Repair the World Announces Expansion to Align with Program Priorities, Organizational Growth, and Unprecedented Opportunities for Jewish Service Movement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 1, 2021
Contact:  Jason Edelstein
510/239-1102

Repair the World Announces Expansion to Align with Program Priorities, Organizational Growth, and Unprecedented Opportunities for Jewish Service Movement

New York – Repair the World, a Jewish non-profit that mobilizes Jews and their communities to take action to pursue a just world, igniting a lifelong commitment to service, today announced program priorities for the coming year, along with realignment and growth of its professional team reflecting the expansion and additional strategic opportunities. A recent $7 million gift from MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett to Repair the World will help grow its work to an unprecedented scale as many American Jews say that working for justice and equality is essential to being Jewish. 

“In the wake of the pandemic, volunteers stepped up boldly to serve their communities in incredibly meaningful ways. As we enter this moment following the pandemic, we believe the Jewish community is entering a transformed ‘Service Era’ where they are building on the support and continued strengthening of their communities demonstrated last year by so many,” said Cindy Greenberg, President and CEO of Repair the World. “We are excited that Repair’s expansion can further build thriving Jewish life and meaningful social change through service infused with Jewish values and learning.”

Repair the World reached over 17,000 volunteers who contributed over 100,000 hours of service and learning to nonprofit partners across the country between August 2020-April 2021, thanks in part to last year’s launch of Serve the Moment powered by Repair the World in partnership with 44 coalition organizations. Repair is now positioned to expand these and other meaningful service efforts. Key pieces of the alignment to the organizational growth and adaptive strategy include: 

• Mobilizing through direct programming 
  • Building a local presence in the 20 communities (currently operating in 13 communities) with the largest population of Jewish young adults
  • Curating a menu of program options for local communities (full-time Fellowship, part-time Service Corps, episodic service)

• Catalyzing through national partnerships & field activation
  • Strengthening customized partnerships with the largest national Jewish engagement organizations to engage their participants in meaningful service and Jewish learning

• Inspiring through national service campaigns
  • Facilitating issue-area based campaigns grounded in Jewish wisdom to promote and catalyze service 
  • Digitally engaging with audiences to activate the field to lead to acts of service and learning

Repair the World will invest in its Jewish educational strategy by further centering Jewish learning in all of its service opportunities. Repair the World will also continue to prioritize its racial justice and equity commitments, rooted in solidarity and responsibility to amplify the voices of marginalized communities and offer support to those communities.

To help achieve these new goals and expanded program offerings, Repair re-aligned its current senior strategic executive team to include:

• President & CEO | Cindy Greenberg (she/her) – Will continue as President & CEO of Repair; Cindy was the founding executive director of Repair’s NYC program. Previously, she was the executive director of NYU’s Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life. 
• Chief Strategy Officer | Kate O’Bannon (she/her) – Has led Repair’s growth over the last few years and most recently served as senior director of strategy. Prior to joining Repair, Kate worked at the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. 
• Chief Program Officer | Jordan Fruchtman (he/him) – Most recently senior director of Jewish Service Alliance and helped launch Serve the Moment; prior to joining Repair, Jordan served as the Chief Program Officer for Moishe House. 
• Senior Director of Finance | Neeraj Nagpal (he/him) – Has 15 years of experience leading complex finance functions for nonprofits, including Habitat for Humanity, NEO Philanthropy, and Amnesty International. 
• Senior Director of Jewish Education | Rabbi Jessy Dressin (she/her) – Worked as a community rabbi in Baltimore, MD, for ten years, most recently as Baltimore Repair’s executive director; received a Covenant Foundation 2020 Pomegranate Award and was named as one of The Forward’s “Most Inspiring Rabbis” in 2016. 
• Senior Director of Mobilize | Zack Block (he/him) – Worked many years  for large public accounting firms and as a long-time board member of the Hillel JUC in Pittsburgh, Zack was instrumental in building and sustaining J’Burgh, Pittsburgh’s social and professional network for Jewish graduate students and young professionals. He now leads the mobilization strategies at Repair the World. 
• Senior Director of Philanthropy | Wendy Rhein (she/her) – Was chief of staff of world food program, and previously was with UNICEF and Points of Light; has been development consultant for the last two years with Repair and is now joining the team full time.

Repair the World also seeks to add the role of Chief Operating Officer and is looking to fill the existing role of Senior Racial Justice Advisor.

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Repair the World mobilizes Jews and their communities to take action to pursue a just world, igniting a lifelong commitment to service. We believe service in support of social change is vital to a flourishing Jewish community and an inspired Jewish life. By 2030, Repair will inspire and catalyze one million acts of service towards repairing the world.