Birthright tourists at Masada. File photo <\/p>\n
In college, all sorts of resources are accessible at your fingertips. You can create a club, join an organization, attend a rally or listen to a lecturer all so easily. Everything is right in front of you, catering to you and your peers until you leave. <\/p>\n
After graduation, that Shabbat dinner or afternoon bagel nosh isnt calling your name every week. <\/p>\n
Thats where young professional and young adult Jewish groups come into the picture. Numerous Jewish organizations in the city cater to 20-somethings, offering everything from hikes to networking events in the hopes of getting people involved in Judaism on their own terms now that the college environment isnt there to help. <\/p>\n
A lot of the time people are looking to connect, said Rabbi Mordechai Teller, program director of the Jewish young professional program Aish Ignite. People are looking for that next phase of life [post-college]. <\/p>\n
But transitioning into that next phase can be difficult. <\/p>\n
I felt like I wasnt as involved as I wanted to be. I was so wrapped up in [grad] school because it was so demanding of my time and energy, and it was hard to get involved, said Jacqueline Rafii, 27. I didnt like that I was out of the loop. I wasnt as passionate of an advocate [as before]. <\/p>\n
Rafii, who graduated from UCLA as an undergrad in 2009 and as a graduate student in 2013, missed the accessibility of Hillel and the students involved, so she found her way to Atid, a young adults organization for people ages 21 to 39 at Sinai Temple in Westwood. <\/p>\n
Thats the way Ive stayed connected to Judaism, she said. <\/p>\n
Aish is another organization that strives to create the opportunity for young adults to connect through activities such as weekly learning sessions with rabbis and Shabbat dinners. <\/p>\n
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You graduated, but your spirituality doesnt have to<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Birthright tourists at Masada. File photo In college, all sorts of resources are accessible at your fingertips. You can create a club, join an organization, attend a rally or listen to a lecturer all so easily. Continue reading