When Jewish personal and professional lives intersect

Last week marked six months since I was hired as an Administrative Assistant at the Jim Joseph Foundation. I thoroughly enjoy my work, which, as I expected, is rewarding. What I didn’t anticipate, however, is how my engagement in Jewish life professionally would lead to new opportunities for engagement and Jewish learning in my personal life.

My journey is probably similar to many other young professionals at various Jewish organizations. I was raised in a Jewish-secular household. My parents, both raised in Israel, are not religiously observant but provided me with an upbringing rich with Jewish culture, pride, and values.

I moved to San Francisco after graduating college. While being very happy in the Bay Area, after a couple of years I started to feel disconnected from Jewish life. This certainly is a common sentiment for many during their post-college years. So, I looked for new ways to engage and connect to Jewish life. I first started volunteering at the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM), something that I find to be very fulfilling. The museum is dedicated to focusing on Jewish artists, thinkers, and experiences. (The CJM is a major grantee of the Jim Joseph Foundation.)

I then discovered another organization funded by the Foundation—Kevah, which provides communal learning experiences for young Jews through self-organized Torah study groups. It is a relatively young organization, aligned well with the Foundation’s strategy to support organizations that concentrate on Jewish education aimed at inspiring young people to discover the joy of living vibrant Jewish lives. Kevah also is exactly what I have been seeking in my personal life, and is a vehicle through which I work toward my own personal Jewish growth.

The structure of the organization was most appealing to me. It is DIY (do-it-yourself) Jewish education—totally customizable and personalized, as you are matched with a group of people who want to learn about the same Jewish topics as you do. My group decided to focus our learning on daily mindfulness. We were then paired with a skilled instructor who has an expertise in that area. The learning takes places in an informal setting; classes are usually held in a home. And of course the group learning environment and discussion of ideas and concepts are all integral parts of Judaism. The combination of informal and traditional approaches to Jewish education appeals to my generation. Socializing, noshing, discussing Jewish texts, and recognizing how we can relate these concepts to our everyday lives helps to shape our Jewish identities and build community.

Finally, I also am a part of the JDC Entwine San Francisco Planning Group. Entwine is the young adult service division of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), another major grantee of the Foundation. Through Entwine, I hope to take action regarding my concerns and interest in Jewish global issues. “Tikkun olam” (repair the world) is a phrase I heard a lot growing up. I take seriously the sense of shared responsibility that Judaism invokes for healing and transforming our world. This is a central theme in JDC Entwine’s efforts to provide education, trips, events, and leadership opportunities to young Jews who want to make an impact on global Jewish needs and humanitarian issues.

Jewish education has become a focal point both in my professional and now personal life. With the merging of these two spaces, I have felt more connected to Judaism and Jewish life in the past six months than I have in my five previous years living in the Bay Area. As a young adult, I am still growing and trying to shape my identity. I am developing my own values and perspectives through a Jewish lens, and I feel incredibly privileged to work at a Foundation that is committed to broadening Jewish learning experiences for young adults. I am benefiting not only professionally, but personally as well.