By Rabbi Joseph S. Ozarowski, Rabbinic Counselor and Chaplain, JCFS Chicago

I have been part of a work group that is planning a conference called “The Journey of Infertility .” Some think this conference “path-breaking” or “revolutionary,” but this issue is not new. The challenges of infertility go back to the Torah itself.

In Judaism children are seen as a blessing, as a means of continuing our faith and people. When this proves difficult, the burden can be heavy. 

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.

by Amanda Platner, M.A.  Psychological Services Pre-doctoral Intern

“Children in alcoholic families suffer trauma as acute as soldiers in combat; they also carry the trauma like an albatross throughout their lives.” –Pamela Weintraub, Author of "A Toxic Brew," Psychology Today, 2007

Like many diseases, alcoholism affects all members of a family. Some of its most vulnerable victims are children. The National Association for Children of Alcoholics reports that approximately one in five adults grew up in a household with an alcoholic family member. Of the 26.8 million children of alcoholics in the United States, over 40 percent are under the age of 18 (NACoA, 2002). “

In August of 2014, Angelo Militello of the JCFS Skokie Office was asked to co-chair the DCFS Cook County Permanency Enhancement Project Steering Committee. This committee meets The Illinois Permanency Enhancement Project (PEP) began in 2007 as a partnership between IDCFS, the African American Family Commission, the IDCFS African American Advisory Council and Illinois State University, School of Social Work/Center for Adoption Studies. The goal of the initiative is to improve permanency outcomes and reduce racial disproportionality within the child welfare system, through local, community-driven solutions. Community “Action Teams” made up of child welfare service consumers, human service professionals, educators, judicial officers, and concerned citizens, meet on a monthly basis to develop programs, policies, and collaborative initiatives aimed at improving permanency outcomes for children.

Life presents challenging situations, whether it’s raising a family, searching for a job, locating an appropriate social activity for a child or adult with a disability, coping with the advanced illness of a loved one or facing an unexpected financial or emotional crisis. JCFS Chicago helps children, couples and adults develop positive strategies and solutions to these challenges while strengthening connections to their families and communities.

JCFS Chicago brings its programs and services to people where they live, work, worship and learn, making it that much easier for people to access and benefit from its expertise and resources and those of its affiliate, JVS Career & Employment.

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.

The Integrated Pediatric Therapies at JCFS Chicago is offering Yoga for Kids for children (preK-3rd grade). Come join our Occupational Therapist in a fun, child-centered environment that merges age-appropriate yoga practices including breathing techniques and animal poses with other play, art and social game experiences. This class encourages exploration of early yoga practices while building your child’s gross motor skills, coordination and body awareness.

A study from the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) in Seattle said that babies as young as seven months old are mentally working out the mechanics of how to form words with their mouths; the New York Times ran an article emphasizing the importance of the quality of words spoken to children , beyond just the quantity of words.  And, NPR’s Science Friday  interviewed Fred Genesee of McGill University in Montreal, about his study that suggested that “early impressions of language are much more durable than scientists predicted.”

November is National Adoption Month , intended to raise awareness of foster care adoption and a time to celebrate all families created through adoption.  Not that we have to wait for November – we can celebrate the diversity of Jewish families created through adoption throughout the year! 

A grandmother shared with Jewish parents, families and community members that she and her family are grappling with questions about whether or not their grandchild may someday identify as transgender; her 11-year-old granddaughter has connected with traditional masculine traits and behaviors since age four.