First ever first large-scale partnership between a Jewish and secular national service organization launches January 3rd in Los Angeles Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life is partnering with City Year, the national service organization, to engage 200 Jewish college students in 5,000 hours of hands-on service. The students, from more than 25 campuses across the United States, are providing assistance in at-risk communities in Miami, Los Angeles and New York. The Urban Alternative Break represents the first large-scale partnership between a Jewish and secular national service organization. The first Urban Alternative Break experience will take place January 3-10 in Los Angeles with seven participating campuses. Additional experiences will be held in Miami, March 7-14, including … Continue Reading
The Israel Tikkun Olam Tzedakah Conference
Sometimes, things just fall through the cracks; this was one of them - a delayed post. Last month, Danny Siegel, hosted a conference here in Jerusalem, Alternative for Jewish Educators, a four day event focused on Tzedakah. To really understand what transpired, one has to understand something about “Mitzvah heroes” - a term coined by Danny Siegel over 30 years ago to describe the wonderful people who do wonderful things to fix the world and who do it efficiently and effectively. In general, when someone is asked "how many Tzaddikim (often translated as "righteous ones" or "holy ones") are there in the world", many people respond by saying "36", referring to the very popular legend that this is the special number of Tzaddikim required to be alive in the world or else the world would … Continue Reading
Short Term; High Impact; Empowering; Reputation Changing
Did you know that 50,000 Israelis visit India each year? Without guidance, they can display a lack of cultural sensitivity, engage in drug-use and partying and soon establish an unfavorable reputation for Israelis and Israel. After a few months of freedom and rest from the army, many start to look for ways to get the most out of their time there. All this takes place in a country which is crying out for support for its millions of malnourished children who do not have good opportunities for education and a way out of the cycle of poverty. Enter Project Be a Kli: from the Hebrew, haKol Lemaan haYeledim - All for the Kids - Helping to feed and educate some of the most impoverished children in the world by forming partnerships with [Israeli] backpackers who are looking to get more meaning out … Continue Reading
AJWS Introduces On1Foot – New Online Database of Social Justice Texts
Elegant Search Platform to Enhance and Energize Discourse on Jewish Social Responsibility American Jewish World Service (AJWS) has officially launched a searchable online database of Jewish social justice texts designed to support rabbis and Jewish educators who want to teach about Judaism and social justice. The database, called On1Foot, is an educational resource that allows users to search and browse hundreds of biblical, rabbinic and contemporary Jewish texts about social justice, upload new texts and create custom source sheets using the texts and suggested discussion questions. “On1Foot offers an extraordinary opportunity for rabbis, Jewish educators, Hebrew and day school teachers and Jewish social justice activists to bring serious Torah study to bear on the great social … Continue Reading
Youth and Public Service
We welcome Rabbi Sid Schwarz, founder/president of PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values With the passage of the Serve America Act, President Obama made good on a campaign promise to grow the number of opportunities for young people to serve America. The bill will grow the number of service opportunities under the Corporation for National and Community Service from the current 75,000 to 250,000. These volunteers will be deployed on initiatives in education, health care, energy and veterans. To be sure, this is an initiative that had broad bipartisan support. In fact, during the heat of the presidential campaign one of the few joint appearances of Barack Obama and John McCain was at a 9/11 in New York City convened under the auspices of Service Nation. Both candidates spoke of … Continue Reading
Pardes Institute: Yom Iyun Shel Chessed
In August, 2002, I was a participant in a solidarity mission sponsored by the now moth-balled Alliance for Educational Programs in Israel. We departed from JFK just a few days following the tragic suicide bombing at the Sinatra Cafeteria on the Hebrew University campus. As the Pardes Institute was one of the six member organizations of the Alliance, those of us who traveled on this mission attended the memorial service held on the plaza outside the cafeteria. It will forever be in my memory. Now, every year, the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem organizes a day of social action in memory of the two students, Marla Bennett z"l and Ben Blutstein z"l, who were murdered in that terrorist bombing. This film shows the activities organized as part of the seventh annual Yom Iyun Shel Chessed (Focused Day of … Continue Reading
TikkuNOLAm
Tikkun Olam is always in fashion in the Jewish world. Sometimes it is even more in vogue - this is one of those times. Earlier this week at the JFN Conference, Mark Charendoff said that 1/3 of philanthropic gifts should go to service programs. The same day, a group of foundations jointly announced plans to establish a new organization aimed at creating a Jewish social service movement. And last week, 600 young Jewish professionals participated in the UJC/Federation National Young Leadership Conference in New Orleans - which had a Tikkun Olam focus as its core. These young professionals worked turning an abandoned parochial school into a community center in one of the areas hardest hit during Hurricane Katrina. Despite the rain and soggy conditions at the project site, the conference … Continue Reading
Repair The World
The JTA is reporting that several of the most active foundations funding into the Jewish world have come together to establish a new organization with the purpose of creating a new Jewish social service movement. Developed under the non-profit structure of the dormant Jewish Coalition for Service, Jacob Berkman writes, "They (the funders) view service as another opportunity - like Jewish camp, day schools and Birthright Israel - for a life-altering Jewish immersion program for young Jews. The trick, they say, is teaching them that helping others is a Jewish value. Repair the World also will help develop materials for Jewish participants in nonsectarian programs, such as Teach for America, and initiate an intensive marketing campaign to encourage young Jews to take part in service." … Continue Reading
AJWS Announces $5.7 Million in New Grants
AJWS has recently awarded more than $5.7 million to 224 grassroots project partners in 33 countries. This total marks an increase of nearly $2 million over its last grants review in June. The new grants are divided into five categories, which include sustainable livelihoods and development, community health, community voice, education for all, and community engagement in conflict and emergencies. They provide funding to organizations in Africa, Asia and the Americas. AJWS's mission is to alleviate poverty, hunger and disease among people in developing countries regardless of race, religion or nationality. More than 50 percent of the funds allocated in this review are for renewal grants that provide continued support to ongoing projects. AJWS works with grantees to ensure their long-term financial … Continue Reading
Good-bye CAJE, Hello DAJE
There's a new conference coming this August that will be focused on Tikkun Olam, Mitzvah and Tzedakah. It is open to formal and informal educators, people involved in synagogue Mitzvah/Social Action committees, interested laypeople, and any and all others who wish to refine and expand their Tikkun Olam Efforts. Danny Siegel will be the featured scholar in residence, teaching Torah and text about Change: Changing the World, Changing Our Students, and Changing Ourselves. The Conference, scheduled for August 3-6 in Israel, will be a time to learn, socialize, interact, network and most of all, to meet many of the Mitzvah heroes - learn from them and take back fantastic Mitzvah/Tzedakah/Tikkun Olam ideas. Even if you have met them in the past, there are new ones doing incredible things for all to … Continue Reading
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