On Feb. 27, 50 Jewish young adults between ages 22 and 39 gathered at Congregation Shirat Hayam (CSH) in Swampscott. Natasha Tsaryuk, program generalist at Lappin Foundation, and Ben Dobrusin, CSH young adult and teen program coordinator, welcomed them as they entered, checking them in and pointing them toward the CSH social hall.

Inside, they chatted, nibbled snacks and tapped their feet to Israeli popular music. They were excited to participate in a brand new program co-partnered by Lappin Foundation and CSH called “Bake It Forward.” These young adults would spend the evening baking hamentashen that would become part of the mishloach manot bags the group would donate and pass out at Brudnick Center in Peabody.

The initiative’s goals are twofold: to create a stronger network of Youth to Israel Adventure (Y2I) alumni and other Jewish young adults seeking out community and connection, and to embrace the power of tikkun olam and the ability to give back on a personal level.

“The problem we’ve been seeing for decades is a slow degradation of congregational life,” said Dobrusin. He envisions “Bake It Forward” as a way to engage the current generation and keep them connected to both their heritage and their community by lowering the barrier of entry for young people who are feeling spiritually homeless.

“Come to shul, make baked goods for your neighbors in need, make lasting connections in this holy place and feel good about yourself while doing it. We really believe it’s that simple,” he added.

Tsaryuk wholeheartedly agrees. “There are so many opportunities for the kids, teens and tweens in our community to get together and volunteer/learn, but the space for post-college and young adulthood Jewish initiatives is lacking. Our goal is to bring back the excitement and embrace Jewish joy,” she said.

Judging from the demographics and dynamics of the crowd gathered in the social hall, there was also plenty of opportunity for good old-fashioned mingling.

Sophia Augusto, 28, of Lynn, attended because lately she’s been wanting to be more charitable and to express her Jewish identity, and baking hamentashen was the perfect way to do both. “It’s tough to find Jewish people my age. I know a lot of people here, but there are also a lot I don’t know,” she said.

Many, like 26-year-old Michael Neff of Lowell, are Y2I alumni. He heard about the event through word of mouth from a fellow Y2I alum who is very active in the local Jewish community. Although it’s been a few years since Neff participated in any Lappin Foundation events, he thought it would be a good way to get his foot back in the door, “pay it forward” and catch up with friends.

Devynn Fleming, 27, of Lowell, who came with Neff, has a Jewish brother-in-law. “I don’t know much about Judaism or Jewish foods. I thought it would be nice to get to know people in his community,” she said.

Ron Ben-David, a 33-year-old software engineer from Salem, moved to the U.S. from Israel six years ago. A friend of Dobrusin’s, he hoped to get to know more Jewish people in the community and to maybe avail himself of some “opportunities,” which he said with an endearing chuckle.

Participants travelled from 11 communities, including North Grafton, Wenham, Beverly, Marblehead, Swampscott, Boston, Lynn, Danvers, Lowell, Andover and Salem. Over and over, the refrain, “I haven’t seen you in years!” was heard. “There were so many friendships fostered and old friendships rekindled,” Tsaryuk noticed. “It was so exciting.”

Y2I is the cornerstone Lappin Foundation annual program that brings 100+ teens from the North Shore and Greater Boston areas to the land of Israel for a fun-filled, meaningful 10-day adventure across the country. Another goal of “Bake It Forward” is to create a stronger core and network of Y2I alumni and young professionals. Dobrusin hopes that, from this group, leaders who might want to become involved in other philanthropic, Jewish learning and social events may step forth.

In addition to the 50 bags distributed at Brudnick, there were enough extras for the volunteers to bring home both bags and dough to their families and friends to share the joy and mitzvah of Purim. “Bake It Forward” activities will take place monthly. The next event, on Thursday, March 27, from 7-9 p.m., will center on Peter Freudenberger’s famous babka (Peter’s wife, Sarah, is the cantor at CSH).

Although Tsaryuk admits it is a challenge to cater to the young adult population with a fun, enticing, meaningful event that is also social, she and Dobrusin are committed to continuing this initiative and to growing this small community of young people into one that engages regularly with Jewish holidays, philosophy and learning.

“In this time of social unrest and darkness descending onto the Jewish community, it is more important than ever to learn about the values that have maintained our culture for 3,500 years,” Dobrusin emphasized.

Email Natasha@LappinFoundation.org for more information about Lappin Foundation’s activities for young adults. For information about donating to Lappin Foundation, please visit lappinfoundation.org.

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