Collaboration and Commitment on Display at Repair the World’s Service Matters

In mid-September, we attended Service Matters: A Summit on Jewish Service hosted by Repair the World. We were there with more than 200 participants and 35 organizational partners committed to elevating the place of volunteer service in American Jewish life.

What an opportunity to see first-hand the evolution and growth of a field. Numerous observations from that day offer insights about educating and engaging young Jewish adults, how a field develops, and why Jewish service continues to offer such potential.

Jewish Service Unleashes Energy and Excitement
One of the high level observations and takeaways from the day was the particularly large number of people in their early to mid-20s who participated. Certainly at the Jim Joseph Foundation, we know that many young Jews engage in Jewish life and learning through social change and justice work. Indeed, the Pew Report published in 2013 notes that 69 percent of Jews say leading an ethical/moral life is an essential part of what being Jewish means to them. 56 percent say the same for working for justice/equality – and this report was not only on young Jews. So clearly, Jewish service and justice work is a prime way for many Jews to engage in Jewish life. However, at the Summit, we could put faces to these figures and we felt the Summit participants’ excitement and dedication to this cause. As representatives of a funder organization, this palpable energy reaffirmed how significant and essential this space is. Jewish service for young adults is a pathway for entry and for ongoing engagement with their Jewish selves and souls.

More Organizations Understand the Opportunity
Another observation from the day was the diversity of Jewish organizations present. This increasing diversity of Jewish service organizations—or of organizations that have service as an integral component of their work—helps to grow and build the Jewish service field into what we observed to be its “coming-of-age” moment. To see organizations such as Moishe House, Hillel, JDC Entwine, and BBYO, together with Avodah, Challah for Hunger, Keshet, Hazon, Bend the Arc, and so many others is a stirring testament to the power of service as a key engagement modality. This field is comprised of an astonishing variety of organizations in size, scale, mission, and vision, all of which are united in their capacity and desire to use service as a lever for their work.

These Jewish organizations also recognize they have much to learn from secular organizations with proven records engaging people on a large scale in ways that deeply impact local communities. This is why organizations like Points of Light, the Service Year Alliance and City Year not only were at the Summit, but also given time to share their strategies and learnings from their own work.

What it Means to be a Field
Certainly due in large part to many of the organizations mentioned above, the Jewish service movement is in fact a Jewish service field, replete with standards of practice, a common language, and tools that are accessible to all organizations. With these resources, more organizations can effectively engage and empower people in meaningful and authentic Jewish service learning experiences. Moreover, with the Summit as just one example, the structures and systems are in place to more easily share best practices, adapt more models and initiatives from one community to another, and overcome challenges together.

As an early investor in Repair the World, the Foundation understood both the potential of Jewish service along with the need to be patient as the field evolved. Jim Joseph Foundation grantees like Repair and JDC Entwine are building, leading, and expanding these efforts, as they test new models and continue to bring more people and organizations into the fold.

A Need for Continued Conversation and Collaborations
A final observation from the day, and one that perhaps left the most lasting effects, was the need for brave spaces such as these where individuals and organizations who care about service and social justice in the Jewish community can wrestle with deep questions together. Many in the Jewish community want to have authentic conversations about racial justice and other inequalities, addressing head on the big questions that we as Jews find ourselves asking in the context of the broader society in which we reside. We see institutions – both in the Jewish and secular service communities – reflect on what it means to do impactful work in local communities with others. How do we show up? How do act as good partners? How do we listen effectively to the needs and concerns of others?  This institutional reflection often is indicative of a generational shift in how young Jews today identify and belong both in Jewish and secular worlds simultaneously.

As a deeply relational funder, the Jim Joseph Foundation will continue to work with our grantee-partners to explore these questions to help foster compelling, effective Jewish learning experiences for young Jews.