JVN Blog

Following the recent guest blog from David Chait, here’s our perspective on his Modern Open Orthodox Facebook group and the benefits of online communities in bringing people together for social action.

Here at JVN we are proud to promote volunteering through all avenues in the Jewish community. Faith based groups allow people to volunteer in an environment they find comfortable, within a level of religiosity they feel comfortable. Although this may seem divisive, these communities enable individuals to recognise the universality of volunteering. People can acknowledge the overarching values shared by all volunteers; a compassion and empathy for others and the desire to act on inequality in the world and cultivate social harmony. Therefore, these groups are a key starting point in bridging the gap between different faiths and different levels of religiosity.

‘Modern/Open Orthodox’ (MOO) is a Facebook group and online community created by David Chait in February 2012. The term ‘Open Orthodoxy’ was first conceived by Rabbi Avi Weiss in 1997, although the concept has been promoted by rabbis and Orthodox groups for over a century. It aims to synthesise Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law with the secular, modern world.

David’s aim with MOO was to help foster a more inclusive, caring and open type of Orthodoxy in the UK. Today, the Facebook group has over 1,700 members, across a wide range of ages. Social activism is an important part of David’s outlook, with the aim that members will consider and take action towards the different sections of the Jewish community that need progress. MOO also operates as a platform to promote volunteering, and many use the Facebook group to raise awareness about charities and post about volunteering opportunities and local events.

Volunteering groups online have made it even easier for communities to come together with a shared purpose, to spread the message about the benefits of volunteering. Technology has revolutionised the charity sector, promoting volunteering opportunities to a wide audience, with improved communication and efficiency. It also brings volunteering to a new audience, to those who may not have extensive amounts of time to give. ‘Help from Home’ is an organisation that promotes online microvolunteering opportunities, proving that a spare 10 seconds to 30 minutes is all you need to make a difference.

There are many perceived barriers to volunteering, however they only remain barriers if we assume that nothing can be done about them. There creation of MOO, microvolunteering and other initiatives make volunteering more accessible, more accommodating and easier than ever before. Volunteering satisfaction is very subjective. That is why we try to match volunteers to the perfect volunteering opportunity for them on a personal level according to their interests, skills and availability. It is about maximising the experience for the volunteer as well as the charity. Specialist projects, such as MOO, exist to add the personal dimension to volunteering, thus dispelling the myth that “volunteering is not for me.”

Therefore, take advantage of the tools available to find the type of volunteering that is right for you. This may be through an online volunteering service, communities on social media or simply from the hundreds of opportunities to choose from on the JVN website.