Throughout history, as humans spread across the world, infectious diseases have been a constant companion.  Even in this modern era, outbreaks are nearly constant. The Jewish community has lived through those times.  We can learn from the past. 

Imagine a situation in which thousands of Jews all over the world are sitting in churches every week.  Many of them are wishing they could be sitting in a synagogue instead, but they can’t. So who are these Jews?  These are Jews in recovery from addiction of every sort. These are all Jews attending 12-Step meetings.  

Although it’s a snowy winter Friday afternoon in Chicago, inside Bella Terra, a senior living community in Morton Grove, warm Shabbat melodies envelop Jewish residents. Twice a month they come together to welcome Shabbat with services led by conservative Cantor Fortunee Belilos and volunteer Rabbi Milt Wakschlag. 

When concerns about substance use or other possible addictions arise: what help is available? Who can I call?

JCFS Chicago is honored to partner with MISSD and No Shame on U to expand the suicide prevention work of the Chicago Jewish community and offer support and comfort to those who have lost someone to suicide, with support from JUF’s Breakthrough Fund.

As January 1, 2020 approaches, JCFS Chicago’s addiction services has been receiving  requests to provide information about marijuana in anticipation of the legalization of recreational use in Illinois.  As with all substance use issues, marijuana legalization is expected to impact the Jewish community along with the general population.

Over 70 million people are displaced around the world because of violence, war and persecution – the greatest displacement in history^₁. As Jews, we live by the value of Tikkun Olam – the repair of the world – and talk frequently of the importance of welcoming the stranger. We have a unique responsibility to support refugees and asylum seekers and raise our voices in opposition to the negative rhetoric and policy changes that we are bearing witness to today.

Jewish chaplaincy is rooted in sacred texts; it builds on older traditions of bikur cholim, the Talmudic commandment to visit the sick. Jewish chaplains haven’t been around for long, however. The first Jewish chaplains can be traced to the American Civil War but greatly expanded in World War II, when about three hundred rabbis served in the U.S. military. After the war, chaplaincy programs started to appear around the country.

JCFS Chicago, No Shame On U, and MISSD (Medication-Induced Suicide Prevention and Education Foundation) have received a JUF Breakthrough Fund grant to launch a critical initiative: Suicide Prevention and Support in the Chicago Jewish Community. The overall goal of this initiative is to initiate dialogue that enhances understanding of suicide, reduces the stigma surrounding it, and ensures appropriate and compassionate responses.

Confusion about marijuana is no surprise.  The medical use of cannabis is legal (with a doctor's recommendation) in 31 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico.  Eight states have legalized recreational marijuana use in the United States.  With the advent of legalization, attitudes about marijuana have changed dramatically in the U.S.