The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia values and prioritizes career development at any stage in an individual’s journey – whether they are a longtime employee, new to the field or a student that is interested in learning about Jewish communal work. As part of an ongoing effort to expose young professionals to the powerful work of a mission driven nonprofit, the Jewish Federation is excited to welcome two summer interns, Ben Lustig and Janie Hershman.

“This is my first experience in a professional office setting, and I think that in itself will teach me a lot about what I would like for my career,” Lustig said, who is paired with the Jewish Federation’s Mitzvah Food Program which fights hunger through a choice-based food model. “I wanted to intern at the Jewish Federation because they do a lot of work to help those in need in the Greater Philadelphia area, and I wanted to get an opportunity to see what it could be like to run an operation like the Mitzvah Food Program.”

Lustig and Hershman will work at the Jewish Federation for seven weeks as part of the JEVS Human Services’ Franklin C. Ash Summer Internship Program, which connects college students with leading Jewish nonprofits.

“I wanted to learn more about the Jewish Federation and all that it does to help communities,” said Hershman, who is interning with the Jewish Federation‘s Human Resources department. “This opportunity will allow me to learn from talented professionals who I am lucky to be guided by in my internship journey. I also wanted to intern for an organization that has a message and purpose that I align with, as my Judaism is very important to me, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia is exactly that.” 

In addition to the Franklin C. Ash Summer Internship Program, JEVS Human Services is a grantee of the Jewish Federation that touches the lives of thousands each year by focusing on individuals with physical, developmental and emotional challenges as well as those facing adverse socio-economic conditions, including unemployment and underemployment.

Meet Ben Lustig: Mitzvah Food Program Intern

Lustig is a graduate of Lower Merion High School and currently attends Trinity College, with an anticipated graduation date of 2025. He is part of the men’s rowing team, which placed sixth at the 2022 New England Rowing Championships.

Inspired by the power of communal work, Lustig’s passion to fight food insecurity and poverty stems back to a high school community service day where he assisted owners of a nonprofit farm in distributing fruits and vegetables to underprivileged communities. He also worked as a Food Service Assistant at Camp Davis and started his own business that repairs and re-sells vintage bicycles.

Lustig will be working with the Mitzvah Food Program on creating a formal logistics plan for all four pantry sites, building a five-year business plan and developing smart and efficient delivery routes for home-bound clients. He will also be helping develop an automated metrics dashboard that pulls from multiple sources to provide a 360-degree view of our operation.

Meet Janie Hershman: Human Resources Intern

Hershman graduated from Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy and is currently attending Syracuse University, majoring in education. At her university, Hershman is a peer mentor for the School of Education and also a student tutor, guiding fellow students in learning Hebrew. Hershman has been a member of the Jewish Learning Fellowship since 2020. She worked as an assistant teacher at the Ann Newman Preschool & Infant Care Center at Temple Sinai as well as a Camp Counselor at Sesame Rockwood Day Camp.

Hershman’s main internship assignment will be leading the development, planning and execution of our Health, Safety & Benefits Fair, where she will connect vendors and other company representatives with the Jewish Federation staff. She will also assist with other HR-related functions.

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The Jewish Federation is committed to supporting young adults in their career development and uplifting the Jewish leaders of the next generation. To help support this work, consider making a gift by clicking here.