Avodah

Sparking Jewish Leaders, Igniting Social Change

For more than 20 years, we’ve been inspiring Jewish leaders to commit to a life of social change, promoting a vision of Jewish life rooted in justice, and engaging the broader Jewish community in some of the most pressing issues facing our country at a local and national level. Avodah Corps Members serve at nonprofits across the country (in NYC, DC, Chicago, and New Orleans) for a full year, directly impacting their communities for the better, while learning how to create systemic change.

05/29/2026

Promise of Justice Initiative is one of our placement partners where Avodah Corps Members serve. PJI is currently litigating VOTE v. LeBlanc, a class action lawsuit against Angola Prison for the dangerous and degrading practice of the “Farm Line,” a practice rooted in slavery that forces incarcerated people to labor in the fields under armed supervision, in extreme heat, and under threats of punishment.

Yesterday’s ruling confirmed that these conditions are unconstitutional, but the court refused to order lasting protections. Modern day forced labor cannot be normalized. Dignity does not disappear at the prison gates.

05/28/2026

Our New Orleans Program Director Ed says it best—New Orleans isn’t just a city known for its legendary music and food or the magic of Mardi Gras. It’s civil rights history, it’s a q***r safe haven, and even a secret art city… if you know who to ask. What makes this city truly special is its community. Crisis after crisis, New Orleans continues to show up for itself. It’s “a world-class education in how we care for each other.”

Are you ready to call New Orleans home? Join Avodah’s Jewish Service Corps in NOLA at avodah.net/serve.

05/27/2026

Earlier this year, we had the privilege of listening to Avodah alum Marni Loffman perform at our National Gathering, a four-day retreat that brought together our Jewish Service Corps Members from across the country. Here, Marni reflects on what it means to do justice work from a place of humility rather than righteousness:

“It's so important to always be rooted, for me, at least in the fact that I'm very imperfect and I'm always in process and learning, and there has to be room for repair and growth in my own self and in the work that I do.”

It’s a message that sits at the heart of a service year. There is always more that can be done to help the people around you, but you can still make a significant impact even when you’re constrained by time, ability, and resources.

Follow Marni at and listen to “Awaken” and more of their debut album, available on all streaming platforms.

05/21/2026

Shavuot reminds us that learning is a sacred act. This year, our Avodah Justice Fellowship in NYC honored that by learning about Greenwich Village’s history of activism, tracing the footsteps of dissidents, artists, and organizers who helped shape today’s social movements.

From the stage where Billie Holiday first sang the anti-lynching anthem “Strange Fruit” to the homes of artists targeted by the House Un-American Activities Committee, their legacies live in these streets and in the work we continue to do today.

Chag Sameach!
(Happy Holiday!)

05/20/2026

Avodah alum, Aaron Lawee is an immigration attorney in Chicago who has spent years working within our immigration system. Over the past year, what he’s been seeing has started to resemble the very countries his clients are escaping. People are being arrested and quietly moved across the country, away from their lawyers and families and into courts where they’re almost certain to lose. It’s designed to go unnoticed, even happening in the middle of the night. But Aaron is paying attention, and so are we.

Watch the full conversation here: https://youtu.be/lV1Pbozb308?si=DVlTrKY5q82p2rLw

05/19/2026

Avodah is heartbroken by the news of the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday.

The mosque is a sacred space for gathering, prayer, and study. The Center’s mission is to “work with the larger community to serve the less fortunate, to educate, and to better our nation.”

This is a mission we should all strive toward: bettering our nation by standing up against the hateful rhetoric that poisons minds and inspires violent attacks, and by building deep relationships with our neighbors, even when their beliefs differ from our own.

Our hearts go out to the victims’ families, the survivors, and the entire San Diego Muslim community. We pray for a future where nobody lives in fear because of their faith.

05/15/2026

On May 12th, Avodah board member and alumna Samantha Pourciau testified before the Louisiana Senate, speaking out against a redistricting effort that would strip Black communities of fair representation. As an attorney at Avodah placement, the Promise of Justice Initiative, she drew a powerful connection to the forced labor still happening in the fields of Angola Prison today, on land that was once a plantation.

These systems are not separate, and neither are we. Avodah stands with the people of Louisiana.

05/14/2026

On May 18, we’re joining a national conversation about Freedom Vigils—peaceful, community-led gatherings held outside detention centers, courthouses, jails, and other public spaces to create visibility and stand up for human dignity.

Over the past 40 weeks, vigils like these have been growing across the country, in Indiana, Virginia, Washington, Michigan, California, New York, and beyond. They’re bringing neighbors together, getting noticed, and making a difference.

Join us online on May 18 at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT to learn how you can organize or grow your Freedom Vigils in your own community, and connect with a network of people across the country doing the same.

RSVP here: https://www.mobilize.us/theworkerscircle/event/945168/?utm_source=avodah

05/12/2026

An Evening with Avodah is back for its third year! Join us Thursday, May 14 from 6:00–8:30 pm at VSG Contemporary in Chicago for a night of community, art, and celebration.

Tickets include drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and a private tour of Chromatic Fields, a stunning solo exhibition by Mason Pott featuring floral oil paintings on hand-cut aluminum panels. All proceeds support Avodah’s work in building a more equitable and just Chicagoland.

Get your tickets here: https://avodah.net/an-evening-with-avodah/

05/11/2026

For years, Drew worked on the front lines of tenant organizing—filing complaints, holding landlords accountable, and advocating for people’s right to a decent home. While necessary, it was exhausting work that kept her asking, "What’s the actual solution?"

Now she works in community-based economic development, not to fix the old system but to build a new one where workers own their businesses, afford to stay in their cities, support their families, and have a real stake in their future.

Address

195 Montague Street, 14th Floor/WeWork Office 1249
Brooklyn, NY
11201

Telephone

+12125457759

Website

http://www.avodah.net/

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