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YAD  -  Young Adult Division
of the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara
"The past we inherit. The future we create."

beachYAD-Hillel
Beach BBQ
Thurs, May 30, 6:30-8:30 pm
Goleta Beach
Grill it, Drink it, Move it, Chill it. Join us as we celebrate the joys of living in Santa Barbara! Bring food to grill (kosher style please, meat-parve, no dairy), wine, beer, music, hoops, poi, or anything else you may want. Dress warmly. YAD & Hillel will provide kosher hot dogs and some drinks, including He’Brew and Ninkasi Craft Beer. We’ll even have a prize drawing! Enter the gate, go right, look for the BBQ pits. RSVP your potluck dish to YAD@sbjf.org or 805-957-1115.

Coming EventsUrban Wine Tasting Tour & Picnic, Sun, July 21, 2-5:30pm
Community Coffee Talk, Sun, July 28, 1-3pm
Havdalah Hike, Sat, Aug. 17, 6-9pm
Sukkah Building, Sun, Sept. 15, 3:30-6:30pm
SUPER SUNDAY YAD Session, Sun, Nov 17, 12noon-3pm
Vodka Latke, Sat, Dec. 7, 8pm-midnight

Check it Out

Websites of Interest
Israeli-Style Shabbat Potluck
Fri, June 21, 7-9:30 pm
Let’s gather for a warm and wonderful Shabbat dinner at thehome of Sam Sosa. 
Tell us what meat or vegetarian potluck dish you're bringing—NO dairy.
RSVP your potluck dish to YAD@sbjf.org. Directions provided per RSVP.

Jewish Festival YAD Kelsey Crews Photo 250 Thanks for joining us at the
2013 Jewish Festival
April 28, at Oak Park
Celebrating our Jewish Community
and Israel's 65th Independence Day
What a great day we had! Food, fun and camaraderie for all, all reflected in the photos. Click here to see them!

Be a part of the Young Adult Division Campaign and receive benefits for YAD events while making a difference locally and globally!

ZohanPledge $500—Zohan T-shirt, free admission to all YAD Events, Guest Tickets, Raffle Tickets, 1 drink per happy hour, lunch with a legend, and more!

Pledge $100—Super Jew T-shirt, free admission to some events, raffle tickets, and 1 drink per happy hour!

Pledge $50—free admission to some events and raffle tickets.

YAD Coordinator:  957-1115 x107  YAD@sbjf.org

Join YAD on Facebook

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST New activities come up quickly! Keep up with the latest plans, or let us know you're interested. Contact YAD Coordinator Mike Witt: 957-1115, YAD@sbjf.org
or Click here for online signup.

Text YADSB to 51818
Join the YAD mobile list to get the latest updates.
Msg&Data Rates May Apply. Reply STOP to opt-out.  We'll txt you up to 1x/mo.

YAD Coffee
Are you new to Santa Barbara or YAD?
The Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara is dedicated to cultivating a unified Jewish community here in beautiful Santa Barbara and abroad. If you’re in your 20s, 30s, or 40s and new in town and have questions about the community, the Young Adult Division (YAD) is here to help! We look forward to meeting you whether you are here as an intern, starting grad school, moving to SB for a new job, or anything in between!
Let's grab a coffee and let me tell you what Santa Barbara and YAD has to offer you.
Contact Rachelle, Engagement Coordinator, and write "coffee" in the subject line, or call 957-1115.

YAD banner
Rachelle PeggFrom Rachelle Pegg: I’ve recently made my pledge, have you? I had no idea that pledging to become a Zohan, Mensch or SuperJew came with so many perks! Free admission to many events, free raffle tickets, drinks, and more! With everything that has recently occurred in Israel,  the Jewish community needs your support now, more than ever! Please take the time to consider your gift in time for Vodka Latke, December 8. YAD has proven to be an important niche in our community and sustains a thriving community of young adults only from our contributors.
Becoming or renewing your Mensch, SuperJew or Zohan status, not only provides benefits (i.e. your pass(es) and raffle ticket(s) to Vodka Latke) but it also supports the many important facets of our community locally and globally, which, of course, includes our Young Adult Division. This process will only take a few minutes and does a world of good. Please follow this secure link now.
We hope to see you at the remaining events of the year especially Vodka Latka! Its going to be on FIRE!!! I promise! Thank you in advance for any support you can provide to our Jewish community.

YAD BBQ Andrew Schydlowsky center back
YAD BBQ - Andrew Schydlowsky center back
One of the driving forces in YAD is Andrew Schydlowsky, YAD’s Creative Visioning Chair. Andrew, along with Brett Locker, organized “The Tribe” softball team several years ago, which started a core group that is now involved in YAD.
“A young adult group in the Jewish Community needed to be built,” said Andrew. Everything I’ve done for YAD has to do with creating fun and interesting opportunities for connection. I’ve made many good friends, and it’s given me a place to connect and grow. Santa Barbara can be a challenging place to live, so it’s really important to have community. YAD is a great way to plug in and connect, create a community for yourself and take what you want from it.”

YAD at the Jewish Festival; Rachelle Pegg rear center; photo by Kelsey Crews Photo
YAD at the Jewish Festival; Rachelle Pegg rear center; photo by Kelsey Crews Photo

Rachelle Pegg, YAD’s new Campaign Events Chair, is a wonderful addition to the YAD committee, and a passionate supporter. After attending the 2011 Vodka Latke party, Rachelle jumped into planning other creative events for YAD and the community, including several fundraisers.

"Being a part of YAD is something that I really enjoy!” says Rachelle. "It feeds me to help organize fun events that bring people together, while giving back to our community. It’s satisfying hearing people comment on how fun YAD events are and seeing them make new friends."

Rachelle recently attended Tribefest, a national Federation Young Leadership conference, with several other local YAD delegates who received grants from the Jewish Federation.

"It opened my eyes to the wonderful Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) that the Jewish Federations provide,” she said. “It was so inspiring, and I am even more excited to share the amazing ideas I gained from the workshops and connections that I made. It has motivated me to get more involved in passing along the Federation’s mission."

What our YAD participants are saying:
"Thank you for making me feel so welcome in this community. I've lived in a bunch of places and have tried to get involved in Jewish community events without much success. This was the first time I ever felt like there was outreach and you're a major part of that."

"YAD has been the most influential entity that has made Santa Barbara home for me. It gives me a community, as well as an outlet to give back to the community."

"I love the happy hour gatherings as well as the getting together at Carr winery. Social events are quite wonderful with YAD!"

"Thank you for providing me an outlet to explore my Jewish identity in Santa Barbara and build lifelong friendships. YAD has been essential to me feeling like Santa Barbara is home."

"I am very grateful that YAD has really taken off this year."

"I like gathering with other Jewish young adults. Especially the social/recreational activities and the religious or holiday driven activities."

"I think the YAD events are diverse and a lot of fun."

"I love the happy hour gatherings... Social events are quite wonderful with YAD!"

YAD  -  Young Adult Division
of the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara
"The past we inherit. The future we create."

YAD is dedicated to building an inclusive and connected community of young Jewish Santa Barbarans (in their 20s, 30s, and early 40s), to promoting Jewish identity and to improving our local and global Jewish communities through fun and meaningful volunteer, social, educational and philanthropic activities.

Getting involved with YAD Santa Barbara is an exciting way to meet other young professionals who share your values and interests. Join us and become part of the next generation of caring Jewish Santa Barbarans who are making a difference in our community - and having a blast doing it! YAD has many avenues for you to get involved.

The Young Leadership Program encourages and educates the next generation in the responsibility of philanthropy as taught by the Jewish concept of tzedakah (justice) and tikkun olam (healing the world).

What’s your niche? Whether it’s Social, Recreational, Spiritual, Professional Skill Building, or Community Service, YAD Coordinators are working hard to bring you new, creative and exciting events and opportunities.

Subsidies for Cool Events!
Investing in Jewish Santa Barbara's future, the Federation offers a limited number of subsidies to YAD members for Federation-sponsored mega-events, including the General Assembly (November), TribeFest (March in Las Vegas) and more!
TOP REASONS YOU SHOULD GET INVOLVED:

  • Connect with local, national and international organizations.
  • Network with people of different backgrounds.
  • Explore your interests and discover new avenues for action.
  • Celebrate and embrace the many rich aspects of Jewish life.
  • Hear dynamic speakers.
  • Participate in meaningful service projects and make a difference.
  • Discover Judaism at your own pace, in ways that specifically resonate for you.

“I found passion and knowledge seeping from every individual present, inspiring me to feel empowered to rise to the occasion and embrace the elements of innovation and engagement.”  –YAD GA participant