JCFS supports Chicago’s Jewish community members on many paths from constriction to expansion. In this spirit, we offer links to haggadot and Passover readings that reflect both ancient and contemporary ways that we experience bondage, the struggle for freedom, and ultimate liberation from slavery.

Elizabeth Walder is the President and Executive Director of Walder Foundation, a private family foundation with a mission to uplift local communities and elevate Chicago’s contributions to the world. Elizabeth believes immigrants and refugees enrich the value of our society and works hard to give them the opportunities and resources they need to flourish. “We’re all descended from somewhere,” Elizabeth says, “and I believe this country should be a refuge and a welcoming country for all.” 

We applaud UIC Associate Professor Kristin Berg and the Behavioral Health Stratified Treatment (BEST project) for seeking to better understand the needs of young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We at JCFS Chicago share the project’s goals of early identification and treatment of mental health challenges to improve health and vocational trajectories across the life.

When Scott Bauer was looking for his own grief support, he recognized a need in the community for grief services focused on younger adults dealing with loss. Scott sees the growth and reach of the Bauer Foundation as not only a demonstration of the continued need for grief and loss services, but also a testament to the altruism within the community.

This is still hard. And we wish it weren’t. We wish we were wistful about 2021 coming to an end. 
We wish the pandemic was definitively coming to an end. And so, as we look ahead to 2022, let’s begin to imagine how we will recover from this crisis.

Robert* used to live in an apartment but had to move to an extended-stay hotel when his landlord did not want to renew the lease. He was urged to reach out to a homelessness prevention agency.

Living paycheck to paycheck, Susan was referred to JCFS Chicago and met with a Financial Assistant to see where we could help.

Laurie Price has been part of the JCFS Board for 12 years and is currently a member of the Resource Development Committee. For Laurie, being associated with JCFS means being surrounded by talented, hard-working, and energetic people, and that has kept her engaged for many years.

Louis Robinson, a retired diplomat and businessman, is a current member of the Resource Development Committee (RDC) at JCFS Chicago. Growing up in Skokie during the 1960’s, Louis was acutely aware of social justice issues and was very active in Jewish communal life.

Growing up in Highland Park, Dan Wander has deep familial roots in the Chicagoland philanthropic and Jewish communities.