Hi everyone! My name is Alissa Berman (she/her), and I am so excited to work as JCUA’s Avodah Organizer this year.

I grew up right outside of Seattle, Washington with my two parents, a younger sibling, and many, many pets. From a young age, my parents encouraged me to explore the importance of social justice at our synagogue, Temple Beth Am. I learned to embrace the deep ties between Judaism, caring for others, and progressive social movements. I began organizing in Seattle, first with March For Our Lives in 2018 and later with Black Lives Matter in 2020. Through these experiences, I learned that it is only possible to build powerful communities alongside other people.

I took this passion with me to Whitman College, where I studied anthropology. At Whitman, I worked as a writing tutor, a tour guide, ran an arts and writing magazine, and worked with various student organizing movements aiming to reduce school oppression of student organizers. These experiences taught me that strong relationships are a prerequisite for organizing, and that being part of a community is always important political work.

While I enjoyed my time at Whitman and learned so much from my organizing and leadership experiences, I lacked a strong Jewish community. This led me to Avodah and, more specifically, to JCUA. Here, I will continue to develop my community organizing skills, connecting with Chicago’s strong Jewish organizing tradition. Working with others who ground their work in Jewish values will be a valuable experience that I expect will both push me to grow and affirm my core values.

When I’m not at work, I love to go to concerts, try new recipes, spend time with my favorite people, and get to know my new city.

Please reach out to me at alissa@jcua.org if you’d like to chat! I am looking forward to meeting JCUA’s wonderful members and discovering who makes this such an extraordinary organization.