As we are beginning 2025, and it’s just days after commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy of service, we are reminded of a profound partnership that exemplified the universal power of working toward justice and healing. Dr. King and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the most influential Jewish theologians of the 20th century, forged a remarkable friendship built on their shared vision of social justice and human dignity. When Rabbi Heschel marched alongside Dr. King from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965, he famously remarked, “I felt my legs were praying.” This powerful metaphor reminds us that service to others is not just an action—it’s a form of sacred work.
Like prayer, the act of serving others transforms both the giver and receiver. January often brings familiar resolutions focused on personal improvement losing weight, breaking bad habits, or advancing careers. What if we expanded our vision of self-improvement to include uplifting others? What if our measure of success wasn’t counted in pounds lost or dollars earned, but in lives touched and communities strengthened?
At Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS), we witness this transformative power of service daily through our remarkable volunteers. In Fiscal Year 2024, over 200 active volunteers contributed an astounding 14,343 hours, valued at $509,185, to support our community. But these numbers tell only part of the story. The true value lies in the connections forged, the dignity restored, and the hope rekindled.
Our volunteers–a diverse tapestry of students, professionals, parents, retirees, and veterans–share their time and talents in countless ways. They stock the shelves of our Betsy & Peter Fischer Food Pantry, support survivors of domestic violence in our SARAH (Stop Abusive Relationships At Home) Support group, deliver meals to Holocaust Survivors, engage with members of our TOPS (To Our Positive Success) Day Habilitation Program, and accompany veterans and seniors to medical appointments. Each act of service, no matter how small, helps repair the fractures that life sometimes creates for members of our community.
The impact of volunteering flows in both directions. While our clients benefit immensely from our volunteers’ dedication, the volunteers themselves often discover something profound: that through the act of giving, they receive something immeasurable in return.
As we honor Dr. King’s legacy and embrace the Jewish tradition of Tikkun Olam–repairing the world–we invite you to join us in making service a cornerstone of your life’s journey in 2025. Whether through JFCS, another agency within the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey system, or any number of worthy organizations in South Jersey, your commitment to service can create ripples of positive change that will extend far beyond yourself.
To explore volunteering opportunities with JFCS, please contact us at (856) 424-1333, ext. 1451 or jfcsvolunteer@jfedsnj.org
You can also meet our staff and volunteers at Jewish Federation’s Super Sunday and Community Mitzvah Day on Sunday, Feb. 2 at the Katz JCC. To learn about all the meaningful service opportunities available through the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey and its family of agencies, visit jewishsouthjersey.org/volunteer or scan the QR Code accompanying this article.
Remember, as Dr. King said, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” You don’t have to change your life to volunteer, but volunteering just might change your life.