In Latvia and Finland, Witnessing Jewish Responsibility in Action

Trudy Goldshine’s mission is to teach others about Jewish life and history, and as the director of Jewish education at Repair the World, Goldshine gets to put her passion into action each and every day. Recently, she brought this sense of purpose to a JDC Entwine Insider Trip to Finland and Latvia, where she helped participants explore their own heritage and identity. 

In this post, Goldshine walks us through her Jewish journey, the values fueling her role as educator, and what makes JDC Entwine such a unique place to learn about the Jewish world. 

Before I was a Jewish professional, I was what you might jokingly call a professional Jew.

I grew up immersed in Jewish life, attending Jewish day school through eighth grade, serving on my regional United Synagogue Youth board, teaching religious school, and working in a Jewish preschool. In college, I interned at Central Florida Hillel and worked at Camp J, the afterschool program at the local Jewish Community Center (JCC). After graduation, I joined the Springboard Ezra Fellowship at Stony Brook Hillel on Long Island. When that fellowship ended in 2020, I stepped into my current role at Repair the World, where I have been serving as a Jewish educator ever since.

In many ways, it feels like I’ve always been rooted in Jewish spaces. But what sustains me in this work is not simply familiarity or routine; it’s a guiding value: kavod ha’briyot, the recognition of the dignity and preciousness of every human being.

As a queer Jew growing up in the Bible Belt, I rarely saw Jewish leaders who looked like me. After speaking at a J-Serve conference on Judaism and the LGBTQ+ community — just weeks after the Pulse nightclub shooting devastated the Orlando community — I realized I could step into that role myself. I could be the kind of queer Jewish educator I needed as a teen, someone who could help young people feel seen, represented, and affirmed in Jewish spaces.

That remains at the core of why I do what I do today.

At Repair the World, I serve as Director of Jewish Education. My work includes creating curricula for our program staff, leading “train-the-trainer” initiatives, and teaching for our Service-Learning Kollel for early- and mid-career educators. I also have had the opportunity to facilitate for other organizations, including the Springboard Fellowship and MemGlobal retreats. Most recently, I was invited to teach as part of the JDC Entwine Insider Trip to Finland and Latvia.

My connection with JDC actually began several years ago during the height of COVID. JQ International and JDC Entwine partnered to create a virtual trip to Argentina for queer Jewish professionals. My wife and I participated, not entirely sure what to expect. What we found was more than a program: It was a community. Together we shared virtual tours, empanada-making, a yerba mate ceremony, and meaningful conversations with queer Jews across the globe. That experience left a lasting impact on me, and many of the friendships formed there are still part of my life today. So when I was asked if I would represent Repair the World in Finland and Latvia, I immediately said yes.

When most of us think of “global Jewish life,” we often imagine Israel, larger European centers, or South America. Finland and Latvia don’t usually come to mind. And yet, what we encountered were small but thriving Jewish communities.

We prayed in synagogues and gathered in JCCs. We danced with elders, baked challah for children to take home for Shabbat, and even helped clean a Jewish cemetery. Alongside these hands-on experiences, we engaged in thoughtful conversations about the differences and similarities between Jewish life in America and Jewish life in these smaller communities. 

What surprised me most was how familiar it all felt. Despite differences in language, food, or custom, the essence of Jewish life was deeply recognizable. It reminded me that no matter where we live, Jewish communities are bound together by shared traditions, shared history, and shared responsibility.

Entwine’s approach ensured that we also understood the historical context. We learned how JDC supported these communities in rebuilding after loss and trauma, helping them sustain vibrant Jewish life in the present. It was a powerful reminder of resilience and interconnectedness

There is a teaching in the Talmud that has stayed with me since this experience — “kol yisrael areivim ze la’ze,” all Jews are responsible for one another. At times, this feels difficult to embrace. Within the Jewish community today, both in the United States and globally, division and disagreement often feel overwhelming. And yet, at a young adult happy hour, or while baking challah in Finland, I felt the truth of that teaching in a very real way. Our lives are intertwined. We cannot separate ourselves from one another.

This is not always easy, but it is essential. And it is also hopeful. Because if we are responsible for one another, then each of us holds the power to shape a Jewish future that is inclusive, resilient, and meaningful. Returning home from the trip, I felt renewed in my work as a Jewish educator and reconnected to a story far larger than my own.

For many young Jews in America, being Jewish often feels like an individual project: Should I light candles this week? Go to Shabbat dinner? Attend services? Date Jewish? Support Jewish causes? But when you step into Jewish life beyond our borders — when you see a small Latvian community working tirelessly to preserve its heritage, or a Finnish community carving out space for joy and belonging — you realize it is not only about you. It is about us. Our choices ripple outward. Our tradition is not simply personal; it is collective. And whether in Orlando or Helsinki, New York or Riga, we are all part of the same story.

If there is one lesson I carry forward from this journey, it is this: We do not have the option to be disconnected from one another. We are, by design, in this together. And the more intentionally we lean into that reality — not just acknowledging it, but celebrating it — the more vibrant our Jewish future will be.

So I leave you with this question: What would shift in your own Jewish life if you truly believed you were responsible for Jews you have never met, living in places you may never visit? It is a question I am still living with, and one I hope never to put down. 

Trudy Goldshine (she/her) is the Director of Jewish Education at Repair the World. Prior to working for Repair the World, Trudy was a Springboard Ezra Jewish Education Fellow at Stony Brook Hillel cultivating diversity and inclusion across religious and cultural lines, and she recently earned her MA Ed from the Jewish Theological Seminary. As a queer Southern Jew who studied International Politics, Trudy combines her two passions of Judaism and social justice in this new position. In her free time, you can find Trudy hosting Shabbat dinners, cooking multiple-course meals, reading, and walking her dog Leo with her wife Marlee in the gorgeous Los Angeles weather.

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