There are many different Jewish organizations in Boston that serve a variety of needs within the Jewish community and one of the goals I had when I started the New Vilna Review is to highlight the vibrant and diverse nature of the Jewish community here.  While the work of some of these organizations is tailored specifically to the needs of Jews in the area, I am continually impressed by the work  of Jewish organizations which also help those in the broader community.

One example that comes to mind is Jewish Vocational Services, an organization I have written about before in the New Vilna Review.  The work that they are doing with immigrants and refugees is not only making a real difference in the lives of individuals and families, but helping to strengthen the community as a whole. It’s amazing to think that JVS was founded in 1938 with the goal of helping Jewish refugees and immigrants and that today, with much (but not all) of the Jewish community now feeling a greater sense of socio-economic security, it is a testament to the Jewish values that inform the work of this organization that it still exists to help empower others who face challenges similar to those that Jews were confronted by in early twentieth century in America.

JVS is also working hard to also continue to provide services to members of the Jewish community (as was highlighted in an NVR interview with JVS staff member Judy Sacks last week) but for me it is the work they are doing with people from distant lands who are struggling to make it in this country, to build a better life for themselves and their loved ones that really speaks to me as a Jew. 

-Daniel E. Levenson

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

The New Vilna Review