ABOUT NEFESH
Nefesh is a transdenominational Jewish spiritual community in the multicultural east side of Los Angeles. We welcome all the identities that make up who you are and who you love. We are an open doorway to the wisdom, ritual, and melodies of the Jewish tradition. A place to find and be found, whether it is for a meaningful Jewish experience or an ongoing commitment to a spiritual home. Nefesh is a new model of kiruv (outreach) and community building for urban Jewish renewal located in the ancestral homeland of the Tongva people.
We have a special focus on bringing the margins of Jewish life to the center by engaging in active outreach, radical inclusion, and building a diverse intergenerational community. We create a welcoming, inclusive, open-hearted Jewish community that specifically seeks out and draws in those who are seeking, and have not found, a spiritual and communal connection to Judaism. We are filled with music and enthusiasm, ecstatic and contemplative. We bring the breadth of expansive inclusion and the depth of the prayers, rituals, texts, stories, creativity, and customs of the Jewish people.
Nefesh is a middot driven community. We center the intersection between personal growth and systemic change. In Nefesh we hold four realms at once: personal growth and change, relational connection and growth, community support and growth, and the work of change and transformation in the world around us. Self, other, community, and world. We hold all four and do so grounded in social justice and tikkun olam.
OPPORTUNITY
Nefesh became an independent community in 2019 and has experienced incredible growth in its first six years. Nefesh is seeking a dedicated social justice organizer to join our team as the Tikkun Organizer to support the work of the Tikkun Collective and Nefesh’s social justice activism within the larger community and clergy team. Reporting to the Founding Rabbi, the Tikkun Organizer is expected to carry out recruitment, leadership development of Tikkun Collective members, and design and execute organizing programs aligned with key organizing areas identified by the Collective in conjunction with our justice and interfaith partners. The amount of time focused on each of these will vary based on both internal and partner organizing cycles.
- Current organizing projects and partnerships include:
- Interfaith
- Immigration Solidarity, Protective Presence, Rapid Response
- Direct Service: Food distribution, Laundry Love
- Campaign Support for LA Voice, CLUE, Dayenu, Bend the Arc
- Additional partnerships: NewGround, Echo Park Commons (Episcopal Diocese, Immaculate Heart Community), Los Angeles City and County-wide initiatives
- Community-centered
- Community Dialogues - Israel Palestine, Antisemitism
- Community Safety
- Other Organizing Partners and focus areas
- Human Rights: T’ruah, New Israel Fund, Gaza Soup Kitchen
- Life Without Parole Pen Pals
- Trans Rights Advocacy
- Environment: Dayenu
The Tikkun Organizer is a motivated individual who is deeply invested in the success and skill-building of lay leadership, a strong listener with high levels of emotional intelligence, collaborative, able to support multiple, often intersecting initiatives at once. The successful Tikkun Organizer will actively build relationships toward leadership development by identifying interests, competencies, and areas for growth, as well as cultivate the collective leadership and power of the lay-led team. They are responsible for executing their unique realm of work within the Tikkun Collective while also participating in community-wide initiatives and campaign-specific pushes at key moments.
SUMMARY
The Nefesh Tikkun Organizer:
- Demonstrates a disciplined focus on intentional leadership through 1:1 conversations and kiruv — identifying interests, values, potential leadership, and inviting community members into meaningful roles in the Tikkun Collective and the public arena.
- Recruits, develops, and supports community lay leaders to exercise power for social change through organization, and team structure development of the Tikkun Collective — listening, building relational power, identifying issues, training leaders, and organizing opportunities for actions and learning along-side our partners.
- Builds intentional relationships with new and existing partners: identifying interests and challenges.
- Develops the competencies of leader identification, team building and support, clergy engagement, supporting strategy and action of the community, and moving the Tikkun Collective into action.
- Integrate tikkun projects and campaigns with the spiritual wisdom traditions of the Jewish people.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
To include, but not limited to:
- Two to three 1:1’s a week to identify potential Tikkun Collective participants leaders, interests, values, and potential commitment
- Based on existing and new partnerships, organize sub-committees of the Tikkun Collective, each lead by two (2) lay leaders
- Convene and facilitate one Tikkun Collective meeting per month
- Plan at least two (2) trainings per year on effective organizing within a spiritual community: leadership, team building, mobilization and engagement, power analysis, coalitions and partnerships, storytelling, one-to-ones, etc.
- Develop others’ ability to teach the aforementioned skills to fellow volunteers.
- Activate lay leadership to liaise with partner organizations and coalitions toward shared goals; steward community relationships with long-time organizing partners
- Lead the Tikkun Collective in developing goals for the year based on the four realms and rooted in the middot, as well as a plan to achieve those goals, including the execution of campaigns and events in conjunction with partners
- Organize stand-alone events and program elements integrated into existing gatherings (services, e.g.) for lay leaders to share campaigns, volunteer opportunities, and personal justice work with the community
- Attend Friday night Shabbat services to connect with new and existing community members, share the work of the Tikkun Collective, and recruit lay leaders
- Attend services and gatherings at other strategic organizations for kiruv and recruitment
- Write one (1) Tikkun email per month describing current initiatives, upcoming events and volunteer opportunities, and ways to engage with the Tikkun work of the community
- Collaborate with clergy to ensure coordination across campaign work, prioritize engagement, and strategically activate spiritual leadership
- Track pressing issues, as well as associated volunteer opportunities for community members in response to emerging community needs
QUALIFICATIONS
- Minimum three (3) years professional experience in community organizing social justice work, preferably in faith-based contexts
- Driven and self-disciplined
- Group facilitation skills; track record that includes nurturing, managing, and guiding teams of people successfully toward shared goals
- Effective interpersonal and relational skills; self-reflective and hungry for growth
- Demonstrated success developing and leading organizing campaigns to win tangible benefits for the community.
- Commitment and track record of bridging across differences--including race, religious observance, and life experience--in order to nurture a team of belonging.
- CA driver’s license and access to a reliable automobile (with at minimum, liability insurance).
- Experience designing and facilitating meetings, trainings, and/or group gatherings that move people into action.
- Demonstrated ability to develop members into leaders taking on significant responsibility, and create systems for them to do so
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
- Time management - reflective and intentional about time
- Flexible - open to new ways of doing things and experimentation
- Reliable - follows through on what they said they are going to do
OTHER POSSIBLE QUALIFICATIONS
- Familiarity and experience working on issues of immigration, climate justice, mass incarceration and criminal justice, foster care, and housing and economic justice
- Familiarity with the middot, our deepest Jewish values, and knowledge of the spiritual basis (scriptural or otherwise) for the work of tikkun olam
- Experience organizing in Los Angeles County
- Experience with organizing and political education curriculum development
- Experience with public speaking
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Nefesh is a dynamic working environment in which duties and responsibilities may change. Employees are expected to be flexible and responsive to changes in the scope of their duties, as assigned. This job includes regular evening and some weekend work. This is a part time, hourly position currently at 20 hours a week. $35-$40 hourly rate, based on experience. Benefits include paid time off (accrued), paid holidays, Nefesh Kinship, and mentorship with experienced local and national organizers.
Nefesh is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), or any other basis protected by law.
Frequently cited statistics show that women, trans, and nonbinary people, and other structurally marginalized groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Nefesh encourages you to break that statistic and to apply. No one ever meets 100% of the qualifications.