Send Page to a Friend Young professionals volunteer by Shayndi Raice The Jewish Advocate February 24, 2006 Young Jews who are unable to give significant amounts of financial assistance to causes that are dear to them turn instead to volunteering their time, most often with organizations that focus on social justice. While issues like fighting poverty, access to health care and education are popular in the Jewish community, some young 20s and 30s are saying that their commitment to social justice has a unique, more universalistic flavor. "The organized Jewish community has lost its understanding of the interest and commitment of Jews in their 20s and 30s, which are not exclusively particularistic but are often universalistic," said Noam Schimmel, the young adults coordinator for the Jewish Community Relations Council. "My generation has a very fully-integrated identity and does not separate between their commitment to the world at large." Schimmel said that he believes that while prior generations of American Jews were interested in particularly Jewish causes like Israel or anti-Semitism, his generation feels settled into American life and wants to reach a range of issues. "Now we have broader commitments," he said. "We are so grounded in our American identity and our sense of responsibility to the human community at large, that we are able to take the universalistic moral imperatives in Judaism as seriously as we take the more particularistic ones." In line with this new trend, Schimmel said that JCRC offers a wide variety of global and domestic social justice opportunities. For example, this year his organization worked with the Cambridge Family and Children Service, developing program modules for local kids on a variety of subjects like conflict resolution, creative arts and expressive therapies. Domestically, JCRC has provided for volunteer opportunities in health care provisions, access to education and working with disadvantaged communities. Schimmel is also taking a group of local 20s and 30s to Alabama, Mississippi's and Louisiana next week to conduct rehabilitation and relief efforts with victims of Hurricane Katrina. Matt Borus, coordinator for Tekiah, another local social justice organization with a majority of volunteers in their 20s and 30s, said that his organization has been focusing on immigrant rights. While Tekiah is not working specifically for Jewish immigrant rights, Borus said that the immigrant history of the American Jewish community made this choice especially relevant to many volunteers. "What we do is universal but from a  specifically Jewish angle," he said. "When we choose issues to work on, it's about stuff that feels relevant to us as Jews even if it doesn't feel particularly relevant." Borus explained that Tekiah volunteers have a very hands-on approach to their work. Unlike JCRC, Tekiah is almost entirely run by volunteers. Borus, who works part-time, is the only paid staff member. "It is all volunteer-run," said Borus. "It is all volunteers who keep our books, design our Web site and write our grants." He added that "Because we take a community organizing approach to things, our volunteers are not just doing something on a one-time basis. People will make phone calls, go to an event or write letters to a legislator. Volunteers will also talk to people in their community or set something up at their synagogue or Jewish organization or reach out to their own networks. The volunteers are taking a leadership role and acting as organizers." Besides working on domestic social issues, many Jewish organizations have been targeting young adults for global outreach. JCRC has conducted trips to South America with the American Jewish World Service, which attracts a significant number of young volunteers. Schimmel said: "They have an equally profound commitment to global justice that's no less serious than their domestic commitment." Elie Beck, the young adults director of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Boston explained: "There's been an effort tin the organizations that do social justice to have people reflect on how their Jewish upbringing and Jewish values informs their work in general. The way I see it translated most is work on social justice initiatives." Beck said that she sees two types of young adults who volunteer for Jewish social justice organizations: Jews who would not be affiliated with anything jewish otherwise but can relate to social justice, and Jews who want to get more involved with social justice because of their commitment to other Jewish issues. "A lot of what we have in our history and background support these efforts and initiatives," explained Beck. "It is a nice approach to involving yourself in the community." She also said that many young adults choose to meet other Jews through volunteering. "A lot of people find meaning in meeting people who have the same values and are thinking about the world around them," she said. "It's difficult not to think about the world when the media is there all the time. They are eager to get involved because it's hard to turn away from it." It seems that in Boston, there is an abundance of opportunities for young adults to get involved in social justice. "In a lot of ways I'm proud of the Boston Jewish community," said Beck. "Social justice is definitely on the forefront more than in other cities."