Modeled after the Kohn Internship program, Avodah — literally "work" — placed high-school-age Jews in jobs with Jewish community organizations. Over the past few years, 20 to 25 students received a stipend of roughly $750.

Last summer, the Jewish Community Endowment Fund informed the JVS that it would no longer be picking up the tab for the $70,000 program. The JVS was unsuccessful in lining up another primary donor, but it hopes to do so by 2004.

Said Snay: "We prefer to look at this as a pause in the program rather than a scrapping or cancellation."

— Joe Eskenazi