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Sam Sittenfield
Courtesy of Sam Sittenfield
SASHA ROGELBERG | STAFF WRITER
R epair the World Director of National Partnerships Sam
Sittenfield is fond of a quote spoken by the organization’s
Senior Director of Education Rabbi Jessy Dressin: “Every
time there is a specific Jewish value, there’s a nod to the universal.”
“Jewish values don’t live in a vacuum,” he added. “They are a
particular expression of things that everyone cares about.”
A 2022 Tribe 12 fellow, Sittenfield, 31, is also bringing his venture
Roots of Resilience — a mental health organization for Jewish youth
— to life.

Though his hands are in many pies, Sittenfield, a South Philadelphia
resident, is looking for the harmony
between the specific and universal in
all he does: How can someone’s Jewish
identity mesh with their political,
racial and gender identity? How does
one bring their Jewish values into the
real world?
Sittenfield’s eight years of work at
Repair the World gave him the oppor-
tunities to address these issues. On
the day-to-day, he brings “the secret
sauce,” or Repair the World’s social jus-
tice pedagogy, to other organizations,
such as Hillel International, Moishe
House and Honeymoon Israel, giving
them insight on how young Jews want
to connect politically and socially.

Most recently, Sittenfield has collected
data from Hillel International interns in
preparation for the launch of 200 new
Hillel service engagement interns.

Sittenfield grew up steeped in the
local Jewish community himself.

Hailing from Lower Merion, Sittenfield
was bar mitzvahed at Beth Am Israel
in Penn Valley. He attended Perelman
Jewish Day School before graduating
to Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
(then Akiba Hebrew Academy).

He became a Repair the World fellow
after graduating from Tufts University;
he was involved in the Jewish commu-
nity throughout his time as an under-
graduate. After attending area Repair the World
events during college, Sittenfield’s
interest was piqued: “I said to myself
after going to those events, I have a lot
to contribute in terms of my experience
with Judaism and programming and
things like that, and I have a lot to learn
— a lot, a lot to learn — as it relates to
social justice.”
Sittenfield’s passion for mental
health and creating Jewish connectiv-
ity that he honed during his fellowship
stemmed from first-hand experience.

During his time at Tufts, Sittenfield
was a baritone for a Jewish a cappella
group, Shir Appeal.

“We were all singing together and
supporting each other both through
song, but also through community,”
Sittenfield said.

Sittenfield took a semester off from
college during his second semester of
senior year, due to his own mental
health struggles. Taking a break meant
stepping down as president of Shir
Appeal. “One of the other members of the
group … took over the group with
grace, with intelligence, with a great
attitude,” Sittenfield said.

He felt proud “to be part of a
community that supported me through
the time that I needed them and didn’t
make me feel bad or worse or less
than.” In his venture Roots of Resilience,
Sittenfield hopes to design a mental
health intervention for young people
that is proactive, supporting them
before they are in times of crisis.

“Currently, there’s a lot of focus on
things like mental health first aid,
which is extremely important, but
that’s taking care of the emergency
that happens at a given moment,”
Sittenfield said.

Sittenfield wants to address the root
of mental health issues, which can
stem from a lack of connectivity and
isolation. While meditation, yoga and
exercise facilitated by a group leader
help relieve some stress, it’s addressing
a symptom, not a cause, Sittenfield
believes. In designing Roots of Resilience —
hoping to receive additional funding
and interest as it develops — Sittenfield
is asking himself big questions: “How
do we use leadership development to
cultivate competency, confidence, con-
nection and community for our young
people? How do we build that into our
program structures both on a one-
off program and over the course of a
young person’s engagement with the
Jewish community?”
For Sittenfield, he finds those
moments around the Shabbat dinner
table, singing harmonies with friends.

He hopes to give others that same
feeling of harmony in whatever Jewish
path they pursue.

“How do we ensure that the fields
are lush and healthy?” Sittenfield said.

“That a small spark doesn’t cause a big
fire?” JE
srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
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