AVODAH News
Greetings from Marilyn Sneiderman, AVODAH's New Executive Director
Dear Alumni,
I just started last
Monday as the new Executive Director of AVODAH. I am so thrilled to
work with such a fantastic organization dedicated to fighting poverty
and using our Jewish values to organize for social change. I already
met with the outgoing corps members in NYC last Tuesday and was
impressed and inspired. I have also been fortunate to have met many DC alums over the years at our Yom Kippur break-fast.
I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can
and welcome any of your ideas, suggestions, and thoughts as we move
forward together. If I can be helpful to you in any way, please don't
hesitate to reach out to me at msneiderman@avodah.net.
Marilyn
To learn more about Marilyn Sneiderman, click here for a press release.
AVODAH Launches a National Blog: Name it!
AVODAH will be launching a new multimedia national blog in September! Corps members will write, take pictures, and flip-cam-film stories from their work in the field. We can't wait for you to get involved! If you are interested in blogging, contact Mollie Spevack.
If you want to win world-wide-web celebrity stardom, e-mail Mollie your ideas for the name of the AVODAH blog. The contest closes at 5:00pm (in your respective time-zone) on August 13th, so get cracking!
AVODAH Press Round-up
- Repair the World featured AVODAH Alumni Diana Levy (NY 07-08) and David Eber (NOLA 08-09) in a new video-blogging series entitled, 'A Year in the Life.' Read more.
- Repair the World also highlighted the newly launched PursueAction.org blog. Read more.
- Read on Hillel's website about how three Goucher College Grads will be fighting poverty through AVODAH. Read more.
- Pursue's Board Service Training was profiled in The Jewish Week. Read more.
AVODAHCycle Gets RollingAVODAHcycle is a cross-country bicycle trip and campaign to raise
visibility and support for AVODAH, led by 2009-2010 Corps member, Emma Epstein (DC). Emma will stop in cities and towns each Friday to speak at
Jewish congregations about the impact of AVODAH in the Jewish and
broader communities and raise funds for programming costs. Read more in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. Email Emma to bring AVODAHCycle to your community and spread the word about Judaism, service and social justice. Farewell to Ilanit Gerblich Kalir, Interim Executive Director of AVODAH
After six years of leading AVODAH's Development and Communications efforts, serving as the Interim Executive Director since March 2010, Ilanit is moving to Cleveland to take a position at the Jewish Federation. Email Ilanit.
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Alumni In Action
Hannah Braune Friedman (NY 01-02)
Hannah and her husband welcomed their first baby on June 18th in Oxford England. Her name is Eliana Shayna Braune Friedman. Email Hannah
Joanna Packer (NY 08-09)
Joanna recently moved back to Boston and took a position at PATHWAYS TO EMPLOYMENT Initiative (PTE). Funded by the Department of Labor, Span's Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative is a demonstration project operating in conjunction with the Department of Corrections, and provides employment assistance, work readiness training, mentoring, case management services, funding for educational programs, and GED assistance for eligible clients.Email Joanna.
Lani Santo (DC 02-03)
Lani will become the Executive Director of Footsteps in August. Footsteps provides educational, vocational and social support to
those seeking to enter or explore the world beyond the insular ultra-religious
communities in which they were raised. Lani has been working at American Jewish World Service (AJWS) for over six years, building the World Partners Fellowship from the ground up. Last May, she also completed an MPA in Non-profit Management from NYU Wagner School for Public Service. Email Lani.
Mollie Spevack (NY 08-09)Mollie graduated Washington University in St. Louis and worked at the
Crown Heights Community Mediation Center as her AVODAH placement. Since
then, She has worked on AVODAH's staff as the Recruitment and
Communications Coordinator. Mollie is thrilled to be moving to Israel
in September where she will live in Tel Aviv and continue her work
part-time with AVODAH. Mollie will also be working towards a masters
degree in Community Leadership and Philanthropy Studies at Hebrew
University. She is always looking for more friends and connections in
the AVODAH world. Email Mollie.
Becca Van Horn (CHI 09-10)
Becca's AVODAH placement was at the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. She is currently trying to figure out how she can engage a diverse set of interests-- writing, music, Spanish, agriculture, social justice-esque movements of change-- into a fulfilling, lifelong adventure. Right now she is looking for a job in Chicago, hoping that the rest will follow. Email Becca.
Noah Winer (NY 01-02)
Noah is just back from six
months in India, where he was running a training for Greenpeace. Noah was
born and raised on a solar homestead in rural Maine, was a founding online campaigner for Moveon.org and lives in
Philadelphia. Email Noah.
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Upcoming Events
Bay Area
Chewing on Food Justice
When: August 10, 2010 6:00 to 9:00pm
Where: Local Mission Eatery (3111 24th Street at Folsom)
Tickets: $10, http://fruitsofourlabor.eventbrite.com. Appetizers included.
Boston
AVODAH and Friends Book Club
For August we will be reading Zadie Smith's On Beauty and
meeting at the beach near Riva's house. August 29th, 5pm (an hour early to take advantage of the daylight). Be there or
be square!
Head's up: September 26th at 6pm we will be attempting to have our book club
meeting in Ari Mueller's Sukkah! We'll be reading Everything is Illuminated by fellow M.O.T. (Member of the Tribe) Jonathan
Safran Foer.
When: August 29, 5:00pm
Where: The beach! Precise address up on RSVP.
More information: RSVP to Amy (horninga@yahoo.com) and let us know if you can bring something to munch on.
September Shapotluck- Stay tuned!
After another successful July Shapotluck at Lieba Savitt's (DC 02-03), stay tuned for more information on the September AVODAH Shabbat gathering.
New York
Food Justice: Day of Gleaning-Stay tuned!
For more information or to get involved: Email Audrey Sasson.
Dollars and Change: Fundraising for Social Change
When and Where: TBA
More information: Email Audrey Sasson
Click here to submit your Upcoming Event.
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What's Been Happening in the Community
Bay Area
Meet the Change with Naomi Starkman and Civileats.com
Click here for a full report on all the action.
Boston
AVODAH and Friends Book Club
Three alumni and three friends came out to the park to create a lovely
and intimate conversation about our friend Stieg Larsson and The Girl
With the Dragon Tattoo, and to eat Ari Shapiro's (NY 02-03) delicious pasta salad and Swedish Fish.
New York
Welcome to the Alumni Community
Click here for pictures of the event at the New York City Bayit. The event was planned by Jennifer Bloustine (NY 00-01), Richard Semegram (CHI 07-08) and Elissa Vinnik (NY 08-09).
Planet Money
Click here for a full report on all the action, brought to you by Pursue's New York City Team!
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Jobs and Professional Development
Pursue, Program Officer. More information (Washington, DC)
AVODAH, Program Director. More information (Chicago, IL)
Click here to submit jobs that are available at your agency and professional development opportunities to which you are connected. For a more extensive list of job offerings, see the Pursue: Action for a Just World monthly newsletter. |
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Update Your Contact Information
Have you moved? Or changed your email
address, mailing address, or phone number recently? Email
Rachel Ann Gross with
your new information.
If you would like to be added to a regional listserve please email the following people:
Bay Area - Jocelyn Berger
New York - Audrey Sasson
DC, Boston, Chicago, Israel or New Orleans - Rachel Ann Gross
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Rachel Ann Gross, Program Associate
AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps
phone:
212-545-7759 ext 300
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