L’taken social justice seminar
washington D.C.
Join us in Washington, D.C. for a fast-paced, informative and meaningful weekend with teens from coast-to-coast to learn about the Jewish imperative for justice. Students spend the weekend learning about major social justice issues through a Jewish lens, culminating on Monday when everyone heads to Capitol Hill to lobby their representatives in Congress on an issue of their choice.
You can learn more about L’taken on the Religious Action Center website.
Who can participate?
Registration is now open to teens from the MetroWest area in grades 11-12. Many teens participate in L’taken year after year, so if you participated in the past – you are still very welcome!
What’s included in the program?
The L’taken Seminar will take place on Friday-Monday, January 26-29, 2024. We will fly out of Logan Friday morning, and return Monday evening. Leading up to the seminar, participants will take part in a series of preparatory sessions, starting in November. The exact dates of these sessions will be posted soon.
How much does it cost?
While the final cost could slightly vary, the estimate is $600 for affiliated / $750 for unaffiliated, including flights, accommodation, and seminar fees.
If you’re interested to learn more, please reach out to Shoni Aronovich
Registration
Registration for the seminar has two steps:
> Filling out the application on the RAC website. When registering, make sure to select J-LOFT as your organization (and not the synagogue might belong to)
> Submitting the payment to J-LOFT.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2023
New Orleans
Service Trip
J-LOFT is excited to offer it’s second annual Service Trip to New Orleans – and we’d love for you to join!
When?
The trip will take place over spring break – April 14-19, 2024
Who can participate?
Registration is now open to teens from the MetroWest area in grades 8-9. We are also looking for several parent chaperons.
What’s included in the trip?
We will work hard and play hard. During the day we will work together with YRNO on one (or several) of their current renovation projects. Specific work can vary from painting, building house frames, cleaning debris, and other tasks.
How much does it cost?
The overall cost of the trip for, including flights, accommodation, ground transpiration and food is $750 per participant, and $500 per adult chaperon. For families not affiliated with one of the partnering synagogues, there is an addition $200 fee. This cost includes the Monthly Meetup fee. Fees will go up after January 1st.
What would a day in New Orleans look like?
While not every day will be exactly the same, here’s a sample itinerary:
7:00 – 7:30 AM Breakfast
7:30 – 7:45 Prepare brown bag lunches and prepare for day of work
7:45 – 8:00 Orientation to the day
8:00 – 8:30 Travel to worksite
8:30 – 12:00 AM work session
12:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch (can include lunch and learn opportunities)
1:00 – 3:30 PM work session
5:00 – 6:00 Clean up, relax, dinner preparation
6:00 – 7:00 Dinner including debrief of day
7:00 – Evening activity
What are the evening activities?
We wish we could fit all of these in one week, but we will definitely visit some of the following:
– Jazz music at Snug Harbor
– Walking along Mississippi Riverwalk (including Holocaust Memorial)
– Thursday night Cajun night at Rock n’ Bowl
– National World War II Museum
– Tour of Tulane University
– Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience
– Walking tour of French Quarter and Market
– Jazz boat tour on the Mississippi
– Tour of 9 the Ward and Hurricane Katrina memorial
– Beignets at Café du Monde (or other locations)
– Tour of NOLA Convention Center
Who is organizing the trip?
The trip is organized by J-LOFT and Volunteer Ventures of Massachusetts. In NOLA, we will partner with the local organization – Youth Rebuilding New Orleans – which will provide us with the accommodation, training, supervision, and job assignments.
If you’re interested to learn more, please reach out to Shoni Aronovich or Barry Glass.
Registration
Early-Bird DEADLINE IS MONDAY, January 1, 2024
Wilderness Experience
Students in grades 8 and 9 are invited to join us for a serene, fun-filled, and outdoor adventure this coming May!
We will embark on a three day wilderness experience, including hiking, camping, and a very special Shabbat experience outdoors.
This will be the culminating experience of our 8th and 9th grade Earth Judaism class, which will be taught as part of our Monthly Meetups, by Rabbi Allen and Aki Yonekawa.
The trip will be held on Friday-Sunday, May 31-June 2. The cost of the program is $400 for teens affiliated with one our partnering synagogues, and $550 for those unaffiliated. This cost includes the Monthly Meetup fee. Fees will go up after January 1st.
The location of the trip will be determined in the early spring, but it will be within a 2-hour drive from MetroWest. Participating students will be asked to miss school on Friday.
If you’re interested to learn more, please reach out to Shoni Aronovich.
Registration
Early-Bird DEADLINE IS MONDAY, January 1, 2024
MetroWest MLK
Day of service
Thank YOU to all our volunteers who participated in the 2023 MetroWest
MLK Day of Service!
Thanks to each and every one of you, whether you participated in-person or with a kit, we were able to meet the goals of making 150 banana breads, 95 lasagnas, 80 soup jars, nearly 100 Stars of Hope and more than a dozen desks!
Your valuable time and efforts have provided support for the following organizations:
Harmony Grove Elementary School
SMOC (South Middlesex Opportunity Council)
Pearl Street Homeless Shelter
Clinton House Shelter
Pathways Shelter
Gordon Street Shelter
Sudbury Community Food Pantry
New Hope Inc.
Father Bill’s & MainSpring