Social Responsibility

Tzedek B’Mitzvah Fellowship

Ages 11-13

The EDCJCC’s Tzedek B’Mitzvah Fellowship is here to facilitate the process of a mitzvah project in a fun, engaging, and stress-free way!

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Overview

Organizing a bar/bat mitzvah is always exciting, sometimes stressful, and usually a ton of work.

An important component of your teen’s journey to Jewish adulthood is a mitzvah project to connect their emerging Jewish identity to Judaism’s call to serve others. The EDCJCC’s Tzedek B’Mitzvah Fellowship is here to facilitate that process for you in a fun, engaging, and stress-free way!

Through this 5-month fellowship, teens will engage in hands-on volunteering at organizations around the DC area, learn about systems of inequality and avenues for advocacy, and build friendships with their cohort. They will finish the fellowship with a greater understanding of equity issues in our community, Jewish teachings around service and social justice, and how they can use their own personal strengths and passions to engage in changemaking beyond their bar/bat mitzvahs. Participants can receive SSL hours for each volunteer project.

The fellowship experience also includes 2 optional personal mentorship sessions with a staff member from the EDCJCC’s Center for Social Responsibility for teens who wish to construct mitzvah projects beyond the fellowship experience and/or to connect the fellowship to their specific bar/bat mitzvah learning.

The cost of the 2027 fellowship is $330/person.

If the cost of this program presents a barrier to participation, if your child needs accommodations that you would like to discuss prior to registering, or if you have any additional questions, please email Lyssa at ajellenik@edcjcc.org.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Teens ages 11-13 who are on their bar/bat mitzvah journey.

The dates for this year’s fellowship are Sunday afternoons, January 10, February 7, March 14, April 11, and May 16.

January and May sessions will be held at the EDCJCC. All other sessions will be held at service sites located in the Washington, DC metro area; please note that transportation will not be provided to sites.

Participants and parents/guardians will receive a detailed information packet before the first session

We encourage everyone to participate in all five sessions but understand that conflicts come up. If your child will miss more than 2 of the sessions, this may not be the right program and we are happy to discuss how else we can support you and your teen on their b’mitzvah project.

Registration will open on August 1 for the 2027 cohort!

If you have any questions, please email Lyssa Jellenik at ajellenik@edcjcc.org.