Tzedek League is a community service program that empowers Jewish teens to design and lead volunteer initiatives for younger students preparing for their B-Mitzvah.
Founded by Danielle Boodman & Ethan Nevarez (Moving Traditions’ Kumi alums); incubated at Congregation Beth Israel; and now a Moving Traditions pilot program.
How It Works
- Teens lead. High schoolers design their service programs around causes they care about.
- They partner with nonprofits. Each program teams up with a local organization aligned with that cause.
- B-Mitzvah students participate. Middle schoolers join these teen-led events as part of their B-Mitzvah journey.
- Every event closes with reflection. A Meaningful Closing Circle connects the day’s service back to Jewish values.
- Leaders mentor leaders. Experienced teens train the next generation to keep each chapter running.
- The model grows. Started at one synagogue, now expanding chapter by chapter.
Bring Tzedek League to Your Community
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“Tzedek League has helped so many of our teens connect with the concept of tikkun olam in ways that are deeply meaningful to them. Through teen-led social action, it has fostered a culture of service, leadership, and the integration of Jewish values into everyday life in a way that truly resonates with young people.
I could not be prouder of this program and everyone who has made it what it is, from the visionary founding teens to the participants and initiative leaders who continue to inspire positive change in our community. Tzedek League is a powerful example of what teens can accomplish when they are empowered to lead with purpose and compassion.”
– Rose Orlovich, Congregation Beth Israel Supervisor and Tzedek League’s Director of Education
Tzedek League Impact
Since Tzedek League launched in May 2023, teen Initiative Leaders have:
- Designed and run 40 volunteer programs
- Engaged 750 volunteers
- Logged 1,500 collective service hours
- Served 2,700 meals at Father Joe’s Villages
What that looked like: 108 bourekas, 86 lasagnas, 126 cookies, and 26 granola bars baked for care packages. 140 letters and 20 bracelets for kids learning to read and write, and 52 more letters to children in Sha’ar HaNegev. 100 Blessing Bags made for people experiencing homelessness, and 20 care packages created for women at Rachel’s Women’s Center. 15 blankets donated for children in foster care, 18 dog toys made for Habitat for Humanity, and one quilt donated to residents of Seacrest Village.
“Tzedek League has not only helped me branch out as a leader but has helped my temple’s congregation thrive and deepen connections with one another. At my synagogue, I have noticed future b-mitzvah students excited to volunteer and give back to their communities because of Tzedek League. Overall, Tzedek League has provided opportunities for my community to expand relationships and help give back to neighboring areas.”
– Katie Stern, Temple Ramat Zion League Leader
About the Teen Founder
Danielle Boodman is the co-founder and liaison of Tzedek League and a student at UCLA. Her inspiration for Tzedek League began with a visit to Dachau, where she was struck by the unsettling proximity of an ordinary neighborhood to a former death camp—and haunted by the question of why so many who witnessed the atrocities remained silent. That experience, combined with her time as a Kumi Fellow, deepened her conviction that Jewish values must be lived, not just held. When she noticed that the B’nai Mitzvah tradition of meaningful service projects had nearly vanished from her synagogue in the years following COVID, she set out to change it.
That vision became Tzedek League, a teen-led service initiative incubated at Congregation Beth Israel and now adopted by Moving Traditions as one of our pilot programs. A Bronfman Fellow and recipient of the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award for founding Tzedek League, Danielle believes that meaningful intention, impactful action, and thoughtful reflection are a powerful force not just for affecting lasting change, but for nurturing the next generation of changemakers.
“My deeper mission is helping teens see service as part of who they are, not just something to check off a list,” says Danielle.