AVODAH

Advocacy is a word that is often times just thrown around by people. I have never really thought about the actual meaning of the word until reading this chapter. While I was reading I kept thinking to myself, 'What does advocacy mean to me?' I came up with my answer: advocacy is taking a stand for or against something. One can be an advocate for something that directly benefits themselves or their community. What we are advocates for is typically determined by our background, our history, our beliefs, or our religion.
Most religions encourage believers to help others and to be "good" people. They encourage people to reach out to those in need. This shapes people into being advocates for the needy. Certain beliefs of a religion shape advocacy. Take for example abortion, many religions encourage their followers to be Pro-life. Many people who advocate for pro-life have their background rooted in some type of religion.
AVODAH is an advocacy program founded on Jewish beliefs. AVODAH is a service group which recruits an exclusive group of Jewish people every year. This group goes out to the inner cities to work in poverty stricken areas. These people are advocates for social change. When they go out they are not necessarily trying to convert people to Judaism, but they are trying to make a change. AVODAH is the perfect example of advocacy with its roots in religion.
Advocacy come is many forms, but for the most part, advocacy is based on religion, or a lack thereof.