"Service is the very purpose of life.  It is the rent we pay for living on the planet."
-- Marion Wright Edelman, president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund.

Anyone who has done volunteer works knows the truth of Marion Wright Edelman's words. Doing hands-on work that directly benefits someone else makes a difference. It affects people's lives. And it makes your own life more fulfilling
 
Volunteering has always been an important aspect of Jewish communal life, but a new spirit of volunteerism is bubbling up throughout the Jewish world. These days, it's often called tikkun olam, referring to the historic Hebrew phrase that means repairing the world.  We recognize that the world we live in is a flawed place, and that our own actions can make it better.

Over the past 13 years, the trend has grown by leaps and bounds. The habit of volunteering often takes root in high school, where kids have to fulfill a service learning requirement and find they enjoy the work they engage in. Today, volunteering by college students is growing at twice the rate of all other volunteering, according to a recent report by the Corporation for National and Community Service. And there's plenty of room for more growth: the 2007-2008 cohort of American Jews 18-24 engaged in service represented less than 1% of eligible Jews in that age range.

From one-day events to alternate spring breaks to long-term immersion programs, there's something for everyone. The only question is, when are you going to get started?  This page has all the resources you need to begin, and there's one other very important resource: the Young Leadership director at your Federation.

Short-term and Long-term Volunteer Opportunities

UNITED STATES/CANADA

ADAMAH: Jewish Environmental Fellowship
This paid three-month leadership training program in rural Connecticut for Jewish young adults integrates organic farming, sustainable living, Jewish learning, teaching, leadership and social justice training and contemplative spiritual practice.
http://isabellafreedman.org

AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps
This one-year program combines working for social change, Jewish learning and community building.  Participants from any Jewish background are welcome.  Stipend and health insurance are provided.
www.avodah.net

Eisendrath Legislative Assistant Fellowship Program – Union for Reform Judaism
Get involved with politics and social action in this one-year, paid fellowship. Monitor legislative activity, develop synagogue social action programming, create educational materials, plan and run weekend conferences for teens, and mobilize the grassroots of American Jewry in Washington, DC.
http://rac.org/aboutrac/laflier

Jewish Organizing Initiative
Build community and study in Boston with people from all over the world in a year of service.  The fellowship includes paid or volunteer work in social justice, primarily in low-income community organizations, regular learning about organizing for justice, Judaism and community building.
www.jewishorganizing.org

Nechama Katrina Response
Help the clean-up from Hurricane Katrina. Spend a week volunteering in New Orleans as an individual, group or family.
www.nechama.org

PANIM Fellowships
Experience a unique professional experience for college graduates interested in politics, public policy, community service and Judaism. The fellowship provides a great introduction to a Jewish professional career/non-profit organizations, and includes a competitive stipend.
www.panim.org

Weinberg Tzedek Hillel Fellowship – Hillel:The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
Work to strengthen Jewish student involvement in social justice activism through community service and advocacy.  The paid fellow serves as a Hillel resource on a wide array of issues, represents Hillel at student conferences, and acts as a support to students on campus.
www.hillel.org

ISRAEL

Amirim - YJ Impact!
Spend your summer with Amirim volunteering at a non-profit organization, exploring the Israeli landscape through weekly day trips, and discovering Israeli culture and society through different educational and cultural events.
www.yjimpact.org

Dorot Fellowship in Israel – The Dorot Foundation
Serve the Jewish people and contribute to the improvement of the human condition while earning a stipend in Israel. The program has four major components: Hebrew studies, Jewish studies, engagement with and volunteer service to the community, and monthly seminars.
www.dorot.org

Go Eco - Animal Care and Conservation
Join GoEco and the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, along with other international volunteers, to come take part in an exciting project for the care of unique animals and the reintroduction of endangered species in Israel.
www.goeco.org

Go Eco - Bustan Hashalom
Volunteer for the preservation of traditional desert living practices and indigenous Bedouin culture in the beautiful and intriguing Negev Desert.
www.goeco.org

Green Apprenticeship - Kibbutz Lotan
This intensive 10-week work and study experience is taught by the staff of the Center for Creative Ecology on Kibbutz Lotan. Graduates of the course will receive a Permaculture Design Certificate from the Permaculture Institute.
www.kibbutzlotan.com/creativeEcology/ga/index.htm

Kibbutz Ulpan - Community Sharing Means Caring 
Experience the foundation of Israeli society in the cooperative community known as kibbutz in a five month work/study program for 18-28 year old students, graduates, and young professionals.  Placements may be agricultural, industrial, or in kibbutz service jobs.
www.kibbutzprogramcenter.org

LIFE – Leadership and International Fellowship Experience
A nine-month, Israel-based leadership development service and learning program for university graduates and young professionals aged 21-30, who will train in Israel and spend four months interning in both India and then Israel. LIFE is a high-quality, unmatchable way to build your capacity as a change maker and to strengthen your career path.
www.btzedek.org.il
 
Livnot Galilee Fellowship - Livnot U'Lehibanot
Spend your winter break in Israel as part of an educational and volunteer community service program designed to assist the communities of Tzfat and Kiryat Shemona after the 2006 war.
www.livnot.com

Livnot Journey - Livnot U'Lehibanot
Live, learn and volunteer in Tzfat and Jerusalem.  The first six weeks in Tzfat and Jerusalem combine serious hiking adventures, community service work, excavations in Tzfat’s Old City, formal and informal study of Jewish.  A two-month "Personal Interest Track" follows, in which you can choose from internships, extensive volunteering, Hebrew language study or other Judaic study programs.
www.livnot.com

Magen David Adom Volunteer Program - Yochai Porat
Gain hands on first aid and emergency-care experience for two months in Israel.  University students with no previous medical experience may apply.  Participants are certified as First Responders.
www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Aliyah/Israel+Programs/MDA

OTZMA – Volunteer/Leadership Fellowship
A 10-month program that combines social action, civil rights, and community building. Spend time in an absorption center learning Hebrew, do community service by using your skills in a development town and on a kibbutz, or participate in our new internship track.
www.otzma.org

Project 1000 Volunteers
Show your solidarity with the People and State of Israel by volunteering in areas of community service, social service, civil guard or Magen David Adom, for periods that can last from two weeks to six months. 
www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/delegations/Israel+Program+Center

Stagerim Professional Internship Program
Make a difference while earning a stipend and university credit. Students or young professional interns are placed in tailor-made positions with firms and institutions in Israel, including medicine, tourism, hi-tech, law, education, social service, communications, and government.
www.israelprograms.org/JewishAgency/English/Aliyah/Israel+Programs/Professional+Internships

The Social Justice Fellowship - New Israel Fund and SHATIL
These fellowships (which include the Nomi Fein and Rabbi Richard J. Israel Social Justice Fellowships) enable a cadre of post-college Jewish young adults to immerse themselves  in the movement for social change in Israel. Earn a stipend while spending 10 months working for an Israeli NGO.
www.nif.org/get-involved/fellowships/social-justice-fellowships

Thirtysomethings - Livnot U'Lehibanot
A one-week program for young adults in their 30s (give or take a year) who are prepared to take a week or so off of work to experience their spirituality and Israel through Jewish educational seminars, hiking off Israel’s beaten path, community service projects and Shabbat celebrations.
www.livnot.com

Tikun Olam in Tel Aviv - The Bina Center
Jewish college graduates from all over the world have the opportunity to spend 10 months focusing on volunteer community service in Tel Aviv.  Participants also learn Hebrew, about Israeli society, and about Jewish culture.
www.tikunolamisrael.org

Tzevet Mitzvot: Israel Mitzvah Corps
Join Reform Jews from across North America for 10 days in Israel. This unique experience includes study with Israeli scholars, travel to Tel Aviv, the Negev and the Arava, hands-on volunteer work and two special Jerusalem Shabbat experiences.
www.urj.org/csa/mitzvahcorps

Volunteers for Israel
Connect with Israel though volunteer service with civilian organizations and the IDF. Participate in a one-, two-, or three-week program on IDF bases, where you'll work, eat, and interact daily with Israeli soldiers as well as other volunteers from all over the world.
www.vfi-usa.org

WUJS Israel Hadassah 
A six-month program in Israel for Jewish college graduates ages 21 -35, the program offers four tracks of study: Jerusalem Learning, WUJS Arts Program, Peace & Social Justice, and Intern Tel Aviv.
www.wujsisrael.org

 
INTERNATIONAL

AJWS Volunteer Corps
Jewish professionals address deeply rooted problems of poverty, disease, illiteracy and hunger in a local community in the developing world.  They work to practice sustainable development by providing training or creating a teaching manual that will be used by the NGO long after the volunteer returns home.
www.ajws.org

American Jewish World Service Volunteer Summer
Participants live and work for seven weeks alongside residents of rural communities in Ghana, Peru or Honduras, or with a re-emerging Jewish community in Ukraine.
www.ajws.org

Delegations – AJWS
AJWS brings delegations comprised of synagogue groups, families, summer camps and other Jewish community institutions to work with our project partners in the Central America. Participants help complete major community development projects.
www.ajws.org

JDC Jewish Service Corps
Recent college graduates and professionals of all ages, including retirees, work and join in the life of a Jewish community overseas for one year.  Volunteers serve in the areas of formal and informal Jewish education, relief and social welfare, and Jewish community development. A stipend is included.
www.jdc.org/how_volunteer.html

Ralph I. Goldman Fellowship — JDC
One fellowship is awarded annually for a year of work-study in overseas locations.  Fellows are provided with an insider's perspective on global programs through a range of unique assignments that respond to the changing needs of Jewish communities around the world. Travel and a generous stipend are included.
www.jdc.org/how_volunteer.html

Roslyn Z. Wolf Cleveland-JDC International Fellows Program - JDC and Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland
One qualified individual per year works for one year in Jewish communities in countries such as Romania, Turkey, India, Poland, Ethiopia and FSU.  Experiences ranges from formal and informal Jewish education to programs for the elderly or health clinics for the destitute. Travel, health insurance and expenses are covered.
www.jdc.org/how_volunteer.html

World Partners Fellowship - American Jewish World Service
The World Partners Fellowship, the newest American Jewish World Service volunteer program, is geared toward recent college graduates who wish to volunteer abroad with an NGO. Volunteers will provide a needed direct service, with a focus on ensuring that the work will contribute to the long-term growth of the NGO.
www.ajws.org