The Jewish Service Movement in Baltimore, with The Jewish Connection Network
Over the past year, The Jewish Connection Network and Repair the World have partnered through a unique Jewish service hub model expanding Jewish service and learning across Baltimore. This collaboration has helped build new pathways for Jewish young adults to connect with local organizations, address pressing community needs, and explore how Jewish values can shape meaningful action. Together, the partnership has launched volunteer cohorts, supported emerging leaders, strengthened relationships with nonprofits across the city, and created low-barrier opportunities for service that reflect what Jewish young adults are seeking today: community, purpose, and flexibility. One year in, the impact is already visible – in the projects, the partnerships, and the people who have grown through this work.
The team at The Jewish Connection Network reflects on what they’ve learned, the stories that have defined year one, and what’s possible in the year ahead.
What’s one insight you gained as this partnership began to take shape?
Young adults are looking to contribute to something greater than themselves, but they need opportunities that fit within busy and shifting schedules. Many are juggling competing priorities, so flexibility and active listening have been essential as we co-create volunteer opportunities with them. By meeting people where they are, we’ve been able to design experiences that reflect their values and the ways they want to show up for Baltimore.
Can you share a story from this year that captures the impact of the work?
Volunteers gather for a knitting session that pairs community-building with Jewish discussion, contributing to 2,500 handmade winter items for 18 Baltimore partners.
Elana, one of our volunteers, moved to Baltimore three years ago and had been searching for the right way to connect with local Jewish life. We learned she is an avid knitter and crocheter, so we asked if she would consider leading a knitting group for Jewish young adults. The group crafts hats and scarves that will be donated to neighbors experiencing housing insecurity this winter.
Elana has created a warm, welcoming space where volunteers feel seen, encouraged, and part of something meaningful. She incorporated accessible Jewish discussion into each gathering, and she shared that this group has helped her reconnect with her Judaism. Their work contributes to our goal of producing 2,500 handmade winter items that will be distributed through 18 nonprofit partners across Baltimore.
How would you describe the spirit of your volunteer community in just a few words?
Eager, passionate, and inclusive.
Baltimore faces many interconnected challenges. What’s a pressing need your volunteers helped address this year?
Food insecurity continues to affect many Baltimore families. According to the Johns Hopkins University’s 21st Century Cities Initiative, approximately 28% of residents in the Baltimore region reported experiencing food insecurity last year. One of our partners, Living Classrooms, runs an annual Thanksgiving Food Drive and anticipates serving more than 400 families through this effort. They rely on community support to collect donations, organize supplies, and prepare everything for distribution.
This year was different. We launched a new VolunTeam called “Snack-tivists”, dedicated to addressing food insecurity. Their work aligned perfectly with Living Classrooms’ needs. Volunteers will visit with donations in hand, help sort and prepare food, and ensure it is ready for families ahead of the holiday season. For the first time in several years, we are able to support Living Classrooms in reaching their goals.
Jewish learning is woven into every Repair the World experience. Can you share an example of how this approach has deepened the volunteer experience or strengthened participants’ connection to their Jewish identity?
Our young adult volunteer leaders met as a cohort throughout the summer to plan projects and strengthen their leadership skills. Each gathering opened with a Jewish teaching or value, and leaders brought a real curiosity to the conversations. They didn’t just study together – they wrestled with ideas, asked hard questions, and linked what they learned to their own lives.
In one session, we explored a teaching from the Talmud:
“We sustain the non-Jewish poor along with the Jewish poor; we visit the non-Jewish sick along with the Jewish sick; and we bury the non-Jewish dead along with the Jewish dead, for the sake of peace.” (Gittin 61a:5)
The teaching resonated deeply, reinforcing that supporting neighbors of all backgrounds is not only meaningful – it’s an expression of Jewish values. Every session linked learning to an act of service or justice, helping leaders see the relationship between Jewish values and community action. They’ve brought that grounding into each project they run, offering the same experience to volunteers and deepening how people understand the purpose of the work.
How has the partnership with Repair the World helped you accomplish things that wouldn’t have been possible alone?
Being powered by Repair has allowed us to expand our service platform in meaningful ways. With additional support, we’ve reached new audiences and engaged more young adults in Jewish service and learning. Repair has also provided resources and guidance that help us bring deeper educational elements into each project.
Through Repair’s microgrants, we now collaborate with local Jewish organizations in new and creative ways, helping them design and run service experiences rooted in their own missions. This partnership enables us to remain fully embedded in Baltimore’s Jewish community while benefiting from the strategy, reach, and support of the broader Jewish service movement.
Can you share a story about how a volunteer has grown through participation this year?
Alexis is a powerful example of how someone evolves through meaningful service. When we first met her, she was eager to get involved but needed guidance and structure. After playing a leadership role in four service opportunities, Alexis became the chair of our young adult volunteering committee.
As a special education teacher, she brings an inclusive lens to everything she touches, ensuring that volunteers from all Jewish backgrounds feel welcome. She has shared that her involvement has deepened her own Jewish journey and strengthened her connection to the organizations and neighbors we partner with. Her leadership is helping shape the next generation of service in Baltimore.
For potential funders: What return on investment have you seen through this partnership?
The impact is clear in both measurable outcomes and the strengthening of our community. In less than a year, 284 volunteers have participated in nearly 600 acts of service through this partnership. But the deeper return shows up in the stories people share, the connections forming, and the renewed sense of Jewish identity emerging through service.
Since the events of October 7, many young adults have expressed that service has become the avenue through which they want to express their Judaism. We’ve seen people reconnect with Jewish community through living their values, building new friendships, and learning about organizations that need support year-round. This partnership is helping meet real needs in Baltimore while shaping how people experience Jewish life.
Looking ahead, what do you hope to build in year two and beyond?
We envision a growing network of thriving VolunTeams—groups that meet regularly, build lasting relationships, and stay connected through shared purpose. We aim to continue empowering volunteer leaders to bring creativity and ownership to each project. We’re also excited to create fresh, flexible, and episodic opportunities that make it easy for more people to participate, even with busy schedules.
And we hope to see more local organizations use microgrants to launch service initiatives of their own, widening the ripple effect of Jewish service throughout Baltimore.
For more information on bringing partnerships like this to your community or organization, please reach out to Lisa Bodziner, Senior Director, National Expansion Strategy, Repair the World.
