The Idealist.org Podcasts

Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps offers young people a chance to affect social change while deepening their commitment to Jewish life by serving for a year at anti-poverty organizations in Chicago, New Orleans, New York, and Washington, DC.

As with other service corps, Avodah's corps members earn a basic stipend. They also live in community with other corps members, and work on group building, negotiation, and conflict resolution. In partnership with the American Jewish World Service, Avodah's alumni find networking, support and training.

Herself an alumna of Avodah, Amy Ravis Furey serves as New York City Program Director for AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps. After earning her Masters in Social Work from Hunter College with a concentration in community organizing and group work, she served as an organizer for the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and as the Social Justice Coordinator at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Amy is the first Avodah alum to serve on staff as a program director at one of the AVODAH sites.

Idealist's Amy Potthast speaks with Amy Ravis Furey about the influence of Avodah in her career path, and her mission of lifting up youth to change the world. They talk about the role of Jewish social justice teaching, the alumni nework, and the impact Avodah has had in the world and on its corps members.
 
For more information, join Avodah staff on a conference call tonight (11/19) at 9 pm, or on December 2. The deadline to apply for the 2009-10 year is February 6th, 2009.

In recent years, communities across the five boroughs have become more concerned with eating "locally" and developing a sustainable food system for all New York City residents.  Community Supported Agriculture--the model of pairing groups of community residents with small local farms--continues to gain in popularity all over the city as an alternative to supermarket shopping.  But how exactly does CSA work?  What does membership in a CSA model mean for community residents?

In the latest Idealist.org Community Podcast, guest contributor Cambra Moniz-Edwards follows Fort Greene CSA Coordinator Jen Datka as she explains the ins and outs of one of Brooklyn's newest CSAs.  For more information on CSAs in the five boroughs, and on developing a sustainable agriculture system in New York City, visit JustFood.org.





Click here for more information on Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE) and the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project (MARP).