Shana Tova from ACCESS Atlanta
Adam Hirsch and Brendon Goldberg are ACCESS co-chairs.
5779 years isn’t too bad, but it’s time to kick it up a notch in the way we engage with the Jewish community as young professionals. ACCESS, the young professional division of American Jewish Committee, is providing Atlanta’s Jewish young leaders the opportunity to engage with local issues in Atlanta as well as issues facing global Jewry. Through various events and programs during the year, we engage with the difficult subjects facing our community without losing sight of the social bonds that bind us together and connect us with our partner communities.
One of our first events of this new year will be to host a dinner with Mohamed Abubakr (founder of The African Middle Eastern Leadership Project) for young Jewish and Muslim leaders. Creating these kinds of connections is crucial to building a community of educated young professionals with diverse networks. As we continue to grow together, it is imperative that we take the time to learn about what is important to each other, not just in Atlanta, but in Africa and the Middle East.
Looking ahead to January, ACCESS will be holding our 2nd annual Advocacy Accelerator, an initiative that will jump-start young professionals to mobilize around issues facing our community. By focusing on anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and racism in Atlanta, we will be better-suited to combat them. The timing of the program, at the beginning of the legislative session, will provide the participants an opportunity to take their advocacy directly to the decision makers in our state.
An ACCESS year is not complete without the annual Young Professionals Night of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. This event is a highlight of the Atlanta young professionals calendar, bringing together more than 400 people from 20 different community organizations. Film is a great way to engage in dialogue, and this event is one of the best the community has to offer!
These three events are only a small sampling of the types of opportunities that we provide throughout the year, and only represent what ACCESS does locally. Part of what makes ACCESS so unique is the global network that our members are a part of, and the opportunity to strengthen those connections at our annual AJC Global Forum in Washington, D.C. This conference offers a unique track for young professionals from around the world to socialize and advocate together.
ACCESS has been a strong presence in the Jewish young professional community for over 25 years, and we are only growing stronger. We know that young professionals are ready to begin impacting our community and the world, and we give them the tools to make that happen. Come join us at our next event and be a part of it!
Shana Tova!
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