Repair and Relevance

July 31, 2017 Alan Feiler, Editor-in-Chief

Grace Santandreu and Alexander Prog get their social justice on at a Repair the World Clean up event.

Repair the World: Baltimore taps into millennials’ desire to find meaningful community service opportunities.

On a busy, gritty stretch of Eastern Avenue in Highlandtown, a nondescript storefront bears a sign on its façade distinguishing the operation from the area’s myriad cellphone stores, bodegas and vape emporiums. The sign simply reads, Repair The World.

Diana Goldsmith and Josh Sherman say the mission of their group, Repair the World: Baltimore, is to stand out and make a difference.

“We try to show how community activism and religious traditions are still relevant,” says Sherman, then Goldsmith, his fellow program associate, adds, “This is a way where you can see how Jewish teachings are still meaningful to your life. It all doesn’t have to be institutionalized.”

Founded in 2013, Repair the World: Baltimore is overseen by Jewish Volunteer Connection, the volunteer branch of The Associated, while also part of the New York-based RTW nonprofit that engages millennials in service projects across the nation.

With between 300 and 400 volunteers, the local RTW coordinates 25 to 30 community service projects annually throughout the metropolitan region. “We don’t limit ourselves to any particular area,” says Goldsmith, 23, an Owings Mills native who lives in Charles Village. “We listen to our service partners about where there’s a need to help.”

Among the service partners are Meals on Wheels, Civic Works, Living Classrooms, Penn North Recovery and Moveable Feast. RTW Baltimore also partners frequently with the Moishe House and Charm City Tribe, a JCC initiative for millennials living in Baltimore.

Most of RTW Baltimore’s volunteers are college students or young professionals in their 20s and 30s who live in or near the city. “We’re a hyper-inclusive organization. We don’t check cards at the door,” Goldsmith says. “But our demographic has no problem coming into the city. … Baltimore is drawing people and the Jewish community is catching up on that.”

RTW Baltimore also offers an educational component; most of the volunteering events offer short talks about social justice, some of which are rooted in Jewish texts. Much of the program’s focus is on educational equity and food justice issues.

The group also hosts Shabbat dinners at its 3700 Eastern Ave. location and happy hour events, but always with social justice themes and activities. “We don’t just want people to come and do something and not learn,” Goldsmith says. “We want them to feel good but also grow from the experience.”

JVC Assistant Director Erica Bloom said RTW Baltimore has been highly effective in tapping into Jewish millennials’ penchant for altruistic endeavors. “The work they’re doing is deepening experience,” she says. “Someone walks away more aware of social issues and opportunities to take action. They’re building a community of like-minded people who care about the issues and want to help others.”

For Sherman, 25, who grew up in Baltimore’s Guilford-Oakenshawe area and now lives in Butchers Hill, working at RTW Baltimore has been transformational.

“It allows me to engage my peers in work the community feels is important,” he says. “We want people to feel a love for community and service and the city. I think there’s some shame in the Jewish community that we packed up and left [the city]. So we’re here to work hand in hand with the community and make things better. It’s amazing work.”

For information, visit jvcbaltimore.org/repairtheworld/.