A new initiative from the Jewish Service Alliance, powered by Repair the World, will bring leaders of major Jewish organizations to Israel from April 1-7 to strengthen the movement of Americans volunteering in Israel, build bridges among the two communities, and make an impact in Israel’s continued recovery following the Oct. 7 attacks.
Led by Repair the World and Israel-based Yahel, the Israel Service Seminar offers Jewish organization professionals and stakeholders opportunities to address pressing needs in Israeli communities, connect with leaders of the Israeli service movement, engage in Jewish service learning and see how service continues to support Israel. The JSA’s coalition of Jewish organizations is committed to enhancing and expanding service opportunities for the American Jewish community and furthering connections with the burgeoning service movement in Israel.
“The JSA Israel service seminar isn’t just about volunteering; it’s about empowering the leadership of the JSA with the experience, skills and inspiration to build a movement of American Jews serving in Israel,” shared Cindy Greenberg, president and CEO of Repair the World. “We believe that by strengthening service in Israel, we can contribute significantly to Israel’s recovery and deepen the connection between American Jews and Israelis.”
The Service Seminar blends hands-on service with peer learning and partner connections, equipping attendees with valuable insights to serve as ambassadors of the Jewish service movement. Participants include leaders of Jewish Service Alliance institutions and global funders who have committed to increasing their personal and professional drive to strengthen global Jewish peoplehood through Jewish service and learning.
“We are tremendously excited to host this important delegation of JSA leaders,” added Dana Talmi, executive director of Yahel. “Service is a powerful way to connect people and build resilience and we see this group as an opportunity to connect the American- and Israel-based service movements and to plant seeds for many more collaborations and initiatives as the global Jewish service movement continues to grow.”
Over the week-long seminar, 25 JSA leaders from participating organizations—including AEPi, Honeymoon Israel, JCC association, JDC Entwine, JWI, Mem Global, OLAM, Onetable, Reconstructing Judaism, Repair the World, Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Tikkun Hayam and Yahel—will travel across the country visiting volunteer sites and learning with experts on the ground.
Each day, participants will volunteer with local service organizations focusing on family care, Beit Maya in Haifa; Bedouin and other vulnerable populations in Segev Shalom; and post-traumatic stress disorder response and support through farm work for victims and their families. Daily reflection and learning will shift from resilience and civic response to faith-based service, trauma and rebuilding in a complex society, and translating their Jewish-service experience, Israeli-service connections and learning back home to communities and organizations based in the United States.
The trip will also include the first-ever Israeli Jewish Service Summit, a one-day professional conference for hundreds of practitioners, organizers and funders dedicated to advancing the field of international service in Israel.
Overall the Jewish Service Alliance’s Israel Service Seminar will:
- Foster connections and shared learnings between leaders of the Jewish service movement in North America and Israel.
- Inspire collaboration between organizations focused on service in Israel.
- Help JSA leaders incorporate service in Israel into their Jewish service learning curriculum and programming.
- Meet current pressing needs in partnership with Jews and Arabs in Israel through service as a statement of solidarity, achdut.
- Facilitate the first Israel Service Matters: Jewish Service Summit to advance the field of International Service in Israel.
- Ensure that participants bring the insights and experiences from the service seminar to their organizations and communities, fostering positive impact and growth at home.