We are especially excited about this year’s General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America and its focus on service. In addition to breakout sessions on tikkun olam (repairing the world), social justice and the power of volunteerism, the three-day event features a historic Day of Service, planned in conjunction with Repair the World and during which thousands of GA participants will roll up their sleeves and engage in Jewish service.

According to the GA website:

“GA participants will be able to choose from three types of volunteer activities: off-site volunteer opportunities, service-learning site visits, and on-site volunteer opportunities. Sample volunteer experiences include helping to finish homes, maintain parkland and pack school supplies for students in the New Orleans schools. Some participants will have the opportunity for site visits to many of the community’s nonprofits to meet with local residents and tour the Lower Ninth Ward.”

Check out this video about the GA Day of Service, prepared by Repair the World:

embedded by Embedded Video

No better place to get hands-on with service than in New Orleans, on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. We’ve got several team members on the ground there who will busy attending, participating in and moderating panels, plenaries and schmooze sessions—oh my! So where might you find Sandy, Lisa, Adam and Rachel? All the over place, to be sure, but here are a few surefire spots:

Sunday, November 7

• AJCOP/JCSA/WCJCS SEMINAR & Dessert Reception, where David Cygielman, CEO of Moishe House will receive the 2010 JCSA Young Professional Award.
• The Big EASY: A Jewish Teen Summit on the Environment This three-day summit is bringing 82 teens to participate in service and advocacy training at the GA. The teens will also have the unique opportunity to join learning sessions, the opening plenary, the Volunteer NOLA experience, the GA’s New Orleans Celebration, and to see Vice President Joe Biden and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Monday, November 8

• 4:00-5:30 pm: Volunteering Through Disaster: How Jewish Volunteerism has changed over the past 5 years Lisa will be moderating this panel featuring Ruth Messinger of AJWS. The conversation will center around how a culture of volunteerism has evolved in response to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.
• 6:30-8:30 pm: NOLAISM: New Orleans Innovation and Social Media Schmooze-Up Together with ROI and DarimOnline, we are hosting a gathering for the social media savvy, innovator populations to do what they do best: network!

Tuesday, November 9

• 4:00-5:30 pm: Where Have All the Young Men Gone? This breakout session will cover the new Moving Traditions report, Engaging Jewish Teenage Boys: A Call to Action. The discussion will center around strategies for reversing the trend of teenage boys dropping out of Jewish life after their bar mitzvahs.

Updates

• In case you missed it, read VP Joe Biden had to say during his plenary address about U.S. support for Israel.
• See videos from the GA.