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.

The pandemic has impacted all of our lives, and for some people this has meant an unexpected financial hardship. With support from Jewish United Fund (JUF), our Financial Assistance program has been able to provide emergency funds to those that need it.

One way we learn is by watching others. A way to enhance skills is by positive reinforcement that leads to repeating an action. Some individuals think in pictures. These reasons make video modeling an enticing way to learn.

When describing how JVS Career Services can help, JVS Career Services Director, Jeff Blumenfeld explains, “Ari came to us confused about his career path. After a number of one-on-one career counseling sessions, he was able to move forward and land a good job.”

For Alex, a happy, energetic 12-year-old with social challenges, the pandemic brought his usually busy world to a halt. With no recreation or socialization outside of his home for the first six months of the pandemic, Alex regressed in many areas. When JCFS Chicago’s Respite services opened back up in July 2020, it was the first place Alex was able to go to have fun after months of isolation.

There are many ways to affect healing. Jewish Law requires us to seek the best medical care we can.  But our Torah also recognizes that there are other paths to healing that walk hand-in-hand with medical care. 

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.