Let’s Fuel Progress Toward a More Just World Together

Trudy Morse (she/her) and a friend

My entire life, my mother has told me my generation will change the world. She grew up in the deep south watching antisemitic groups march through her neighborhood, an experience that shaped the way she raised me. I was 3 when she started taking me to rallies for equity and justice. 

Thanks to my parents, I grew up with my moral compass, my religion, and service inextricably linked. For me, there is no Judaism without social justice, and social justice does not exist without Judaism. When I see a wrong, I turn to our sacred texts to figure out how to make it right.

Repair the World does the same. Repair’s model centers on both service and learning. Jewish wisdom gives meaning to our lives, and that meaning becomes a driving force for us to create the world that we want to live in. 

Repair’s participants — fellows, corps members, volunteers — speak glowingly of serving with local nonprofits and strengthening the communities they belong to. But I find it especially gratifying when I hear that, for example, 90% of fellows and 80% of corps members say that their experiences made them feel more connected to Judaism. So an investment in Jewish learning is truly an investment in both the Jewish people and our neighbors.

Yours in service and learning,

Trudy Morse (she/her)

Senior Jewish Education Associate