(submitted and written by Jay D.)
Maybe it had something to do with all the talk of repairing the world in Hebrew school, or maybe it’s because that degree from a liberal arts college isn’t the most sought after prize on the job market these days?
Whatever the case go to anywhere a large number of JYA’s are going to be and see how fast you can complete the alphabet with all the acronyms thrown around. In fact, I might go as far to say that at any given time of the day there is a conversation going on between two Jews, in the prime of their lives, talking about their non-profit jobs.
Examples include (but not limited to) “I just left my bubbe off at the JHE, now Im going to the JCC to get a workout”.
“Oh you are from Canada? I met a bunch of people from UIAFC when I went on Birthright”.
“This is my friend he works at YJCL downtown with Adam.”
It would also be safe to say that Jewish philanthropy has maybe knocked good Jewish doctors and good Jewish lawyers off the list of great Jewish jobs. Got 200 bucks lying around? Start a non-profit. You will be in league with some pretty huge names, and your mother can say “my boy, the Jewish philanthopist”. The very idea that you run your own non-profit makes it seem like you have already made it, now you want to spread the wealth.
Gift giving to non profits is also pretty big. Don’t know what to get your girlfriends sister for her birthday? Maybe donate money in her name to a non-profit that helps set up weddings for Russian Jewish immigrants. No wait, that would involve marriage. So, maybe plant a tree in her name somewhere in Israel. That always works.
It also stretches out to events. No matter how bad the food is, no matter what time of the year, non-profits (specifically Jewish ones, of which there are thousands) love to throw events, and JYA’s love to attend them. Mostly to tell their friends they are going there to “shmooze”. Which is another topic entirely.
[...] Stuff Jewish Young Adults Like; #12 Non Profits [...]
They also like riding in Jewish Bike Rides that support environmental change — in Israel and in New York — and sponsoring their friends who ride:
http://www.israelride.org
http://www.newyorkride.org
[...] * אגב העבודה האמיתית שלי, תוכלו לקרוא עליה בעוד בלוג*** שמתאר את הגזע שלנו. [...]