Leadership Opportunities in the Jewish Community

There are so many incredible opportunities for people to get more involved in different spaces and places throughout the Jewish community. While every opportunity is not best-suited for everyone, we wanted to compile a list so that you can get a sense of the range of ways to plug in to different offerings, depending on your interests, skills, and availability.

There are also many ways to define leadership. You might want to apply for a formal role, like a position on a board or a committee. You could get started by attending a community’s regular gatherings, like regular Shabbat services, to see if it’s a fit for you. Then, look around and see where that organization might need specific help or support.

Or, you may detect a gap in the landscape, something that’s missing that you want to create, like an independent minyan or a WhatsApp group to communicate around a shared interest. You might decide to start small, by hosting friends in your living room for a Jewish book club, and then continue with more regular gatherings. 

I’ve seen first-hand how becoming involved in some kind of ‘leadership’ opportunity leads to deeper connections with others, a sense of investment where I live, and a feeling of belonging. If you’re unsure or overwhelmed by the options or want to talk more about what leadership would mean to you, we’d love to take you to coffee and chat more.

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What follows is not meant to be an exhaustive list, and we’ll be updating it frequently. Thanks so much to our community partners who contributed to these opportunities.

If you’re aware of a leadership opportunity that should be included on this list, we’d love to hear about it! Just email us at info@gatherbay.org with a one-sentence description and a link if relevant — we’ll update this post as we receive more.

As of 12.3.24

Synagogue-based opportunities

• Congregation Emanu-El, a Reform synagogue in San Francisco, hosts a number of events for young adults. You could check out their Late Shabbat or another event, and then see if you’d like to get more involved or join their board.
• The Kitchen Social Club is the 20s and 30s-ish group at The Kitchen, a synagogue without walls in San Francisco. You don’t need to be a member to attend their events, and if you’re interested to get more involved, they also have a board. Reach out to kayla@thekitchensf.org to learn more.
• Chochmat HaLev, a Renewal synagogue in Berkeley, has a number of opportunities to join working groups including committees for Programming, Community Weaving, Finance, and High Holy Days. You need to be a member (or intending to join) to get involved in this way. Reach out to Brittany Berman, brittany@chochmat.org to learn more.

Other community organizations

• The Jewish Family & Children’s Services (JFCS) of San Francisco has their Young Adult Community Connection programs that are drop-in and give a feel for their work. Then you might explore their fellowships, councils, donor circle, and other opportunities. 
• Become a host through OneTable and spread the Shabbat dinner love! You’ll be provided with some financial support as well as other resources to host folks for Friday night dinner. Apply to be a host or explore local dinners in the Bay Area.
• Become a Moishe House Without Walls host and create programs for your community members and friends. If you don’t want to become a full-on resident, this is a great place to start. You could also host your own retreat by attending Retreatology and then applying for a grant.
• JDC Entwine, which is “building a generation of young  Jews who lead and live a life of action with global Jewish responsibility at its core” has a number of opportunities, such as being a trip lead, joining an action group, or serving in their Community Representatives program if you’ve already been on a trip. Explore options here or reach out to Tova Ricardo, tovari@jdc.org. 
• JLeaders, “impactful leadership development illuminated by Jewish wisdom,” has a number of opportunities to lead, learn, and build skills through their JMentors program, JLeaders Academy, and other programs. You can even get matched to join a Jewish nonprofit board through their JBoard Match program.
• Repair the World has both a multi-month Service Corps to learn and give back with a community of other young adults, as well as a Service Ambassadors program for folks to lead Jewish volunteer programs.
• If you’re called to contribute financially, there are a number of giving circles and philanthropic opportunities available through the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation. The Young Jewish Fund and the Pride Fund, in particular, are open to young adults.
• Shevet, the Jewish mindfulness collective, meets weekly on Wednesday evenings at homes and parks around the East Bay. Sign up to host or lead a meditation!

Informal and time-specific opportunities

There are also a number of WhatsApp groups—from ones affiliated with a specific synagogue or group like SFBad Jews and Bay Area Tribe, to more informal ones based around a shared interest or location, like Mountain Jews in the South Bay. Feel free to reach out to us to learn more, and we can connect you to the right folks. Or, you could start your own group!

We frequently include fellowship opportunities in our newsletter, especially for things that have a specific application window. To make sure you’re in the loop, subscribe to our newsletter here — we send it every other Wednesday.

Finally, there are tons of other organizations (both staff-led and volunteer-run) listed in our Resource Guide that might need your support , like Base Bay and Minyan Dafna. You could start by showing up early to set up chairs or stay late to clean up—and then keep showing up to see where your time, talent, and energy would be best-suited.

As always, the Jewish landscape in the San Francisco Bay Area is evolving, and our team is keeping tabs on new opportunities! You can always reach out to us to learn more and start a conversation: info@gatherbay.org.