In advance of this fall’s inaugural Service Matters: A Summit on Jewish Service, Repair the World has announced the 2016/2017 Fellows accepted into its flagship Communities program. The Fellows receive training and then work full-time in cities to engage thousands of Jewish young adults in serving and learning alongside them. Working with local nonprofits to create volunteer and educational opportunities, Fellows and peers support community change, with a specific focus on food justice and education justice.

A report earlier this year – Building Jewish Community Through Volunteer Service – shows how these opportunities drive ongoing engagement, Jewish community building, and increases in Jewish knowledge and identity among Jewish millennials that eschew traditional Jewish efforts to engage them. Last year in the Communities program, for example, more than 12,000 people took part in a service or learning activity; and more than 70 percent of young adults who participated had a “low Jewish engagement background.”

During their fellowship, Fellows will engage young adults in service and learning initiatives they create with local nonprofits, along with Repair’s national initiatives around Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Passover, and other ongoing opportunities.

A full list of the 2016/17 Fellows with bios is available here.