The American Jewish Society for Service links social conscience to Jewish consciousness, engaging teenagers in acts of tikkun olam—repairing the world—one house, one park, one community center at a time.

The mission of the AJSS is to build Jewish leaders. Our summer program inspires teens to put their Jewish values into action as they provide significant service to communities in need.

In 2007, AJSS led two very exciting projects. Habitat for Humanity of Pulaski County hosted our first-ever project in Arkansas. Over the course of the six weeks, we worked on five houses in various stages of construction ranging from building a porch and blocking in walls to framing and roofing. Several of the homes were being built for Hurricane Katrina evacuees now making their home in the Little Rock area.

The Appalachia Service Project of Johnson City, Tennessee, hosted a dedicated group of AJSS volunteers this summer. Here, our volunteers learned how to handle everything from hammers and paint brushes to shovels and weed whackers as they tackled roof repairs, shored up a foundation, dug a 100-foot trench to connect a house to water, put down a kitchen floor, replaced gutters and provided other needed home rehabilitation for the owners.

With both projects our volunteers had the opportunity to work side-by-side with homeowners, always one of the most rewarding aspects of an AJSS summer experience.

Click here to read more about our 2007 projects.