Professional development is a vital part of employee life at Moishe House, and team members Jessica Herrmann and Zina Segal had the opportunity to spend five days learning about Rwandan society, exploring models of global Jewish service, and engaging in discussions around global Jewish responsibility as part of a study trip hosted by the Jewish Service Alliance (JSA) and powered by Repair the World. From January 17 to 22,Herrmann, Moishe House’s Director of Jewish Service Learning, and Segal, Moishe House’s Sr. Director of Jewish Education, joined a cohort of OLAM partners –Jewish professionals from Hillel International, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, Moishe House, Northwestern Hillel, Foundation for Jewish Camp, The Bronfman Fellowship. Now, the group is charged with identifying ways to incorporate the lessons they learned into their own organizations. “I am greatly appreciative of Moishe House and the Jewish Service Alliance for the chance to join the JSA Study Trip to Rwanda. This trip was an opportunity to dive deep into what “all of Israel is responsible to one another (Talmud Shevuot 39a 22)” truly means. It was exciting to explore global vs local service, the relationship between the two, and how to connect the two,” Herrmann said.  

“During our trip we spent the bulk of our time learning from Rwanda’s example of how to build a culture grounded in service. I am eager to bring back my learnings plus new relationships to help amplify and inform Moishe House’s Tikkun Olam programs.”  – Jessica Herrmann  

Segal also shared her excitement about joining the cohort. “I was born in Russia, during the time when my country was receiving humanitarian aid from both Jewish and non-Jewish organizations. Now, I’m honored to be part of Moishe House – an international organization operating in 30 countries. Ideas of global service and global responsibility play a big role in how we at Moishe House develop and implement our programs.

“Learning together with a group of like-minded colleagues from other Jewish Service Alliance partners was an amazing opportunity to and gain the skills and knowledge to embed best practices into service programs and get to know Rwanda. We also increased our knowledge about some of the world’s most pressing issues and expanded our toolboxes to be able t0 show constituents the connection between their Jewish identities and the global issues.” –  Zina Segal

OLAM is a network of 65+ Jewish and Israeli organizations working in the fields of global service, international development, and humanitarian aid. Inspired by Jewish values and committed to high ethical standards, OLAM convenes and mobilizes leaders and organizations to take meaningful action in support of the world’s most vulnerable people, in order to foster a more just and compassionate world for all. (Source: olamtogether.org).