New Lands, New Perspectives
Melanie Rivkin
ENP Intern
MASA Teaching Fellow in Ashdod
Before coming to Ashdod, Israel this year, I had recently completed the Repair the World: Pittsburgh fellowship, a program dedicated to mobilizing volunteers in urban communities, specifically those between the ages of 18-35. I volunteered with East End Cooperative Ministries (EECM), a non-profit organization that has served the city’s East End neighborhoods through programs in food access, education, housing, and employment since the 1970s. EECM is located in my former neighborhood, East Liberty, in Pittsburgh. Despite its status as a mixed-income and multiracial neighborhood, there are still many socioeconomic divides between East Liberty’s residents. EECM provided me with the opportunity to directly give back to my former community, to get to know my neighbors and to bridge gaps between us.
Although I am less familiar with community structures in Israel, Ethiopian Jewry contains a culture that I have always been fascinated by, curious about, and interested in being a part of. As a new resident of Ashdod this year, I want to be able to open up to my neighbors, to get to learn new traditions and cultures, and to give back from my own skills and experiences in return. I’m really excited to be working over the next months with the Ethiopian National Project in Ashdod and on social media projects for the organization.
I’m looking forward to the next 7 months with ENP and to connect further with the community!
ENP Intern
MASA Teaching Fellow in Ashdod
Before coming to Ashdod, Israel this year, I had recently completed the Repair the World: Pittsburgh fellowship, a program dedicated to mobilizing volunteers in urban communities, specifically those between the ages of 18-35. I volunteered with East End Cooperative Ministries (EECM), a non-profit organization that has served the city’s East End neighborhoods through programs in food access, education, housing, and employment since the 1970s. EECM is located in my former neighborhood, East Liberty, in Pittsburgh. Despite its status as a mixed-income and multiracial neighborhood, there are still many socioeconomic divides between East Liberty’s residents. EECM provided me with the opportunity to directly give back to my former community, to get to know my neighbors and to bridge gaps between us.
Although I am less familiar with community structures in Israel, Ethiopian Jewry contains a culture that I have always been fascinated by, curious about, and interested in being a part of. As a new resident of Ashdod this year, I want to be able to open up to my neighbors, to get to learn new traditions and cultures, and to give back from my own skills and experiences in return. I’m really excited to be working over the next months with the Ethiopian National Project in Ashdod and on social media projects for the organization.
I’m looking forward to the next 7 months with ENP and to connect further with the community!
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