Jewish Community Programs

by Elizabeth Siegel Cohen, Illness, Loss and Spiritual Support Coordinator

How do you heal after a loss? You may have heard the adage that time heals all wounds. But does it? I don’t believe time, alone, heals wounds; it is what you choose to do with the time. We offer many ways to address your loss; to find your Shalom (peace).

“Nechama: To Comfort the Bereaved Among Us” are classes held in area synagogues for the newly bereaved. Nechama is an opportunity for you to join  with other mourners and learn hands-on tools and information about the grief and mourning process, as well as Jewish resources to support you on your journey.  

On August 10, JCFS Chicago welcomed 16 domestic violence professionals to its Skokie office for the first Association of Jewish Family & Children Agencies (AJFCA) Domestic Violence Professionals Fly-In. The participants came from all across the country, including Los Angeles, Cincinnati, West Palm Beach, Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Washington D.C. and Detroit. As this passionate group of colleagues energetically shared ideas and described the breadth of programming that is being accomplished, I couldn’t help but reflect on how much has changed.

In January, Sande Shamash, Director of the Legal Advocacy Center (LAC), and LAC Staff Attorney, Marissa LaVette, submitted a paper for a presentation on childhood trauma and its impact on special education. Their presentation, “Recognizing Childhood Trauma: Identification, Implementation and Advocacy for Trauma Informed Approaches in Special Education” was one of the submissions selected to be featured at the 17th Annual 2015 Counsel of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) National Conference in San Diego. COPAA is a national organization that serves to protect the legal and civil rights of and secure excellence in education on behalf of the 6.4 million children with disabilities in the United States.

Rabbi David Rosenberg, the JCFS Chicago Liaison with the Orthodox Jewish community, presented a cultural sensitivity training session on February 10 to educate the employees of Mariano’s™ new kosher store about the Orthodox Jewish community.

Rabbi Rosenberg’s presentation closely followed a job fair conducted for the same store by JVS Career & Employment, which is allied with JCFS Chicago. JVS Career & Employment had awarded Mariano’s™ their 2014 Employer of the Year Award and has worked closely with the grocery chain to help place employees with disabilities in Mariano’s™ stores.

Everywhere you look, people’s eyes are glued to the screens of their smartphones, iPods and tablets. Commuters on the El or customers waiting in line with their shopping carts at their local Jewel-Osco are scrolling and tapping their hand-held devices—texting, surfing, emailing, gaming, posting and shopping. The Orthodox Jewish community is by no means immune to this digital invasion and it is grappling with how to adhere to Jewish laws in the ubiquitous landscape of technology.

By Rabbi Joe Ozarowski, Chaplain, JCFS Chicago

People actively working a Recovery Program already know the worth and power of the well-known 12 Steps.  But I have always believed that everyone should work a program – there is so much wisdom within these sensible steps that can help all people struggling with challenges.

At the addiction and misuse services, we try to connect the spirituality and practices of Judaism to the Steps and addiction-recovery year round.  The Jewish Days of Awe, often known as the “High Holidays,” offer us the chance to reflect and integrate the Steps with the larger spiritual messages embedded in these special days. 

By Eric Crabtree-Nelson, LCSW, Response for Teens

Violence.  It’s everywhere these days.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that we have a real violence problem here in the Chicago area.  Whether it’s the rampant street violence we hear about or live with every day, or whether it’s bullying behavior towards others that persists despite all of the attention and educational programs that have been put in place, violence is an everyday fact of life in our worlds.

By Dr. Beth Fishman, Manager of Addiction Services at JCFS Chicago

As the old adage goes, “the best defense is a good offense.”  That is no less true when talking about problematic drug use by young people.  So how do we build a strong offense to help the youth in our community resist the pressures and temptations to begin using drugs and alcohol?  For youth drug prevention, what works?

Here are four insights to get you and the burgeoning young adults in your life on the right track. 

Summer is here.  We finally feel the warm sun and look forward to long weekend afternoons at the pool.  It is an excellent time of year to go over the basics of child safety and how to prevent abuse. 

Communicating with your child is a key strategy in preventing abuse. Here are some key messages that you can give your children:

By Dr. Yonit Hoffman, Manager, Holocaust Community Services

Throughout the week, most of our group quickly bonds. It is as if there is an unspoken familiarity, and we somehow find a balance between listening to each other’s stories, sharing our own, and finding and wondering about common experiences and crossed paths. The balancing act is, at least for me, a constant process throughout our visit to Germany.