I recently received an email from a friend teaching English in China. The subject line was “Bad Day,” and my friend wrote about all the difficulties of teaching in a tightly structured, test-driven school – how the intensity and pressure drove one of her students to take his own life. “I miss the USA with [...]
Read full post...Passover is coming! This is the one Jewish holiday I get truly giddy about. And I am especially excited to experience it with my new family this year, as sadly I will not make it home in time for the two seders. Pesach is so steeped in tradition for me, so I am curious how [...]
Read full post...One thing AVODAH helped me realize is my love for cities. That may sound odd, but AVODAH helped me come to New Orleans, and it gave me a framework through which to see the city anew. My work at The Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement And Development, which deals largely with planning issues, has [...]
Read full post...Recently, two AVODAH New Orleans Corps members were interviewed for Repair The World’s blog. Repair the World is a website that features service opportunities for Jews of all ages and backgrounds.
The following is excerpted from Lisa Koenig’s interview with Jordan Aiken, who works at the New Orleans Women’s Shelter, and Rachie Lewis, working at the [...]
New Orleans as a city seems to be healing. Potholes in our streets are slowly being filled, blighted houses slated for demolition are disappearing, and schools are re-opening. We are winning lawsuits that protect our citizens’ rights while recovery agencies are rehabilitating parks and playgrounds overrun by drugs. And yet the people of New Orleans [...]
Read full post...Rachie Lewis’ placement, the Orleans Public Defenders office, was featured on WWL TV because of their decision to refuse new cases over the legal caseload limit.
For more on OPD, check out this article from The Gambit.
Read full post...Outside of New Orleans, Mardis Gras is perceived by most as a time of debauchery, gluttony and a poisonous materialism. This image certainly reflects what I expected this past month to be prior to arriving here. Yet recent experience has convinced me that this is a rather inaccurate depiction of a very complex tradition. The aforementioned hedonism exists [...]
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This blog gives our Corps members space to write about their experiences in the year-long service program as they question, explore, and grow into lifelong agents for social change whose commitment to social justice is guided by their Jewish values.
Posts on this blog do not necessarily represent the views of AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps.
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