Repair the World National Days of Jewish Service
Repair the World Orange County launched a new monthly program on September 3 with Sandwiches from the Heart, a Jewish service organization. Close to 30 people came, drawn from all three Moishe Houses and pods in the county, the Lunar Collective and JCC Cares. By the end of the night they had made 348 sandwiches for a local shelter.
The program started life as “Lunch Club,” until organizers realized people assumed it met at midday. It’s now Sandwich Society, and at least one first-timer is already asking for more.
General Info about Repair the World’s National Days of Jewish Service:
Repair the World’s National Days of Jewish Service (NDJS) is a month-long activation running September 10 through October 10 that invites thousands of young adult volunteers across the country to engage in meaningful service. In addition to campus 9/11 programming, this campaign features volunteer opportunities with nonprofit partners nationwide focused on issues including food, the environment, housing, and refugee and immigrant support.
NDJS is Repair the World’s signature framework for mobilizing Jewish communities around moments of shared meaning throughout the year. In addition to the fall program, Repair organizes nationwide service initiatives around Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, and during the spring, centered around Passover, Earth Day, Holocaust Remembrance, and National Volunteer Week. Together, these three annual events provide funding, training, and resources that empower local leaders and partners to organize meaningful Jewish service and learning opportunities across the country.
Repair the World expects to engage tens of thousands of volunteers each year, creating opportunities for Jewish young adults to build relationships, respond to local needs and experience Jewish life through service.
“Whether we’re commemorating September 11, honoring Dr. King’s legacy, celebrating Passover, or entering the High Holiday season, we have opportunities to act on our values,” added Melissa Levine, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at Repair the World. “NDJS brings people together to serve with neighbors, strengthen their communities, and demonstrate that remembrance is a catalyst for action.”
Repair the World Expands the Jewish Service Movement in Three New Communities, across Six New Partnerships
The Jewish service movement, led by Repair the World, is expanding to three new communities by embedding staff into partner organizations in Orange County, CA, Bergen County, NJ, and Houston, TX, deepening Jewish service’s impact across the country. Professionals trained by Repair the World, an organization that mobilizes Jews and their communities to serve and take action to pursue a just world, have recently been hired at Orange County Hillel, Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, and Evelyn Rubinstein JCC Houston. They will create and lead high-quality Jewish service programs that provide direct-service and learning opportunities to volunteers.
“The demand for Jewish service is growing every year,” added Lisa Bodziner, Senior Director of National Expansion Strategy at Repair the World. “People want to serve alongside their neighbors to address local needs and strengthen communities. We’re excited to work with these trusted new partners to meet this demand and deliver deeply meaningful service experiences connected to Jewish learning and values that ignite a lifelong commitment to service and leadership.”
Repair’s expansion strategy was funded by a collective of national supporters, and the selected locations were made possible by the Samuels Family Foundation, the Russell Berrie Foundation and the Samueli Foundation. These locations were chosen in part due to their thriving Jewish communities, including young adults eager for community, connection, and a way to give back. All of Repair’s programs include Jewish learning, issue area education, reflection, and hands-on service that meets pressing needs such as food insecurity, homelessness, and more alongside local partners.
Now with 11 communities across the country, Repair the World is also in the midst of its National Days of Jewish Service (NDJS), a month-long activation running through October 10 that invites thousands of young adult volunteers across the country to engage in meaningful service. The campaign features volunteer opportunities with nonprofit partners nationwide focused on issues including food, the environment, housing, and refugee and immigrant support. The three new communities have led programs such as first responder care-kit packing, with more programs planned to commemorate the anniversary of October 7th.
“The Kaplen JCC creates meaningful experiences that inspire Jewish joy, strengthen Jewish identity, and foster a sense of belonging and connection.
While service has long been part of our programming, we recognized an opportunity to expand and deepen that work and have made service a strategic priority,” said Sue Gelsey, CEO of Kaplen JCC on the Palisades. “Our partnership with Repair the World comes at exactly the right moment, both for our organization and for the evolving needs of our community. Repair’s expertise in Jewish service and learning perfectly complements our commitment to community building and relational engagement, providing the framework, experience, and scale needed to deepen our impact through a distinctly Jewish lens and help our community connect, contribute, and live their values in a meaningful way.”
Repair is also expanding the Jewish Service Alliance, a network of over 60 Jewish organizations working together to strengthen and expand meaningful Jewish service opportunities across Jewish communities. New partnerships with the Union for Reform Judaism, Orthodox Union Relief Missions, Adamah, Young Judaea, Jewish Community of Greater Pittsburgh, and JFNA Changemakers will increase opportunities to engage young adults in Jewish service in myriad settings.
“Our new and growing partnerships with organizations like the OU, URJ, Adamah, and others reflect a shared commitment to Jewish learning and service, and an exciting opportunity to bring this work to more people across the country,” said Amy Weiss, Senior Director, Field Activation. “By combining our partners’ networks, expertise, and relationships with Repair’s approach to Jewish service learning, we can create more meaningful opportunities for people to put Jewish values into action and continue to strengthen the Jewish service movement.”