RespectAbility is Seeking Three Talented Jews with Disabilities Who Want to Work in Fundraising or Development
RespectAbility Apprentices and Staff
Los Angeles, CA, December 10 – RespectAbility is pleased to announce the opportunity for three talented Jews with disabilities to join the inaugural cohort of our Jewish Development Apprenticeship. This “earn-while-you-learn” opportunity builds on our many years of success training talented college graduates with disabilities to work in the nonprofit sector. Thanks in part to the generosity of the Jewish Venture Philanthropy Fund (JVPF), we have an opportunity to adapt this program to target the skills needed for working in the Jewish sector, and place our graduates with Los Angeles based and other Jewish nonprofits.
Apprentices will gain skills and experience while working alongside RespectAbility for the first part of their apprenticeship. They will then take these skills to a development placement at another Jewish nonprofit, where they will contribute to the mission while demonstrating their capability. Through their success, the Jewish community at large will see the capability of Jews with disabilities.
“RespectAbility will help create a strong training pipeline for Jewish development professionals with disabilities,” said Matan Koch, Vice President for Workforce, Leadership, and Faith Inclusion at RespectAbility. “Including LGBTQ Jews and Jews of Color is rightly seen as a matter of justice, and good for everyone, while including Jews with disabilities is still seen more as a matter of chesed, or kindness. When people see the talent in this program, they’ll know disability inclusion is also good for everyone.”
The grant comes as the field of Jewish disability inclusion searches for a new center of gravity after the announcement in September 2020 that the longtime leader, the Ruderman Family Foundation, would be seeking a new signature issue. It also comes after the release of a new study by Leading Edge that showed there are more than 800 people with disabilities currently working at Jewish organizations. However, the study also showed that more work is needed on providing disability accommodations at those organizations.
To apply to this apprenticeship program, email your resume and cover letter to BenS@RespectAbility.org and fill out our online application. Learn more about the Jewish Inclusion Apprenticeship program at our website.
