As an Avodah Corps Member serving at The First 72+, I work with recently incarcerated clients to support them in rebuilding their lives with dignity. Many clients I work with come out of prison with no documents, no housing, and no financial security. Reentry nonprofits like The First 72+ are left to fill in the gaps when they return home. Harsh sentencing laws, rollbacks on parole, and punitive reentry policies threaten to undo the hard-won freedom and stability our community members have built. Avodah has given me the tools to understand my work at The First 72+ through a Jewish lens — rooted in dignity, compassion, and collective responsibility. Your support makes it possible for Avodah to continue training and inspiring the next generation of Jewish Justice leaders and to keep building bridges between Jewish identity and service work. Please join me this Give NOLA Day in working towards a world in which we are all seen as more than the worst thing we have ever done.

We're a growing network of Jewish leaders fighting domestic poverty. Our participants are on the ground in New Orleans and four other cities. Our alumni are everywhere. Avodah's mission is to develop lifelong social justice leaders whose work is informed by Jewish values and who inspire the Jewish community to work toward a more just and equitable world.