The Talmudic aphorism “kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh” is usually translated as “all Jews are responsible for one another”—but a closer translation would be “all Jews are intermingled with one another.” Both concepts lie at the heart of Entwine, an initiative of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).

For over 100 years, the JDC has aided vulnerable Jews in over 70 countries and led the Jewish response to global crises. Entwine carries that work to the next generation of young Jews through highly subsidized leadership development opportunities and global service programs. These include two yearlong fellowships—the Global Jewish Service Corps and the Ralph I. Goldman Fellowship—and the invitation-only Global Leaders Initiative.

Entwine also offers subsidized short-term Insider Trips geared toward college students and young professionals looking for adventure and a meaningful way to contribute to tikkun olam. Over weekend or weeklong itineraries to such destinations as Cuba, Morocco, Hungary, Ukraine, India and the United Arab Emirates, travelers visit Jewish communities as well as JDC projects in non-Jewish areas to learn about history, the importance of humanitarian work and to interact with fellow Jews over Shabbat dinners and other events.

In the last 15 years, nearly 5,000 young Jews have participated in one of Entwine’s experiences. Over 90 percent of participants come from North America, but, in 2024, a small number hailed from Israel, Germany, The Netherlands, Moldova, Uruguay, Mexico, Chile, Australia, Italy, Poland and Argentina.

Lauren Schneiderman served  as chair of an Insider Trip to the UAE in December 2024, after having participated in a program in Argentina in December 2022 when, she said, she had been “looking to travel and also connect with my Jewish identity.”

Both experiences ultimately delivered on those expectations but in different ways, the 25-year-old noted. “Argentina was about the history of the Jewish community,” Schneiderman said, while “the UAE is an emerging Jewish community, but being able to meet with community members was a really awesome experience.”

Schneiderman now has become an Entwine community representative, acting as an organizational ambassador to her Chicago community and promoting awareness of global Jewish causes.

Such leadership development is fundamental to Entwine’s vision, according to Sara Glazer, Entwine’s senior director of strategy and planning. “Through their actions,” she said, “Entwine alumni are creating a new global blueprint for what it means to be Jewish today.”