Technology can help Jewish teens give back

After a bar/bat mitzvah, giving back to the community doesn’t automatically become a priority, as most tweens stop receiving formal Jewish education where this idea is reinforced. Why does this extensive process of giving back stop here? As these tweens grow and mature, isn’t it important to continue the mitzvot of tikkun olam, or giving back?

In the 2010-11 school year I participated in the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston Diller Teen Fellowship program. The Diller Teen Fellows is an internationally run program that focuses on four pillars: leadership, tikkun olam, Jewish identity, and Israel. During my "Diller year" I was able to participate in a number of incredible service projects, including teaching in the Gabrieli elementary school in Haifa. Alongside four other Diller fellows I was able to overcome the language barrier and teach English to Israeli children. Through this experience, I learned the importance of communication, and how verbal communication is not the only way to interact with others to rely a message. More specifically, when I began thinking about my own community action project this experience resonated with me. I wondered how all the Diller teenagers from 16 different cities were going to stay in touch, not just socially but intellectually as well. I decided to form a Diller Teen Fellows social network; a lofty goal for a then-15 year old.

Diller then helped turn me to JChoice.org (www.jchoice.org), a Jewish charity website where people can donate to over 200 non-profits from a unique and relevant Jewish perspective. Each year through their extensive database of charitable organizations, JChoice allocates tens of thousands of dollars to causes that people truly care about. However, JChoice doesn’t just stop at facilitating donation transactions, they also inspire people to utilize the many forms of multi-media to build and promote their own mitzvah projects rooted in Jewish values. JChoice inspires people to not stop giving back to their community after completing a bar/bat mitzvah project, but rather to continue to help repair the world.

Continue reading.