My Nonprofit Reviews
Rburstein
Review for Avodah, New York, NY, USA
AVODAH provided an incredibly opportunity for me and hundreds of young Jews across the country. I was an AVODAH Corps Member from 2006-2007, working at a local workers rights non-profit in Washinton, DC. The AVODAH experience was truly transformative. As fellows, we worked full time at anti-poverty non-profit organizations, earned a small living stipend, lived communally with the other fellows, and participated in programming that helped us explore the intellectual and spiritual underpinnings for a life of social justice and anti-poverty work. This model is a stellar one. Anti-poverty work is simultaneously inspiring, disheartening, frustrating and enlivening - having a network of peers doing similar work who we could share successes and challenges with and come to for support and guidance was an incredibly valuable aspect of the program. AVODAH helped to solidify in me a lifelong committment to social justice, and it provided me, again, with a network of peers who have a similar committment. It also helped to ground my work in the long Jewish tradition of acting out of compassion to better the lives of others and to view ourselves as part of a larger community - one that extends far beyond the neighborhood where we grew up or the college we attended.
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What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
It helped me make connections between the work I want to do and my religious tradition. This strengthens both my commitment to my Judaism and my committment to future social justice work.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
Totally committed to the organization's mission and tireless advocates for social justice.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
change the world! Truly - it could engage so many more young people in anti-poverty work. Avodah-niks really do make significant positive change in the communities in which they're located.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every month
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2009
Review for Moishe House, Encinitas, CA, USA
As a current resident of a Moishe House in Washington, DC, I have firsthand experience with the innovative nature of the program. I've lived in the house for 2 years now, and in my 2 years I've seen our house provide a safe, fun and comfortable place for young DC Jews. Our house puts on a wide variety of events, from Shabbat dinners to poetry readings to pick up basketball. And the Moishe foundation gives each house (there are more than 25) the autonomy to chart their own course – to build events and activities around the unique needs of their community – and they provide the support that we need to get it done effectively. This means that each house looks quite different and each house grows and develops organically, driven by the community in which it is located. The Moishe Foundation’s model is truly a unique one, developing leaders and building community for a demographic (post college) that often feels lost or like they don’t have a place to call their own, particularly when it comes to religious identity. I’m grateful to be a part of the Moishe Foundation, and I look forward to seeing its continued growth and impact.
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The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
Very caring and genuinely committed to the organization's mission and the house residents.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every week
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2009
