.4 million in the current fiscal year. The DOD oversees all
foundation grants, law firm donations, publications, events, and the individual
donor program. For the complete job description, please click here.
Genocide Intervention Network (DC)
Genocide Intervention Network is seeking to hire a Field Director.
The position is part of the senior
management team and leads efforts to develop grassroots leaders and mobilize
them to prevent and stop genocide. GI-NET is looking for someone who is a great
program manager for our two flagship field programs - STAND and the Carl Wilkens Fellowship - and who has significant experience
running grassroots advocacy campaigns. Click here for the complete job
description.
Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance
(NY)
JOFA, The Jewish Orthodox Feminist
Alliance, is a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding the spiritual,
ritual, intellectual and political opportunities for women within the framework
of Orthodox Jewish law. JOFA is seeking a Program Director who will have primary
responsibility for the development, coordination and implementation of JOFA's
educational and outreach programs, including the development and implementation
of a technology and social media strategy that will revitalize JOFA's website
and make its functionality current with the world of Web 2.0. For the complete
job description, click here.
Repair the World
(NYC)
Repair the
World is a new national nonprofit created to inspire Jews to engage in service.
Three positions are available: Director of Movement & Marketing, responsible
for all outbound communications; Director of Development, to take a lead role in
building a new organization and meeting its ambitious fundraising goals; and
Director of Institutional Partnerships, who will have primary responsibility for
building capacity for and commitment to service in the American Jewish
community. For the complete job descriptions, please click here.
Women's Foundation of California (Bay
Area)
The Women's Foundation of California
identifies and invests in emerging women leaders who are improving California, community by
community. The Women's Foundation seeks a Development and Communications
Associate who will be the primary writer of their external communications and
the steward of their online community, working closely with the Foundation's
internal leaders and partners throughout the state to generate visibility,
excitement and support for the Foundation. For the complete job description,
please click
here.
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Programs
AJWS Rabbinical Students' Delegation
(Mexico)
The AJWS Rabbinical Students'
Delegation is an integral part of AJWS's commitment to creating an
inter-denominational network of future Jewish communal leaders dedicated to
global social justice. Participants live and work alongside AJWS grantees,
grapple with texts and theology and experience grassroots development first
hand. Each 10- to 14-day delegation is led by a distinguished rabbi or educator
and AJWS facilitators, and is comprised of students from all major denominations
and backgrounds. In 2010, the delegation will be traveling to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico from January 3-14. Starting
with our delegations in 2010, AJWS is encouraging all students who are pursuing
graduate degrees which will lead to positions of Jewish communal leadership to
apply for RSD. For more information or to apply, please visit
www.ajws.org/rsd. The application deadline is
October 26, 2009.
Hebrew College Prospective Rabbinical Student Retreat
(Boston)
As you define your path toward
becoming a rabbi, the best way to find the right program is to immerse yourself
in the life of a rabbinical student. Please join students and faculty of the
Rabbinical School of Hebrew College for Ta Sh'ma, Thursday, October 22 - Sunday,
October 25. You'll study, pray, celebrate and experience the vibrant community
of HC's pluralistic rabbinical school, under the leadership of Dr. Arthur Green
and Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld. To register, click here or contact Rabbi Sara Zacharia at szacharia@hebrewcollege.edu
Interfaith Youth Conference
(Chicago)
Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) is a
Chicago-based international non-profit building a movement of young leaders
committed to building cooperation across lines of religious
difference. IFYC's 6th Conference, Leadership for a Religiously Diverse
World, will engage participants in the question of how young people
can be the architects of a global movement of interfaith service. The conference
will take place at Northwester University from October 25-27, 2009. To
learn more or to register, please click here.
Millennium Development Leadership
Programme (Costa
Rica)
The Millennium Development
Leadership Programme will provide participants with the skills and knowledge to
start and lead projects related to achieving the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). This intensive certificate programme will be hosted on the campus of the
U.N. University for Peace located in the mountains of
Ciudad Colon,
Costa Rica. The
MDLP curriculum focuses on training participants to build a business plan for
their own initiatives. For more
information or to apply, click here.
Peace Brigades International
(Int'l)
Peace Brigades International (PBI)
is an international grassroots NGO that has promoted nonviolence and protected
human rights since 1981. PBI sends international volunteers to areas of
conflict, providing protective accompaniment to human rights defenders
threatened by political violence in countries such as Colombia, Guatemala, Indonesia and Mexico.
Volunteers need to have a commitment to nonviolence and non-partisanship; be at
least 25 years old; and be prepared to make a 1-year commitment; fluency in
Spanish is required for Latin America. For more
information on how to get involved, please click here.
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Prospective Student Institute (Philadelphia)
Want to transform the Jewish future?
Ever been told you would make a great rabbi? The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College is now accepting applications to the 5770/2009
RRC Institute for Prospective Rabbinical Students in Wyncote, PA, November 11-13. Experience the RRC
community first-hand. Attend classes, daven with the community, meet students
and faculty.Find out if rabbinical
school is right for you. The Institute is free and travel subsidies are available. A schedule is available here.
Participation is by application and invitation only. The application deadline is
October 5th. For questions or an application, contact Rabbi Amber Powers, Dean
of Admissions and Recruitment.
Youth Development Symposium (Chicago)
The National Association of Workplace Development professionals is organizing this conference addressing youth development. Carefully
selected workshops will highlight best practices for rural and urban settings, tips
for working with special populations such as homeless youth or those in the
foster care system, and how to link youth employment programs with high growth
industries. Click here to learn more and register
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