AJSS newsletter 1114

AJSS

AMERICAN JEWISH SOCIETY FOR SERVICE2014

AJSS newsletter 1114.indd 1 11/24/2014 2:34:55 PM

“ Though at first I was frightened of leaving the comfort of my friendship bubble, I am so glad that I did. AJSS taught me how to be independent of my friends, and taught me that new experiences were good. I learned to open up to new people, and that no topic is too taboo to talk about. Through the art of “productive discomfort,” all of my boundaries were pushed, and I am now leaving this program a better person than I was when I started. “ – Galya Lazar, participant, Oklahoma City

“ When you look back upon your AJSS summer 2014, I hope you remember a few small things: The fact that you CAN be a positive force for change in your community. Inspire yourself, inspire others, be inspired. Social relationships are fluid and always changing. Be true to yourself and love yourself for

who you are. Appreciate what you have to offer the world. As Christopher Robin said to Pooh, ‘Promise me you’ll always remember: You are braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.’ “ – Emma Epstein, Project Director, Memphis

AJSS @ajss.org - Jul 7

Sean from AJSS Memphis rocks out to “Shadow People” by Dr. Dog! Such incredible talent! #blessed #Memphis #talent

Amarillo, TX


BOARD of DIRECTORSPeter Sheingold, ChairDavid Kaplan, Vice ChairRobert Sherwin, TreasurerEllen Quint, Secretary

Michael BennickAndy CoelhoAlice FornariLawrence G. GreenMichael KatzAaron KopelowitzBruce LevinsonJessica MinnenSam MarcusIlene Schacter MirkineFrederic NathanSara NathanBarbara ScottDavid Solis-CohenDavid Wolkin

THE AJSS TEAM Rena Convissor, Executive DirectorRafi Glazer, Director of ProgramsLauren Reisig, Director of Marketing and OutreachDeborah Sherman, Program Associate

KEEP in TOUCHAmerican Jewish Society for Service10319 Westlake Drive, Suite 193 Bethesda, MD 20817

E-MAIL: [email protected]

WEB: ajss.org

PH: 301.664.6400 Facebook.com/AJSSSummer

Twitter.com/ajssorg

Instagram.com/ajssorg

AMERICAN JEWISH SOCIETY FOR SERVICEKISLEV 5775 DECEMBER 2014

AJSS

Dear AJSS Friends and Family,In 1986, I was 16 and looking to do something different with my summer. What I learned about myself and the broader world during my six-week AJSS trip to Cincinnati, Ohio changed my life. Looking back on that experience, I appreciate that AJSS instilled in me greater self-confidence and a commitment to tikkun olam. For nearly 30 years, AJSS has remained part of my life. During this time I transitioned from participant to stafferto a long-serving board member, and now the newly-elected AJSS Board Chair. From these different vantage points, I watched AJSS transform from a strong summer program into a remarkable service-learning organization. For those of us who went on AJSS 10, 20, or even 60 years ago, we were part of the traditional Summer of Service experience. Today, thanks to our talented professional staff and committed board, AJSS is reaching beyond this original model. Our most recent alumni come not only from 6-week programs, but from 25-day summer programs, alternative beach weeks and long-weekend disaster recovery projects which AJSS organizes in partnership with schools and synagogues. As we expand our programs, we hold true to our values and humble yet powerful mission: Make tikkun olam real for Jewish teens through meaningful service opportunities in U.S. communities in need. Last summer I saw powerful examples of how AJSS has changed yet stayed true to its core. • In1986,Ifilledmyparentsinonthesummerthroughmyweeklycollectcalls

from a pay phone. Today, parents (and board chairs) follow our programs on a dailybasisthroughsocialmedia.

• In1986,weworkedonhousingprojects.Today,whilewestillbuildhouses(just ask Team OKC about working on Amarillo Habitat for Humanity’s 100th home), our projects touch on a broader array of issues. (Just ask Team Memphis about packing thousands of pounds of food at the Mid-South Food Bank or strengthening students’ reading and math skills at De La Salle Elementary School.)

• In1986,myAJSSsummerchallengedmephysically,intellectually,andemotionally. Today, when I read participant blog posts like the one below, I know that while our programs evolve our core values remain:

“ Sure, the service might be hard, the sun might fry you like chicken, and the exhaustion weighs on you like a wet blanket, but that is nothing when you realize the value of your work…Because of our efforts, we’re not just building a garden, or helping students at a school, or revitalizing a city, as AJSS participants, we’re all going to be better people when we leave Memphis than we were when we arrived...This indescribable feeling is worth more than every second of six weeks and every drop of sweat shed in that time. “

– Seamus Lynch, participant, MemphisAs we set our sights on the future and our 65th anniversary, I know that AJSS will continue to evolve in new and exciting ways. I also know that our core values are as relevant today as they were in 1951.Amid all the chaos of this season, I thank you for your interest in the ongoing story of AJSS and hope this yearbook gives you pause to reflect on your own connection to AJSS. I thank our 2014 volunteers and staff who helped change lives in Louisville, KY; Oklahoma City, OK; Memphis, TN; and Sea Bright, NJ. I especially thank my predecessor, Larry Green, for his unwavering commitment to and stewardship of AJSS. Larry has been a valued member of the AJSS family since 1968, and I look forward to his continued service and dedication to our future. I also ask for your financial support. Your donations play an essential role in enabling AJSS to make a positive impact on the lives of our volunteers and the communities they serve. With your help, we can make the next chapters in our AJSS story as exciting and vibrant as the first 64. Thank you,

Peter Sheingold AJSS Board Chair Participant, Cincinatti ‘86 Summer Staff, Topeka ‘91


2014 AJSS PARTICIPANTS6 Weeks of Impact — MemphisAva Adler (Great Neck, NY)Ashley Arnold (Norwood, NJ)Sean Berman (Henderson, NV)Josh Grebler (Clayton, MO)Sam Glasberg (Weston, CT)Isaac Haft (Great Neck, NY)Lindsey Johnson (Norwood, NJ)Seamus Lynch (Ann Arbor, MI)Remi Miller (Kings Park, NY)Daniel Rabizadeh (Great Neck, NY)Jordyn Schor (Plainview, NY)Hannah Siegel (New Rochelle, NY)Jake Sherman (Colorado Springs, CO)

STAFF:Emma Epstein, Project Director Aaron DorfmanMisha SchwartzRosa Stall

25 Days of Change – LouisvilleShelley Friedland (Newton, MA)Lauren Kershenbaum (Teaneck, NJ)Kimberly Lenchner (Great Neck, NY)Ariella Levisohn (Newton, MA)Kevin Liebmann (New City, NY)Stacy Okin (Roslyn, NY)Lana Rubinstein (River Falls, NY)Adi Segal (Old Bethpage, NY)Sydnee Sicherer (Fair Lawn, NJ)Michael Toledano (Great Neck, NY)Adina Weiss (Cherry Hill, NJ)

STAFF: Mara Herling, Project DirectorJoshua PernickGreg SherwinShosh Trager (continued on page 5)

Page 4 American Jewish Society for Service

Sustainable Service: Religious group, nonprofit team up to build gardens.

Memphis, TN. (The Commercial Appeal) – Young people from the American Jewish Society for Service are working with GrowMemphis to build urban gardens in food desserts.

“ We appreciate Team Memphis and all of their hard work this summer. You have made an impact and you fill our memories. We’re excited to witness the great work you will do in this world. “

– Jessica and Sam, The Thomas and Wells Community Garden

AMERICAN JEWISH SOCIETY for SERVICE in the NEWS

Teenagers Trade Summer Break for Hard WorkLouisville, KY (WDRB) – A group of high school students chose to skip the lazy summer break and spend their free time helping people they’ve never met… Instead of spending their summer breaks with family and friends, they are working and serving people here in Metro Louisville.

“ It feels really great to give back to the community, and especially just to be doing something with my summer.“ – Ariella Levisohn, participant, Louisville


December 2014 Page 5

AMERICAN JEWISH SOCIETY for SERVICE in the NEWS(continued from page 4)

25 Days of Change – Oklahoma CityVictoria Alfred-Levow (Penn Valley, PA)Joshua Cohen (Wayland, MA)Reuben Kaufman (New York, NY)Galya Lazar (Winnipeg, MB)Maya Lew (New Haven, CT)Sandra Merkin (Woodmere, NY)Shoshana Mintz (New York, NY)Hannah Saltzman (Bronx, NY)Emily Shafran (Woodmere, NY)Spencer Shapiro (Sharon, MA)Benjamin Sipzner (Jamaica Estates, NY)Michael Toledano (Great Neck, NY)

STAFF: Michael Friedman, Project DirectorAnna RothsteinGreg SherwinShosh Trager

Alternative Beach Week – Sea BrightSarah Barth (Teaneck, NJ)Raquel Greenfield (Englewood, NJ)Samantha Lemmer (Englewood, NJ)Jordan Schenker (West Caldwell, NJ)Moses Milchberg (Potomac, MD)Jonny Rasch (Bethesda, MD)Caleb Matheson (Potomac, MD)

STAFF: Chelsea Fricker Dani Saks

Amarillo Habitat for Humanity Builds 100th Home

Amarillo, TX (KAMR) – Back in 1985, Amarillo Habitat for Humanity built their first home. Almost 30 years later, the organization is now working on their 100th home… But the story goes even further. Not only is this the 100th home, but an organization that helped build the first is now contributing to this milestone…This is the third time that AJSS has worked with Amarillo Habitat for Humanity.

“ Actually this organization that’s here today was one of our very first volunteer groups. And they’re here now for out 100th build. So it’s kind of come full circle. “ – Tamara Clemens, Amarillo Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Coordinator

“ “We helped build the first house on this lot in 2009, and now we’re back building this last one. “ – Shoshana Trager and Anna Rothstein, participants Amarillo ’09; staff, Oklahoma City ‘14

D.C. Area Teens Rebuild Homes Destroyed by SandyPotomac, MD (Congregation Har Shalom Tablet Newsletter) - Sea Bright has 1400 households, and 100 families still have not been able to move home because they do not have the resources to repair their homes. Through the American Jewish Society for Service, we were connected to Sea Bright Rising, a non-profit dedicated to rebuilding the town. We worked on two homes, doing everything from hauling trash to putting up drywall and painting to installing a soffit. The Kesher students had a terrific time. We were joined by two students from Adat Shalom, making it a true community event.

“ Each house had its own story for its repairs. “ – Garrett Goltz, participant, AJSS Responds

For the full articles and all the latest headlines, visit http://ajss.org/about-us/news/


Page 6 American Jewish Society for Service

AJSS RESPONDS: Disaster Recovery ProjectsAJSS is extending our footprint beyond Summer of Service with AJSS Responds, a year-round program that supports communities in the months and years following a natural disaster. Currently operating under the generosity of the Emergency Fund of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), AJSS has facilitated trips for more than 100 Jewish teens to help those who lost their homes to natural disasters. AJSS works closely with organizations that are coordinating the storm recovery and rebuilding process to provide teens with a pathway for authentic and meaningful work, which alongside our Jewish service-learning curriculum, directly connects the participants’ work with Jewish values and teachings. In recognizing the strength of our disaster recovery work, JFNA awarded AJSS an additional grant to develop a curriculum to help participants understand how communities adapt, withstand, and recover from disasters. We look forward to implementing this curriculum in Oklahoma City next summer.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Bromberg FamilyFor the Brombergs, AJSS is a family within a family. Jonathan Bromberg and Barbara Scott kicked off their family’s AJSS journey in 2007, when their oldest son, Alex, volunteered in Johnson City, TN. Living and working in this rural Tennessee community so vastly different from the Manhattan neighborhood in which he was raised, Alex credits AJSS with introducing him to different types of people and new ways ofthinking. This invaluable life skill served him well at the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed his undergraduate degree, and contributes to his continued professional success as an analyst at Peter J. Solomon Company in New York. Not to be outdone by their elder sibling, in 2013, Elliot and Tobin Bromberg joined forces in Portland, OR for their AJSS Summer of Service. Whether working in the fields to build sustainable gardens, learning about the injustices immigrant farmworkers face, or even going out on a midnight run to Voodoo Doughnut to celebrate their 16th birthday, this shared experience made AJSS feel like a home away from home for Elliot and Tobin from the start. When they returned to Baltimore, MD, both Elliot and Tobin were struck with a desire to pay forward AJSS’s philosophy of effecting change through education and service, and rejecting the excuse of apathy through ignorance. As they get ready to graduate from high school, these young men acknowledge they have a much deeper commitment to service and the Jewish community than before their Summer of Service. Elliot maintains a strong presence at school- and synagogue-sponsored service events, and looks forward to continuing these efforts next year in college. Last spring, Tobin’s high school honored him with a $4,000 prize for his extensive community service efforts, which he generously donated to AJSS. This family’s commitment to AJSS now extends to our Board of Directors, which Barbara joined last December. Barbara and Jonathan remain dedicated to AJSS. We thank them both for their continued support and guidance and for sharing their three remarkable sons with AJSS. We can’t wait to see what the future holds.What have you been up to since your Summer of Service? Call us at 301.664.6400 or e-mail [email protected]. We love hearing from you.

AJSS Responds’ Community Partnerships:

January, 2014: Hurricane Katrina Relief in New Orleans, LA with B’nai Jeshurun (New York, NY)

April, 2014: Hurricane Sandy Relief in Sea Bright, NJ with Prozdor High School of Hebrew College (Newton, MA)

June, 2014: Hurricane Sandy Relief in Sea Bright, NJ with Congregation Har Shalom (Potomac, MD) and Congregation Adat Shalom (Bethesda, MD)

June, 2014: Hurricane Katrina Relief in New Orleans, LA with Wexner Service Corps (Columbus, OH)

August, 2014: Hurricane Sandy Relief in Sea Bright, NJ with B’nai Jeshurun Congregation (Pepper Pike, OH), Park Synagogue (Cleveland, OH), and Congregation Shaarey Tikvah (Cleveland, OH)

Call us if you’re interested in facilitating an AJSS Responds service trip for your school, syngogue, or other community organization.


SEA BRIGHT

OKLAHOMA CITY

MEMPHIS

December 2014 Page 7

LOUISVILLE

SIX-WORD MEMOIRS on SERVICEBusting boundaries. Building houses. Breaking fears.

You can build anything with tape.The satisfaction of helping other people.Time may fly but memories don’t.More prepared for my life journey.Chaos transforms into community and laughter.

Appreciate all the things you have.Eat, work, laugh, learn, sleep. Repeat.No judgment, no boundaries, just friendship.

“ In all this, we have become a family. Sometimes functional, sometimes less so. But always a family. We have cared for our sick, protected our tired, encouraged our flagging, developed our talents, cultivated our work ethic, served those in need, and forged our identity. We are now all members of the indomitable AJSS family, and this community will always be yours. “ – Oklahoma City staff

2014 STAFF


6 WEEKS OF IMPACTJune 28 – August 9 • Louisville, KY*$5400

25 DAYS OF CHANGESession 1: June 21 – July 15 • Memphis, TN Session 2: July 16 – August 9 • Oklahoma City, OK*$4200 per session; $7600 for both

ALTERNATIVE BEACH WEEKJune 21-26 • Sea Bright, NJ$850

*EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: $200 discount for early registration by December 31, 2014

2015 SUMMER OF SERVICE

AMERICAN JEWISH SOCIETY FOR SERVICE

Change lives. Start with yours.


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AJSS newsletter 1114