Jewish agencies and organizations in our community had to quickly adapt to the pandemic, especially when it came to in-person programming. The situation was no different for Avodah Kansas City, which brings together young Jewish professionals who are passionate about the intersection of social justice and their faith.
“We knew that we needed to pivot, but also knew that Avodah wouldn’t be the same virtually,” said Amy Ravis Furey, the director of Avodah Kansas City and an Avodah corps alumni.
The Avodah Justice Fellowship has been available nationally for 22 years, operating in New York, Chicago, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. Avodah has been in Kansas City for three years and has gathered three cohorts of more than 30 young participants. Avodah fellows typically meet weekly for a nine-month period to develop their social justice leadership skills through workshops, retreats, coaching, peer-mentoring, project-based learning and community events.
The third cohort was in session when the pandemic hit; it ended via Zoom in May. Local leaders decided not to start a new cohort, which would have launched sometime between late November and early February.
“I was initially really heartbroken because there’s something magical and special about the cohort and the relationships that are built. It’s an intimacy that you don’t get any other way,” Ravis Furey said.
A virtual cohort wouldn’t be able to develop the deep relationships that come out of Avodah’s immersive, communal learning, but Ravis Furey also knew the need for Avodah wouldn’t disappear. Not only did the pandemic highlight the need for the Avodah alumni (many of whom live alone) to continue to gather in some way, it also exacerbated the needs of the vulnerable communities Avodah serves.
“The new plan was to pivot so we could serve the entire Jewish community,” she said. “Cohorts have always had a web of impact, but this is the first time they’ve made a targeted effort with community organizations to move the needle on how the Jewish community as a whole can make a meaningful commitment to the work of social change.”
Rather than focusing mainly on engaging and educating the Avodah cohorts, the focus went to providing virtual and socially-distanced events for our Jewish community. In September, Avodah hosted “Becoming an Anti-Racist Jewish Community,” co-sponsored by JCRB|AJC Kansas City and Jewish Vocational Service. The event featured a panel that discussed racism, implicit biases and what it means to be an anti-racist and an ally to African American/Black communities.
Avodah also organized “Dividing Lines: A History of Segregation in KC,” a caravan driving tour through the city, and met virtually with Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. He spoke about the history of the Negro leagues in general and in Kansas City, and the way that sports have been a catalyst for social change when athletes use their power or fame to spotlight social issues.
Avodah also continued its Read & Repair family book club, a joint program with The J. The 10 participating families meet virtually each month to discuss books on racial justice.
Coming Feb. 4, Avodah and JVS will co-host a virtual event featuring Kansas City native Jonathan Metzl, a Jewish professor at Vanderbilt. He and Dan Margolies, KCUR senior reporter and editor and Metzl’s childhood friend, will discuss Metzl’s new book, “Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing America’s Heartland.” Metlz interviewed people in Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee (where Vanderbilt is located) for his book, examining the consequences of some right-wing policies for the populations they claim to help.
“It’s important to have this conversation about racism in the Midwest specifically,” Ravis Furey said, adding that she hopes Metzl will also discuss the history of the Jewish community here in Kansas City.
Ravis Furey is also exploring opportunities to bring Avodah’s workshops and curriculum to Jewish agencies throughout Kansas City. For example, there’s potential for Avodah to partner with Jewish Family Services volunteers and train them on the root cause of poverty and hunger, so they can gain a deeper understanding of it.
Although Avodah has focused more on engaging the broader Jewish community this past year, it still prioritized bringing together the existing community of Avodah alumni. They gathered virtually for Shabbats and local and national Hanukkah celebrations. In the summer, they held socially distanced get-togethers in people’s backyards.
Ravis Furey said the Avodah alumni have stepped up to find opportunities for gatherings and learning opportunities, including participating in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day march in Kansas City and getting together to help paint the city’s Black Lives Matter street murals. Avodah alum Amy Oberstein-Allen presented a virtual session about Never Again Action and the work it does locally and nationally to fight against anti-immigration policies.
Avodah’s virtual and socially-distanced events will continue through August (the end of Avodah’s fiscal year). After that, Ravis Furey said, they will evaluate the current situation and decide whether to gather a new fellowship cohort or possibly do a hybrid of the fellowship and community events.
No matter the direction Avodah decides to go, it will continue to focus on its mission of inspiring Jewish leaders to commit to a life of social change, promoting a vision of Jewish life rooted in justice, and engaging the broader Jewish community in some of the most pressing issues facing the country at a local and national level.
“Avodah will always work to deepen the Kansas City Jewish community’s engagement with social justice as a Jewish value, and building a vibrant Jewish social justice community,” Ravis Furey said.
