- Jews for New Orleans » Uncategorized

Sharing a meal

Corps members live communally in their Jefferson Avenue house uptown

Shine

Purim Masks

Corps members prepare for Purim celebrations by creating masks

Churches

Planting trees in Central City

Rachel Glicksman works with residents to beautify the neighborhood

Civic Involvement

Celebrating Chanukah

Corps members welcomed coworkers and community members to their home

Action

Learning about Bayou Bienvenue

Alum David Eber teaches the group about deforestation in the cypress swamps

Churches

Highlighting the Jewish Community's Involvement in Rebuilding New Orleans

This site is hosted by AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, which launched its New Orleans program in the fall of 2008. AVODAH engages young people in direct work on the causes and effects of poverty in the United States. This work partners Corps members with service providers and residents in low income communities and equips our Corps members and alumni to emerge as lifelong agents for social change, whose work for justice is rooted in and nourished by Jewish values.

Archive for 'Uncategorized' Category

Learning and Unlearning Breishit (Genesis)

Dec 11th, 2009 by Rachel Lewis | 2

A few months ago, one of my roommates and I began learning Sefer Brieshit (Genesis) together. Every week, we read a portion of the text in English and discuss our thoughts on the topics and stories at hand. Our chevruta allows me the opportunity to be in a consistent conversation with the Torah and continue [...]

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“Not Only for Ourselves”

Dec 11th, 2009 by jlichtman | 0

Last week the Forward ran an editorial on Jewish service entitled “Not Only for Ourselves“. The editorial discusses the need for high quality service programs that meet the needs of the people receiving the service, while educating volunteers on the root causes of domestic and global issues. It also raises some questions around how service [...]

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Tina’s Thoughts on Engaged Listening

Dec 1st, 2009 by Rachel Lee | 1

(This fabulous post is by Corps Member Tina Wexler)
A large component of activism and social engagement is engaged listening, and conversation, with those we agree AND disagree with.
I know it sounds obvious, but in my time down here and at my work at Resurrection After Exoneration, I’ve come to realize that this seemingly obvious ideal [...]

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Experiencing Simultaneity

Nov 19th, 2009 by Jordan Aiken | 0

Over the past few weeks I’ve felt excited, nervous, joyous, scared, passionate, confused, ambitious, courageous… sometimes all in the same day and sometimes all in the same hour!  It’s such an incredible city with so much to explore and so much that prompts self-exploration.  I am tested daily on how I react to different situations, [...]

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The Interpreter

Nov 18th, 2009 by Gillian Locascio | 0

For the last four years, most of my food advocacy has been on a college campus. I worked in my community. I had a stake in the aesthetics, the educational priorities, the social and environmental footprint, and, of course, the food itself. No one questioned if I had a right to be there, voicing [...]

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The Emergence of the NOLA Minyan

Nov 18th, 2009 by Rachel Lewis | 1

I am excited to report that on a recent Friday evening, we held the first meeting of the NOLA minyan, an egalitarian, independent Kabbalat Shabbat service and potluck dinner that will be happening on a monthly basis. This event was the brainchild of a young group of us “imported do-gooders” (AVODAH and beyond) who have [...]

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It’s nice to be happy: Second lining

Oct 30th, 2009 by Gillian Locascio | 0

We’d walked maybe a couple of miles under the ever-thickening gray clouds, bouncing slightly to the barely audible rhythm of the brass band that drifted from somewhere out in front of us and trying desperately to stay ahead of the mounted police or, better said, their horses—the horses that, unsympathetic to the slow pace [...]

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The 10 Commandments of AVODAH New Orleans

Oct 26th, 2009 by Rachel Lee | 0

On our final retreat, the 2008-2009 AVODAH New Orleans Corps Members spent the weekend in Poplarville, MS. During the retreat, Corps Member David Eber dressed up as Moses and asked us to write out own 10 commandments for sustaining a life-long commitment to social justice. We created a video called The 10 Commandments of AVODAH [...]

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RAE founder John Thompson featured on CNN

Oct 26th, 2009 by admin | 0

John “JT” Thompson, founder and director of Resurrection After Exoneration (RAE), was interviewed recently by CNN’s Becky Anderson for the network’s Connector of the Day segment. JT spent 18 years in prison, 14 of those on death row at Angola Prison, for a murder he didn’t commit. Watch the clip below to learn more about [...]

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New Beginnings

Oct 20th, 2009 by Miriam Liebman | 0

One week after moving to New Orleans and beginning Avodah, I got a call from my family letting me know that my grandfather passed away. That day, some of my housemates put together a lunch bag full of food for me to take on my flight back to Michigan with me. They signed the bag, [...]

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