Addiction & Recovery

• Informational conversations with individuals, families, and other loved ones  

• Telephone-based brief assessment 

• Referrals to local and national treatment and support resources 

• Educational presentations about all types of addiction for youth, parents, adults, and seniors  

• The opportunity to hear from Jewish volunteers in recovery 

Opioid Overdose Prevention 

Overdose Prevention and Reversal/Narcan Training 
Chicagoland’s Jewish community has lost many people to opioid overdose. We provide training about how to save a life with Narcan and it couldn’t be easier.  Please read our blog about why Narcan training is for everyone. Contact Beth Fishman PhD, Program Manager of Addiction Services, to schedule this training for your organization. 

Fentanyl Alerts 
Overdose deaths are skyrocketing from the devastating effects of synthetic opioids like fentanyl which are being distributed by bad actors into the black-market drug supply.  Now more than ever, psychoactive drug use can be deadly. These alerts provide more information, and we encourage you to share them widely: 
Community Fentanyl Alert   
Fentanyl Alert for Parents  
Fentanyl Alert for Teens and Young Adults   

Jewish Resources for Recovery 

• List of addiction recovery meetings in Jewish spaces and/or for Jewish participants
• Booklet for incorporating Jewish prayers into 12-Step recovery 
• Why Jewish communal organizations must open their spaces to addiction recovery peer support meetings
• Serenity Shabbat: In Solidarity with Addiction Recovery   
  • On Serenity Shabbat, individuals, families, and congregations throughout Chicagoland celebrate the blessings of addiction recovery. JCFS Chicago has created Serenity Shabbat Guides for synagogues and for the home. 

• High Holiday Recovery Guide 

  • This resource for addiction recovery during the High Holidays offers a variety of observances for Jewish individuals, families, and synagogues at this holiest time of year. 

• Jewish Recovery Holiday programs for Jews in recovery, loved ones and allies 

• Workshops and groups for those in addiction recovery 

• A guided meditation (document and audio file) for support and healing during challenging times. 

Professional Training 

• Helping synagogues and other organizations become safe, welcoming spaces for Jews in recovery and those at-risk  

• Training mental health professionals on evidence-based approaches to recovery 

• Consulting with clinicians serving the Jewish community 

• Training on Jewish cultural competency for treatment providers 

• Consulting with Jewish organizations nationally to develop addiction-related programming 

_{The Jewish Federation's Fund for Innovation in Health (underwritten by the Michael Reese Health Trust), the Albert and Lucille Delighter and Marcella Winston Foundation, a Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, and other generous donors.}