The American Jewish Society for Service is now accepting applications for its 59th summer of service. High school sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply and put their Jewish values into action to serve others. Never before has the need been so great in this country to help those less fortunate. Come join AJSS on a six week service project in the US. Live among a group of teens and learn about yourself and others. Build community among yourselves and the folks you are serving. Celebrate Shabbat in a different part of the country than you are familiar with. Travel and explore. Work and play. It’s a phenomenal experience that can prepare you for college and beyond. Earn 150+ hours of high school community service credit.

Last summer we worked in Little Rock, AR and San Juan, TX building homes and working in community organizations that serve needy people. Our efforts were appreciated so much by the people we helped and the connections our volunteers made to them will be remembered for a long time. One of our volunteers remarked that, “I can’t vote or give a lot of money; I can help build a home for a family who needs one. That’s the greatest contribution of all.”

More information and an application for the program can be found at http://www.ajss.org.

Financial support is available.

Please contact Rena Convissor, Executive Director (301.767.3930; rena.convissor@ajss.org) for more information.

Here is a link to photos from March of the Living 2008.

 Here’s a link to the videos.

On April 13, 2008 over 300 Jewish youth in MetroWest participated in a day of community service and improvement projects as part of J-Serve, a national day of volunteerism and engagement. This year marks the fourth in which thousands of Jewish youth from coast to coast turned out in force for J-Serve, designed to encourage Jewish service, community building and creation of connections across religious and societal lines. Through the coordination of The Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life, over 20 projects were carried out involving a diverse group of teen participants.

Participants came from the BBYO regional convention, the Iris Teen Tzedakah Program, The Diller Teen Fellows (together with their Israeli cohort), the Jewish Civics Initiative at Central Hebrew High School, SOS: Save Our Soldiers, Help Darfur Now, Temple Bnai Abraham, Suburban Torah, Etz Chaim and others who heard about the event on Facebook.

The projects addressed a broad range of needs throughout MetroWest. Teens visited with seniors at all five locations of the Jewish Community Housing Corporation, performing seder songs and conversing with the residents as part of the “Kids, Concerts ‘n Cookies” program developed by incoming JCHC chair, Eric Barr, who was on hand to participate in the program. Other JCHC projects included planting flowers and gardens, and decorating flower pots.

Hebrew language and talk of Israel took place at a number of projects. The Diller Teen Fellows, who were being visited by their Israeli counterparts, organized a project at the Turtle Back Zoo, where they helped repair the cougar habitat. Visiting Israeli Diller Teens brought along their guitars to perform impromptu concerts for seniors in JCHC housing. Teens from Temple Bnai Abraham made care packages and wrote letters to lone soldiers of North American descent currently serving in the Israel Defense Forces.

The proximity of J-Serve to Passover inspired a number of creative programs that relate specifically to the holiday. Chametz was collected and donated to the Bobrow Kosher Food Pantry by volunteers from Etz Chaim. Cars were cleaned inside and out in two different locations by members of Suburban Torah and SOS: Save Our Soldiers. Preparations for the annual model seder at JESPY house were made by members of the Iris and Diller programs.

Another timely project was the voter registration drive in the Livingston mall, organized by the Jewish Civics Initiative at Central Hebrew High School. “We think it’s important since it’s an election year,” said Keren Baruch, a junior from West Orange, who organized the JCI project. As part of Global Day for Darfur, activists from Help Darfur Now participated in a torch walk and rally for Darfur in Montclair. In support of the Rachel Coalition’s annual Run for Rachel, members of the Iris Teen Tzedakah program organized a team to raise funds and awareness about domestic abuse. A delegation from Congregation Beth Hatikvah joined local teens in New Orleans to participate in the Saint Bernard Project. The campaign department of the United Jewish Communities of MetroWest held a phone-a-thon or miniature version of Super Sunday; J-Serve volunteers helped raise over $12,000.

Preparations have already begun for next year’s J-Serve which will be on April 26, 2009.

Click here for pictures. (More to come!)

Click here to read an article about J-Serve MetroWest 2008 in the New Jersey Jewish News.

For more on J-Serve in MetroWest, click here. TEENS that plan to attend J-Serve, and have a Facebook account, click here to add J-Serve to your events, and meet other teens that are participating!

Spend this summer in Israel having fun & challenging yourself to the extreme on Derech Hateva’s Israel Trail Teen Adventure (ITTA)! This month-long program combines backpacking, hiking, biking and rock climbing with Jewish-learning and volunteering, along the Israel Trail (Shvil Yisrael) in the North & South of the country.ITTA is open for both North American and Israeli teens ages 14-18, who are looking for an amazing experience and go beyond their limits. This summer’s adventure dates are, July 6th- August 4th, 2008, for girls and July 7th- August 5th, 2008 for boys. Each group has between 9-12 members, and 2-3 highly trained and experienced bi-lingual educator/guides. Groups focus on outdoor living, leadership skills and teamwork, learning to keep Shabbat in nature and a special desert trek with camels all along the Israel Trail. There are both Orthodox and Multi-Denominational groups. Register NOW, space is limited!

Fresh to Derech Hateva comes ITTA – Session II. Later dates, August 12th – 26th, a different route- a whole new adventure at the end of the summer, in classic ITTA spirit.

For more information on our programs or to apply, please visit our website at www.derechhateva.org or contact us at programs@derechhateva.org or call us at 02-624-8743 in Israel, 212-537-6280 in the US.

“Nothing could have prepared me for the incredible experience I had. I learned how to appreciate how we can survive in nature, how you can work together as a group and how much you can grow as a person in a month!” -Daniella Z., ITTA ‘06

If you have an idea for a program or project, email Adam Oded aoded@thepartnershipnj.org.

Shadya
Sunday, March 30 • 12:45pm
JCC MetroWest • West Orange
Roy Westler, Director
Israel – 2005 • 52 minutes
Hebrew with English Subtitles

Post screening discussion with Adam Oded.

A spirited Israeli-Arab girl challenges her traditional Muslim lifestyle by fighting to become a World Karate Champion. Shadya’s conflict as an Israeli-Arab and an Arab woman emerges when she meets the Palestinian karate team and marries at the peak of her career.

Click here to download the Shadya flyer.

Click here for tickets.
Click here for more about Shadya at the NJ Jewish Film Festival.

The Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life is looking for new or slightly used digital cameras to send to our partner communities  in Ofakim and Merchavim.  Any camera in working order will be accepted.  These cameras will be shared with 6th-12th graders in Ofakim and Merchavim. We would like to create a feeling of brotherhood between local teens from MetroWest, NJ with thier peers in Israel.  Through the use of photography and the internet, they will be able to share scenes of thier lives, and find common ground with teens their own age on the other side of the world. 

To get a visual tour of Ofakim, click here: 

 To read about the partnership between UJC of MetroWest and Ofakim and Merchavim, click here.

Don’t Miss the Early Bird Application Deadline.
Apply by February 1, 2008 to secure your spot and receive $100 off the tuition.

Spend four amazing weeks on the campus of The George Washington University in the nation’s capital where you will change the way you think about the world, Judaism and yourself. JAM is an intensive program based on a leading college campus. Participants will engage in hands-on service projects, learn about the connection between Judaism and advocacy, and examine key issues that impact the U.S. and the world, through interactions with leading U.S. policymakers. JAM participants return home with 75 community service-learning hours and a new perspective on life. Go to http://www.dcjam.org for more information and to download an application. The program is open to rising high school juniors, rising seniors and graduating seniors. JAM ‘08 takes place June 30-July 27!  http://www.dcjam.org/jamvideo.html

Don’t Miss the Early Bird Application Deadline.
Apply by February 1, 2008 to secure your spot and receive $100 off the tuition.

PanimWorks: Spend 12 days living and working in an entirely new culture this summer on PanimWorks! Make a difference as you live in rustic accommodations in the Navajo Nation and work with the local community on specific local projects. This trip in the majestic Southwest includes hands-on service projects and outdoor recreational activities. Make lifelong friends and learn about the ethical values that define Jewish life while earning up to45 community service-learning hours. Choose from one of two PanimWorks sessions for summer 2008! Session 1 is from June 29 to July 10 and Session 2 takes place July 27 to August 7. Go to http://www.panimworks.org for more information. PanimWorks is open to rising high school sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduating seniors.