JCC Association of North America is proud to announce the members of the fourth cohort of the Tzedek: Jewish Service-Learning Cohort, an initiative developed in partnership with Repair the World. Tzedek, which means “justice” in Hebrew, aims to train JCC professionals across North America to design and implement meaningful Jewish service-learning opportunities, enhancing both their professional skills and the programs offered at their JCCs.
Part of the JCC Talent initiative, Tzedek is designed to equip members with skills to create and deliver Jewish service-learning experiences that positively affect their communities. Participants are trained using four key components of Jewish service-learning: issue education, a Jewish lens, hands-on service, and reflection. This technique helps them create valuable projects that benefit both their JCCs and surrounding communities. Each Tzedek Coordinator receives a $500 stipend to bring their unique project to life, supporting both personal and communal growth through service.
Rachel Ruth, director of senior services at the New Orleans JCC in Louisiana and a Tzedek coordinator from the third cohort, reflects on the effect the initiative has had on her professional and personal growth: “The Tzedek initiative was a wonderful opportunity to learn how to incorporate Jewish learning and service into the programs I offer at my JCC. For my Tzedek project, I chose to do an intergenerational program including teens and seniors. We partnered with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) to make teddy bears that the officers could distribute to young children they encountered on calls. The bears not only provide a source of comfort to our community’s most vulnerable members but also serve as a bridge between the NOPD and young children. The program was such a huge success that we plan to replicate it both in our teen program at summer camp and in year-round programming. Without the encouragement of and lessons learned in my Tzedek cohort, I’m not sure I would have known there was such a desire and opportunity in our community for Jewish service work.”
“JCC Association is proud to offer Tzedek designed for professionals in varying roles and career stages, reflecting the diversity of our field, and allowing all to meaningfully engage in Jewish learning,” shares Carrie Darsky, chief talent officer at JCC Association. “This initiative equips participants with the skills to translate Jewish values into meaningful action while fostering cross-community and inter-community engagement. As part of our broader Talent strategy, we are committed to supporting professional growth at every stage of career development, helping participants deepen their connection to serving their JCC’s mission while building their expertise.”
Since its launch in 2022, Tzedek has inspired more than 10,000 acts of service, mobilized nearly 7,500 volunteers, and supported the creation of almost 175 Jewish service-learning projects across JCCs. These efforts reflect Tzedek’s role in fostering a culture of service and learning throughout JCCs in North America. Combined with other major service initiatives, including the National Day of Jewish Service and JCC Cares, the service component of JCC Maccabi®, Tzedek’s endeavors have resulted in more than 21,000 hours of dedicated service and learning, reinforcing the JCC Movement’s commitment to making a positive impact in its communities.
“In partnership with Repair the World, Tzedek continues to offer essential expertise to JCC professionals in designing and implementing Jewish service-learning projects,” said Rebecca Furth, assistant program director, JCC Talent at JCC Association. “Throughout the program, Tzedek Coordinators collaborate with Repair the World educators, receiving feedback and guidance to craft service-learning projects tailored to their JCCs’ unique needs. This partnership helps strengthen and expand service offerings at JCCs to be even more meaningful and deeply rooted in Jewish values now and for the future.”
With more than 10,000 full-time professionals, more than 20,000 part-time staff, and 17,000 seasonal staff, the JCC Movement is the largest employer in North America’s Jewish communal world. JCC Association is devoted to developing the talent of the movement’s workforce and continuing to attract the best and brightest to this work.
This month, Tzedek cohort members will gather in person at JCC Association in New York City for an immersive training and community service project, during which members will volunteer with Brooklyn Book Bodega, a nonprofit organization that provides children ages 0–18 in New York City with access to books for their homes. Tzedek members will learn about literacy inequity and help prepare over 1,000 books for distribution.
The fourth Tzedek cohort, the largest group to date with an in-person gathering, consists of 21 individuals from 14 JCCs, spanning a range of roles, including senior leadership, youth and teen programming, and community engagement, and showcasing the diversity of professionals committed to Jewish service-learning.
Members of the 2025 Tzedek Cohort include:
Michelle Cage, associate director of teen and young adult engagement at the YM & YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood in New York
Lindsey Cotner, development director at the Asheville JCC in North Carolina
Emily Davis, LMSW, special needs coordinator at the Wendy and Avron B. Fogelman Jewish Family Service at the Memphis JCC in Tennessee
Natali Halberthal, manager of programming at the Rady JCC in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Emma Herr, event and volunteer manager at the Levite JCC in Birmingham, Alabama
Lorenn Kassel, public programs manager at the JCC of San Francisco in California
Lauren Chapman Kidd, Ed.D., senior adult program director at the Aaron Family JCC in Dallas, Texas
Audrey May, intake, referral and volunteer coordinator at the Wendy and Avron B. Fogelman Jewish Family Service at the Memphis JCC in Tennessee
J. Meir McCauley, volunteer coordinator and front desk receptionist at the Asheville JCC in North Carolina
Anne Douglas Miller, development and special events coordinator at the Levine JCC in Charlotte, North Carolina
Tara Sutker Ohayon, assistant executive director at the Aaron Family JCC in Dallas, Texas
Whitney Poole, family services manager at the York JCC in Pennsylvania
Yanina Rabinovich, arts and culture manager at the Paperny Family JCC in Calgary, Alberta
Adriel Resh, director of Jewish life and culture at the York JCC in Pennsylvania
Emily Russell, social action coordinator at the Levine JCC in Charlotte, North Carolina
Cori SaNogueira, chief program officer at UJA-JCC Greenwich in Connecticut
Rachel Scolnic, inclusion director at the JCC of Greater New Haven in Connecticut
Brad Spradlin, coordinator of volunteer and internship programs at JCC Chicago in Illinois
Emma Sprecher, director of elementary afterschool programs at the YM & YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood in New York
Amy Stec, coordinator on the community engagement team at JCC Chicago in Illinois
Randi Zucker, director of arts, community and culture at the JCC of Central New Jersey in Scotch Plains
Tzedek is made possible through generous grants to Repair the World from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation, Jim Joseph Foundation, and the Maimonides Fund.
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About JCC Association of North America
JCC Association of North America leads the JCC Movement, the most expansive and inclusive platform for Jewish life in the U.S. and Canada, which comprises more than 170 Jewish Community Centers and Jewish Community Camps (JCCs). By virtue of its size and scope—serving more than 1.5 million people weekly, in person, and online—and with guidance and support from JCC Association, the JCC Movement dynamically influences efforts to create Jewish community, vibrant Jewish life, and intentional and measurable Jewish outcomes in local communities and across the continent. Learn more at JCCA.org or on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter).
Please note that JCC Association of North America should not be referred to as JCCA or the JCC Association but initially as JCC Association of North America and as JCC Association in subsequent references.
About Repair the World
Repair the World mobilizes Jews and their communities to take action to pursue a just world, igniting a lifelong commitment to service. In 2009, Repair the World began elevating meaningful service as a defining element of Jewish life by engaging Jewish young adults in service and learning to meet pressing local needs. Today, inspired by our values, we activate a national service movement, mobilizing partners and tens of thousands of Jewish young adults and their communities to serve alongside our neighbors. Learn more at Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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