2013 Advocacy Day: Community in Action

By Rabbi Ron Shulman
President, Baltimore Jewish Council

Here’s what I discovered the first time I met with an elected representative in her office. She was truly interested in what I had to say and sincerely open to my presentation. Respecting my passion and willingness to be an advocate, she wanted to know why I cared so deeply about the issues we were discussing. She also wanted the information I came to bring her because she was not yet closely following those issues.

These are the purposes of Advocacy Day. We enthusiastically represent the Jewish community and inform our State Delegates and Senators about our community’s views on pending legislation. Knowledgeable and enthusiastic advocates are vital to democracy and the legislative process. Our Jewish heritage values this, urging us to participate in creating a just and decent society.

In our conversations with them, we provide a context for our elected representatives’ decisions and a reminder of whose interests they serve. We also represent our community with pride and awareness of our priorities for the greater good.

When we seek funding for the Sinai Hospital Medical Home Extender program, we seek to provide medical care for the uninsured and underinsured. When we seek funding of Supportive Care Networks we allow community members to “age-in-place” and receive the social services they require. Advocating for these initatives we act on the Jewish imperative of hesed, compassion, for all people.

When we seek funding for Elder Abuse Centers, a collaborative project of Associated agencies, we help provide treatment and prevention to some of the 80,000 Marylanders over the age of 60 experiencing or at risk for abuse. In asking for the continuation of Northwest Hospital’s Domestic Violence Prevention Program, we act on the mitzvah of respecting our elders and everyone’s dignity.

When we ask the State of Maryland to divest from Iran or invest in Israeli companies doing business here, we foster security for Israel and economic development for both Maryland and Israel. When we represent Jewish values in public policy debates we give voice to our ideals and build relationships with other Maryland citizen groups.

All of this demonstrates the impact of Adocacy Day. Yet, as I learned in my first meeting some years ago, none of this reflects the personal satisfaction that comes from being part of the process, making a difference in people’s lives, cultivating relationships with those we vote for, and affecting tangible outcomes for the Jewish community and values we cherish.

Join in Advocacy Day on Tuesday afternoon February 26, 2013. Meet with our legislators in Annapolis and discover for yourself the spirit of our community in action.

Learn more and register now>>

New Models To Help Seniors Age In Their Communities

By Lane Levine
Community Network Director
CHAI: Comprehensive Housing Assistance Inc.

On July 3 of last year, 30 neighborhood residents, many of them seniors, piled into Risyl Edelman’s home on Glen Avenue. Although they came for 30 different reasons – some to make a safer community for themselves and their neighbors, others to get things back to how they used to be and still others to get a ride to the doctor once in a while – they all had one overriding goal in common.

These residents were here to plan an innovative initiative for their community. Northwest Neighbors Connecting would support seniors hoping to remain and age in their community.

They began by writing this mission statement:

“Northwest Neighbors Connecting is a support system comprised of individuals offering and seeking support in the Northern Park Heights community. We engage each other, professionals, volunteers and community organizations, to provide a “round-the clock” network to assist us and our neighbors with social interaction, transportation, household upkeep, and day-to-day activity. We envision an interdependent community in which all residents are safe, secure and connected.”

Northwest Neighbors Connecting (NNC) has grown – in numbers, in acts of support between members, in sophistication, in breadth – to an organization ready to go. By its launch in March, Northwest Neighbors Connecting plans to have 100 members signed up, who are driving each other to appointments, teaching each other skills, holding social events, making friendly check-in calls, preparing for emergencies together and much more. NNC wants to be the force in Northern Park Heights that transforms the way we care for one another.

NNC is the first of what will be a series of organizations in Northwest Baltimore fashioned after the Village Model – a mutual support system intended to support seniors to age well in their community. The idea of the Village is that people have access to support from their neighbors in accomplishing the tasks that get a little harder, and that become a little more of a barrier, as the years go by.

With Villages popping up all over the country, we are seeing seniors able to remain in their communities and no longer feel pressured by life’s difficulties to move to assisted living or nursing homes. In the coming years, we expect NNC to flourish and other Village-style organizations to start, ultimately forming the Supportive Community Network.

How did we get here? NNC, and the overarching Supportive Community Network, got their start when THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore decided that the agencies that have been serving our growing number of seniors can only reach a portion of the people who actually need support.

And, a lot of the support people need is the kind that only their neighbors can give them – little favors here and there, rides to appointments and some social connection.

After a year of research and work involving various stakeholders, THE ASSOCIATED decided to try out the Village model, and provide support to the community so they could organize and meet their own needs. They looked to CHAI, your local community development organization, as the organization to initiate the work.

NNC began organizing out of CHAI back in March, with humble conversations on a one-to-one basis. We talked to our neighbors and spoke with people we knew had something to offer and something to gain. From each person’s perspective, each person’s suggestions, we began to form a structure that reflected the needs of this neighborhood. We built slowly — hosting meetings in people’s kitchens and dining rooms, small information sessions in apartment buildings, brainstorming sessions during a walk around the block – however we could get together, we did.

Now, NNC has about 80 active members and eight committees – all vibrant with the work of figuring out how to care for each other. Our Service Coordination committee is figuring out a system to provide seniors with volunteer drivers to the doctor, hair appointment or grocery store; our Advocacy committee is developing ways to support our members in dealing with difficult retailers, landlords or public agencies in their lives. Our Outreach committee is reaching out to synagogues, condominium boards and libraries – and hosting diversity dialogues to make our internal community better able to treat each other with respect. The list goes way, way on.

Our Social Events committee has been especially busy. They hosted an Emergency Preparedness training in January.

Call to be a part of NNC – as a volunteer, as a member – 410-662-6620 or email us at nncbaltimore@gmail.com – get connected!

On January 27th, come on by the Myerberg Center from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. for a White Elephant Sale – you never know what you’ll find! And then on February 27th, we will have a Wine, Cheese and Art party at the Elmont Condominiums – 6317 Park Heights Avenue. Join the fun!

Join us for our official Launch Party on Sunday, March 10, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the Pikesville Senior Center. There will be something for everyone.

Building Jewish Relationships in Downtown Baltimore

By Rabbi Jessy Gross
Director
Charm City Tribe

It’s nearly 4 o’clock in the afternoon.  While most folks prepare to wrap up their day, I find myself smack in the middle my schedule as I jump into my car to go from a coffee date in Hampden to happy hour in Fells Point. I have just met with a a community member to discuss the upcoming Shabbat dinner we are planning for this coming Friday night.

The menu is Mexican-themed. That’s despite the fact that our goal for this Shabbat is to celebrate the leadership and memory of the great Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King and consider the civil rights work still to be addressed in our society.  We agree that we will ask each participant to bring something with them to contribute to our gathering: a song, an excerpt from a speech given by the great MLK or a piece of Jewish text that helps us understand what our tradition says about the pursuing justice in the world.  As I work my way down the 83 corridor, I take mental note of my responsibilities to follow up for MLK Shabbat.

I meet Elisheva, from the Bnei Israel young adult group, at Max’s Taphouse. We’re going to discuss a partnership for a downtown service day for young adults, as well as the upcoming Israel celebration on April 16.  As we talk, the bartender interrupts us to introduce himself. He recognizes me – the rabbi that put Max’s Taphouse on the cover of the Baltimore Jewish Times.

He tells us how excited the owners were and how I “am not what [he] expected” when he spoke to me on the phone recently.  I smile and say, “Thanks, that’s my goal.” Elisheva and I return to our discussion, leaving the bar with even more ideas on what we might do together.

I head home to finish preparing dinner for a young couple I met a month earlier.  He grew up attending Jewish day schools in Baltimore and married a lovely non-Jewish woman from Connecticut. Now, they seek to plant themselves in the Jewish community in a way that is meaningful, while also meeting the needs they have identified as a couple.

Halfway through dinner an out-of-town friend, the owner of a grass-fed kosher meat company in New York, arrives at my house and the four of us sit together and share stories. We talk a bit about our differences and our similarities in regards to Jewish identity, music interests and current happenings.

It is easy to feel the turbulence of a job that keeps me moving to different corners of the city in which each discussion has the potential to give birth to a new idea, project or Jewish journey.  And yet, each of these encounters is grounded in the same effort: that my work is to engage, excite and explore possibilities for individual Jewish journeys and strengthen Jewish community among young adults.

I see these days as the days of sowing seeds that we want to grow into seedlings in the months to come.  During the first six months of my work as Director of Charm City Tribe, I’ve begun to engage Jewish young adults living downtown in conversations that will foster community. I see the months to come as the time to start figuring out the common threads of these one-on-one discussions as we start to lay groundwork for community building.

Sometimes, it is hard to navigate the data and the trends which suggest a “lost generation” among those in their twenties and thirties.  Many feel they lack core knowledge and a connection that most would agree is a prerequisite for Jewish engagement.

But the best part of my job is inviting these conversations and finding ways to bring people together to further explore and experiment with their relationship to Jewish tradition.  In many cases, I am excited to discover that most people are not apathetic about their Jewish heritage. They just have not found the right combination to unlock the connections they feel and the forums in which to share and grow with others.

When I report to supervisors, funders and other colleagues in the field I gladly report that the spirit and soul of the young Jewish people is rich. Our task is to work together to find meaningful ways for people to exercise and learn more about who they might be as Jews and to discover an identity that will be meaningful and sustainable in the lives we, as young Jewish adults, are living in Baltimore in 2013.

As the rabbis teach us, the work is great and the day is short but there is so much to be done. I imagine a year from now we will see the bubbling up of chevrei (friendly groups) among young Jewish adults in downtown Baltimore who are getting together and building social relationships, while exploring their Jewish identity. Not only will their lives be enriched, but they will strengthen our generation of Jews so that we can continue our link in the chain of our ancient tradition in ways that are meaningful and appropriate in our time.

Envisioning a New Gordon Center

By Randi Benesch
Managing Director of Arts & Culture
Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore

Two years ago the Jewish Community Center (JCC) leadership set out to examine their arts and cultural programming. After surveying the community, they concluded it was time to re-position their focus on arts programming. I took on the role as Managing Director of Arts and Culture in July 2012 to help lead this new, exciting endeavor.

The arts can help strengthen and unite our community and give a voice to our Jewish identity, I want to create a warm and welcoming home to celebrate Jewish art and culture, both on our stages and in our classrooms; to connect us as a Jewish community, to encourage lifelong learning, to explore big ideas, stimulate conversation and, of course, to celebrate! As we grow, we will continue to make sure we are serving our diverse Jewish community, all ages and ethnic groups.

As we get started on this journey, a major focus is partnerships and collaborations, both internally within our JCC departments, and externally with the many Jewish organizations, synagogues and local arts organizations.

Programs
We kicked off the season with a wonderful program with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO). BSO Director Marin Alsop joined us, along with Chazzan Perlman from Chizuk Amuno Congregation, for a panel discussion on Leonard Bernstein’s Kaddish.

In January, we will partner with Center Stage to celebrate their 50th anniversary with an evening of snippets from one play in each of the five decades. Also in January, we are partnering with Maryland Public Television to present the season three premiere of the popular Downton Abbey show the night before it airs on PBS. Both programs will be held at The Gordon Center.

This fall, we kicked off a partnership with Pumpkin Theater to lead acting classes for teens and will continue this class in the spring. In March, STOOP Storytelling will come to the Gordon Center to lead a one day storytelling workshop. Collaborating and partnering with all of these wonderful local arts organizations means bringing their great programming out to our JCCs.

Community Engagement
Community engagement is another key piece to our vision, both with our audiences and our local artists. Connecting with local artists and giving them opportunities to create new art here at the JCC is crucial. We want to build a community, a network, of local Jewish artists who will start to consider the JCC as one of their artistic homes.

We started this fall in the lobby of the Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC. In the days leading up to Sukkot, a local visual artist painted on silk fabrics which soon became the walls of the Sukkah. It was a wonderful experience for our members to see the process take shape.

In November, we presented Sheldon Low, one of the leaders on the Jewish rock scene, here at the Gordon Center, for a beautiful havdalah service followed by a rockin’ concert for all ages. We collaborated with local synagogues, camps and groups to give them an opportunity to perform live on-stage with Sheldon Low. It was a wonderful community event.

We will continue to engage our community in fun holiday celebrations, challah baking workshops, Hanukah candle making workshops, Tot Shabbats and more. With every professional artist we present in the Gordon, we also want to make sure we give the community a chance to interact and learn from these artists through master classes, workshops or panel discussions.

Of course, we will continue to nurture and grow our existing arts and cultural programs. These include the popular Jewish Film Festival and annual Cinefest, Hazamir (our Jewish teen choir), Jewish Theater Workshop (our community theater group) arts classes for all ages in a variety of disciplines, art gallery exhibits in both Park Heights and Owings Mills, Arts Camp, ArtsFest and of course the wonderful multi-disciplinary presenting series in the Gordon Center with professional local and national artists.

As schools continue to cut back their arts programming, the Jewish Community Center can help fill the void. With the expansion of the Early Childhood Center and the new space for Jewish Community Services, the third floor of that space is a 10,000 square foot area that will be designated as new educational space for Arts and Culture. It’s an incredible opportunity as we embark on this campaign to raise the necessary funds to create this new space. We want to engage the next generation of arts lovers and give them a gateway to connect, create and learn. This new state-of-the-art center will allow us to do that!

The arts are a part of who we are as Jews. We want the JCC to truly be a place for everyone. We are looking forward to having you join us on this journey.

For suggestions on artists you’d like to see us present, programs you think we should create, or other organizations or individuals we should be partnering with, email Randi Benesch at rbenesch@jcc.org.

Learn more about our Center Stage program>>

Purchase tickets now>>

A Community Cares

By Jodi Elkin
Mitzvah Day Committee Member
Jewish Volunteer Connection

Upon my return home from The Associated-sponsored mission trip for 12 Jewish teenagers from Baltimore to Odessa, Ukraine at age 17, I knew my involvement with the JVC had only just begun. That upcoming holiday season became my first time volunteering at JVC’s annual Mitzvah Day at the Park Heights JCC. I encouraged my parents and my sisters to attend the event and help out as well. That was six Mitzvah Days ago, and we haven’t missed one since.

Every year, thousands of items are donated to JVC for the event, and on Christmas day, hundreds of volunteers from the Jewish community gather together to assemble winter care packages for people in need. Following an entire year of planning, the event is filled with a variety of volunteer activities for families, fun music and holiday cheer. All of the planning committee’s hard work pays off when approximately 1,500 care packages are delivered to various shelters and soup kitchens by the end of the day.

As a recent college graduate who just moved home to the Baltimore area to attend grad school, this was the first year that I was able to join the Mitzvah Day committee myself.  My dad, who has been on the committee for several years, was the Chair this year. Now, not only was I able to play my part as a volunteer, but I helped organize the behind-the-scenes aspects of Mitzvah Day as well.

While the rest of my Jewish friends wake up on Christmas morning with plans for movies and Chinese food, I get to put on my Mitzvah Day shirt and “Ask Me” name tag, head to the JCC, and prepare for the day’s events. In the past, I have had various roles such as handing out different colored ribbons as a code to where the bags are heading, restocking the donated items as they disappear into these bags and even videotaping the event to create short movies.

I have loved every minute of my involvement with the program, and hope to continue to be a part of it for years to come. It always feels good to volunteer in the community, but there is something extra special about doing a mitzvah during the holiday season. To know that we, as a community coming together, have the potential to put a smile on someone’s face who is facing difficult times is a truly precious holiday gift.

See Jodi’s video from 2011′s Mitzvah Day>>

Baltimore Newcomers Get Shalom Baltimore Welcome

By Dena Cohen
Shalom Baltimore Program Associate

Are you or someone you know new to the Baltimore area?  Have you lived in Baltimore for a while but just haven’t been able to find your “spot” in the Baltimore Jewish Community?

Shalom Baltimore is here to help. A program of THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, Shalom Baltimore utilizes a team of over 50 volunteers to facilitate personalized one-on-one welcome meetings for newcomers to the Baltimore Jewish Community.  At each welcome meeting, the newcomer receives a Shalom Baltimore Welcome Package which includes gifts, coupons, and information to help them get acclimated with the Baltimore Jewish Community.  Through the Shalom Baltimore program, newcomers get a taste of everything Baltimore has to offer so that they can start their journey of becoming members of our community.

This Chanukah, Shalom Baltimore is generating special interactive posts and conversations for newcomers to learn about “Baltimore’s Bests” from community members.  Guests to the Shalom Baltimore Facebook page who participate in these conversations can be entered into a raffle. Each night of Chanukah, a name will be drawn from those who have “LIKE”ed the Shalom Baltimore Facebook page or participated in one of the “Baltimore’s Best” conversations for the chance to win some great prizes.

Volunteers like Amy Burke-Friedman consider Shalom Baltimore a great way to share their love of the city with its newest members. “I am a proud Baltimorean and I love meeting new people.  It couldn’t have been a better fit,” she says.

Amy was introduced to the Shalom Baltimore program when she reached out to the ASSOCIATED to learn about new opportunities to expand her community involvements. She was so excited when she got matched with a newcomer for the first time, because there was so much about Baltimore that she was eager to share. She scheduled her meeting at 13.5%, a Wine Bar in Hampden, hoping that the quirky and quintessential Baltimore neighborhood would spark the newcomer’s interest in learning more about her new community.

“I am hopeful that whether I provide some insight on Baltimore’s best restaurants or upcoming events through the ASSOCIATED that I am able to help welcome people to Baltimore and more specifically the Baltimore Jewish Community in a way that makes someone feel welcome and at home here.”

Visit and “LIKE” Shalom Baltimore on Facebook for a chance to win our Chanukah raffle>>

Learn more on how to be greeted by a Shalom Baltimore volunteer and about what is happening in the Baltimore Jewish community>>

Guide to Board Nomination and Selection Process

By Melissa Cordish
Vice-Chair
Center for Community Engagement & Leadership
THE ASSOCIATED

The selection, training and transition of Board leadership are deeply rooted in our Jewish tradition. A common theme throughout the Tanach (Bible) is the challenge of finding, sustaining and replacing good leaders.

In the Book of Exodus, G-d decides that it’s time to move the Children of Israel in a new direction. G-d selects Moses to lead His major change initiative. However, Moses doesn’t consider himself worthy of the position (“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should take the Children of Israel out of Egypt.” Exod. 3: 11). Second, he fears that the people will not accept him as a legitimate leader (“…But they will not believe me and they will not heed my voice, for they will say, ‘G-d did not appear to you.’” Exod. 4; 1). And third, he feels that he does not have the leadership skills necessary for the role (“…I am not a man of words…for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of speech.” Exod. 4: 10).

The concerns with which Moses struggles are common fears that incoming board members or committee chairs may share. The nomination and selection process can be exciting and rewarding to those that are looking forward to taking on a leadership position, but others can be hesitant or uncertain of the challenges it may bring.

To best meet the needs of the organization and its volunteer leaders, certain steps should be instituted:

• A nominating committee should be developed to bring on new board members and determine who will fill vacant offices each year. Professional and volunteer leaders or executive committee should discuss and determine goals and timelines, and they should appoint a nominating chair.
• The nominating committee should identify the needs of the organization in partnership with an assessment of current and potential board members.

An effective governance structure, which engages its leaders in meaningful work for the organization, is a critical part of the strategy to guarantee that there are knowledgeable and committed people in the pipeline for the top leadership position. However, every leader brings different skills and talents to the job. Therefore, succession planning requires foresight, to ensure that the right person is in the right leadership position at the right time.

The ASSOCIATED’s Center for Community Engagement and Leadership has created an online tool to help with your nomination and selection process.
Learn more>>

Meeting Engagement

By Allison Magat
Chair of Center for Community Engagement & Leadership

Have you ever been sitting in a boring, unorganized or chaotic meeting? Chances are you left feeling miserable and wondering why you spent your valuable time attending. On the flip side, have you ever been to a meeting that made you feel motivated, excited or inspired? You probably felt good afterwards, and began looking for more ways to get involved.

People feel good about being involved in a meeting that is well facilitated, interactive and results-oriented. Making sure that the outcome of this meeting is successful takes leadership from a lay and professional partnership. In order to create the ideal meeting, three areas must be addressed: Prework, Meeting Management, & Follow Up.

Prework
Meetings serve many purposes including information sharing, decision making, status checks and brainstorming. The decision about who to invite depends on what you want to accomplish. This may seem obvious, but it’s important to ask yourself — who needs to be part of this conversation? When deciding who to invite, determine what you will consider a “good outcome” and make sure to have the right people in the room.

You should be able to define the purpose of the meeting in one or two sentences at most. For example, “this meeting is to plan the new campaign strategy” or “the purpose is to discuss succession planning.” Additionally, it’s important to never plan a meeting whose goals can be met with an email. Meetings should not be a series of committee reports with little or no time for discussion. Instead, the reports and agenda should be sent out beforehand, with the assumption that people read all the documents and come prepared to discuss them.

Meeting Management
Now that the pre-work and planning has been completed, you should be able to facilitate an effective meeting. Making sure you have access to your organization’s mission, vision and values is an essential part of engaging your members.

Additionally, having a few basic rules of engagement will help the meeting run more smoothly and make people accountable for their behavior. Ask your members to share their ideas for rules of engagement and have your boards decide on the top three to five that should be adopted. Examples of these rules of engagement may include the silencing of cell phones/electronic devices, the expectation that everyone is present for the full duration of the meeting and an emphasis on the importance of mutual kavod/respect.

One of the hardest tasks of running an effective meeting is time management. As the facilitator, make sure that all members respect the time allotted for the meeting and use your agenda as a time guide. Most importantly, the facilitator needs to help the group stay focused and productive by setting a positive, productive tone for interaction among members. As the meeting facilitator, it is important to manage discussion, encourage brainstorming and participation, synthesize the conversation and then call for a decision.

Evaluation, Action Steps, and Follow-up
Receiving feedback right afterwards is essential in order to improve the meeting process for next time. Don’t wait until the next day to ask for feedback. Instead leave five to 10 minutes at the end of the meeting for evaluation or ask for written feedback. Sending out minutes will record who attended, what was discussed, any decisions made and any action items assigned. The minutes should be distributed to all members, whether or not they attended. Lastly, follow-up between meetings as a “check-in” will be helpful in deciding if members need assistance with their action items.

Following these guidelines will pave the path for a successful meeting that is productive, dynamic and exciting! Members will look forward to future meetings and will know that their time was valued and appreciated.

Check out resources for meeting management and engagement created by The ASSOCIATED’s Center for Community Engagement and Leadership>>

Be A Part of the Upcoming GA in Baltimore

By Marisa Danto
Campaign Associate
THE ASSOCIATED

What is the General Assembly (GA) you might ask? Chaired nationally by Baltimore’s own Genine and Josh Fidler and Linda and Steven Hurwitz, the GA is an annual conference hosted by Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and is the largest Jewish philanthropic conference. The last time the General Assembly was in Baltimore was in 1991. Twenty-one years later, this is our opportunity, as Jewish young leaders, to show the rest of the Jewish world what makes Jewish Baltimore so strong.

We are the future leaders. We are the future philanthropists. And, at this conference, we will discuss the critical issues facing the global Jewish community today while learning and networking with today’s leaders in workshops and plenary sessions. The GA also provides an opportunity for socializing and connecting with new and old friends, colleagues and decision-makers.

As a Baltimore Jewish young leader there are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved. On October 24, you will have an opportunity to meet Genine Fidler, co-chair of the GA and register to attend or volunteer for the conference, while attending THE ASSOCIATED’s Business and Professionals Group panel discussion “How Red and Blue Affect your Green.”

On Sunday, November 11, join other Jewish young leaders for a meaningful learning opportunity with Brian Mandell, Director of the Harvard Kennedy School of Negotiation Project. Mr. Mandell teaches about the theory and art of negotiations and writes about contentious disputes. Previously, he was a strategic analyst for the Canadian Department of National Defense, specializing in UN peacekeeping and the implementation of arms control agreements.

Following the wonderful Baltimore Community Event, Monday evening, November 12, at the National Aquarium, hosted by THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, where you will mix and mingle with GA attendees, dine on local cuisine and listen to live music, young leaders will make their way to an after-party at Power Plant Live to socialize, network and continue the party!

If hands-on volunteering is of interest to you, THE ASSOCIATED will be partnering with Jewish Volunteer Connection, a local program of THE ASSOCIATED, and Ruach Tova, an organization in Israel that sponsors a nationwide Good Deeds Day. We will pick two set times during the GA to participate and two to three volunteer projects to showcase.

There are opportunities for everyone to explore the GA! Attend the Conference (at a discounted rate of $349 for Baltimore attendees and a one-day only registration option for $199).

Or, become a volunteer. Hundreds of volunteers are needed to serve as community ambassadors to GA participants from all over the world.  Volunteer for a three hour shift at the Convention Center or one of the hotels and show participants why we are called Charm City.  We hope to see you there.

Check out ways to volunteer>>

Register now>>

Volunteering Helps Young Adults Connect to Judaism

By Sam Stern
Jewish Volunteer Connection   

Young adults are eager to volunteer. It’s true! I might even go so far as to say that volunteerism is one of the best ways to keep young adults interested in Jewish communal life.

During my time at Jewish Volunteer Connection (JVC) I encountered a variety of Jews at our young adult events, all of whom knew exactly why they wanted to be there and often why they brought their friends along. In her commencement address a few weeks ago for the Brandeis University Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program, Dr. Erica Brown mentioned that “For the past decade, the tagline of Jewish life has been Tikkun Olam – go fix the world,” and growing up in this culture, many of today’s Jewish young adults in their 20s and 30s are doing just that.

With the drop-off in Jewish engagement for people in their 20s, alternative methods to the classic ‘synagogue membership’ are required. Volunteer programs like JVC are important to sustaining our community, because they fill the need for many young adults to go out and make the world a better place.

Young adults today want to work with multiple demographics, from seniors to impoverished people to individuals with special needs. Providing young adults with a wide range of groups to work with helps keep them interested and motivated.

At every JVC event for young adults, we strive to make sure that we incorporate components that increase their Jewish identity. We created new Jewish learning flyers, and if time allows, we hold a discussion. The topic of the Jewish learning is a section of Jewish text that relates to helping others, or specifically the group we are serving that day. We want to remind all of our volunteers that while helping their community by itself is terrific, there is a Jewish purpose to volunteerism.

Volunteers make a difference in our community, in our city, in our nation and across the world.  We are fulfilled by the desire to express our Judaism in ways that make sense to us. Celebrate our strong young adult community in Baltimore and maybe try volunteering if you have a little time.

Check out JVC’s upcoming young adult volunteer opportunities>>