What happens when Jewish communal professionals step outside their usual, familiar spheres and immerse themselves in a reality that challenges and expands their understanding of Jewish global responsibility? That was the question we set out to answer during OLAM’s recent InterACT Global Study Trip to Rwanda.

OLAM is a network of Jewish and Israeli organizations working in international development, humanitarian aid and global service. As part of our strategy to equip Jewish leaders with the tools to mobilize their communities on behalf of the world’s most vulnerable people, we bring Jewish communal professionals on immersive study trips to developing countries to expose them to powerful examples of ethical global service in action.

On our fourth such trip earlier this year, we brought a diverse cohort of North American Jewish professionals to the East African country, including members of the Jewish Service Alliance, powered by Repair the World, and alumni of the Wexner Field Fellowship. Through site visits, encounters with Jewish and Israeli development and aid organizations, meetings with short- and long-term volunteers serving in the field through partners such as JDC Entwine, we explored the deep growing ties between Rwandan civil society, Israel and the global Jewish community.

We met local changemakers rebuilding their country in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, through efforts focused on female empowerment, food security initiatives, vocational training, and education. And we witnessed how Jewish values are being translated into action through our partners’ work on the ground.

Reimagining responsibility... Continue reading

Naomi Lipstein is the Communications Manager of OLAM. This opinion piece was originally published in eJewishPhilanthropy, on June 5, 2025. The above excerpt has been reprinted with permission.