Mission, Vision, Values, & Guidelines

Jconnect Seattle offers young adults in their twenties and thirties the opportunity to find and build community, engage in Jewish life and holiday celebrations, and to experience the diverse activities available in Seattle. We annually provide hundreds of young Jewish adults with access to monthly events for Shabbat and holidays, social justice, outdoor activities, Israel, arts and culture, and leadership development.

Jconnect Seattle’s programming, unless otherwise specified, is intended for 21-39 year old young adults who currently live in the Greater Seattle area.

 

Our community is built on the following values, which we at Jconnect and Hillel at the University of Washington expect to be upheld by all program attendees and community members.

– Derech Eretz – Respect

We welcome and respect everyone and remember that our words and our actions will be leshem shamayim, in the name of heaven. This means that we will act with respect for each other, our space, our organization, and our world at large. We will strive to do what is right and just at all times.

– Kehillah – Community

We build relationships – with each other, with other Jews, and with our broader local community. We celebrate the uniqueness of each individual, as we are created betzelem Elohim, in the image of God. We celebrate our community’s diversity.

– Simcha – Joy

We share joy and friendship as we encounter all that life brings and treat both new and veteran members of our Jconnect community as valued members of our family.

Jconnect Seattle’s Community Guidelines:

Jconnect Seattle is grounded in the core Jewish values of respect (derech eretz), community (kehillah), and joy (simcha). All participants in Jconnect events are expected to honor these values by creating a space that is safe for everyone. Behavior that goes against the spirit of these values or harms others will be addressed immediately. Any reports to Hillel UW’s leadership of such behavior will be taken seriously and handled with care and confidentiality.

Jconnect Seattle Alcohol Statement:

At Jconnect Seattle, we aim to create a welcoming, inclusive, and safe environment where people can connect, celebrate, and enjoy themselves—sometimes with a drink in hand. We honor everyone’s choice of whether they consume alcohol or not, and we expect participants to do the same. When alcohol is present at events, we expect all participants to drink responsibly and behave in ways that reflect our community values.

Being visibly intoxicated or drinking to the point of losing control is not acceptable at Jconnect events. It is also not acceptable to arrive at a Jconnect event already intoxicated. Alcohol is never an excuse for disrespectful, disruptive, or unsafe behavior. We comply with all legal requirements. Alcohol will only be served to participants who are 21 or older and have valid ID.