Where are they now?

AVODAH Alumni Making an Impact

Alumni Careers

The majority of AVODAH’s 316 alumni are pursuing careers or advanced degrees in service, social justice or Jewish communal work. Influenced by their AVODAH experience, alumni continue to apply the lessons they learned in AVODAH to their work.

Click here to read a few examples of alumni working in the fields of education, social justice law/legal advocacy, public health/medicine and as Jewish professionals.

Recent Alumni

After the program year ends, outgoing AVODAH Corps members go on to do incredible things, whether through continuing work at their placement agencies, new jobs in the social justice arena, or study and education. Here are some examples of what 2008-2009 Corps members are doing after their program year:

David Eber

In August 2008, AVODAH opened its fourth site in New Orleans with nine enthusiastic young adults committed to rebuilding the city. One of these Corps members was David Eber, who worked as the Sustainability Outreach Coordinator at the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development.

David's focus was the St. Claude Initiative, designed to revitalize St. Claude Street, the main thoroughfare in the Lower 9th Ward. He worked with community members and local artists to paint murals that reflect the culture and character of the neighborhood on 17 empty buildings in order to beautify the area and bring back local business. David was so committed to his work that he successfully raised money from two grants he himself wrote to fund his position for the next year. David is one of six New Orleans Corps members staying on in the city.

Click here for a multimedia slideshow of David's work in the Lower 9th Ward, produced by alum Ari Shapiro.

Naomi Adland

Naomi Adland spent her AVODAH year in Chicago working at the Mary Crane Center, a comprehensive day care and early education program dedicated to helping the city's most underserved children and families succeed. Naomi helped numerous families access shared subsidies for childcare and healthcare, and shared - as she explained - "the sense of relief that floods the room" each time a family qualifies for deeply needed assistance.

This year, Naomi is furthering her own education through a year of study at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem, a pluralistic program that ofers intensive study of classic Jewish texts and exploration of ethical, spiritual, philosophical, legal and societal issues. Naomi is the third Chicao alum to study at Pardes. Joline Price (07-08) completed a year of study there, and Rebecca Linden (06-07) drew on her AVODAH experience to create a special social justice track that is now offered annually.

Viviana Gordon

Viviana Gordon spent her AVODAH year in New York City working at the Red Hook Community Justice Center, an innovative community court that hears cases across jurisdictions and addresses broad neighborhood problems, like drugs, crime, domestic violence and landlord/tenant disputes. As a case manager, Viviana worked with individuals on alternatives to incarceration, including drug treatment. She was described by her supervisor - who said she was "the perfect fit for our organization" - as having "a clinical sensitivity that I wouldn't expect from someone coming out of college."

After significant and ultimately successful efforts to secure funding, the Red Hook Community Justice Center was able to hire Viviana permanently. Though she was accepted to the Masters of Social Work program at Hunter College, she decided to defer her enrollment in order to continue her work in Red Hook for a second year.

Jane Yamaykin

AVODAH DC Corps member Jane Yamaykin worked at Metro TeenAIDS, a community health organization dedicated to supporting young people in the fight against HIV/AIDS through education, support and advocacy. Jane worked in the afterschool drop-in center, offering teens a safe space, opportunities for self-expression, and education to protect themselves and their peers from HIV.

Now, she is building on these skills as she approaches HIV/AIDS from a new angle at DC-based Food and Friends. Jane coordinates the volunteers who provide meals, groceries and nutritional counseling to over 1,400 homebound people suffering from serious illnesses, like HIV/AIDS and cancer, throughout Washington, DC and parts of Maryland and Virginia.