Several residents supported by JCFS have been participating in book clubs – first via Zoom, at the beginning of the pandemic, and eventually in person at the Skokie Public Library.

During Mental Health Awareness Month in May, we reflect on the impact that open, honest conversations can have on breaking down barriers and bridging the gap of understanding mental health for those in our community.

Whatever issue matters to you—immigration, LGBTQ rights, disability inclusion, mental health care, the economy, infrastructure, public safety, or the environment—it has been dealt a serious blow by the executive orders issued this past week.

Grieving the loss of a close loved one is a profound and overwhelming experience. For young adults in their 20s and 30s, this journey can be especially disorienting.

The JCFS Chicago Endowment Foundation helps ensure the continuity of essential life sustaining programs and caring services that JCFS Chicago provides. As an Agency of the Jewish Federation/Jewish United Fund (JUF), JCFS Chicago established the Endowment Foundation, in partnership with JUF, to meet the growing needs of our 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.

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.  

JCFS is formulating a support group, Queer Teens Connect, for teens between 15-17 years-old who identify as LGBTQ+. The purpose of this group is to provide a safe and constructive space to explore the issues confronting teens in the context of healthy peer relationships.

The JCFS family of services works to strengthen the lives of over 30,000 people in the Chicago area each year. Our support for people with disabilities, career and employment services, therapeutic education and teen outreach strengthens the emotional and economic well-being of children, adults and families. Thanks so much for joining with us in this work.

What is spirituality?  It is broad with room for many views.  It is a term with many definitions: Love, light, culture, hope, soul, harmony, meaning, theology, and religion.  It often refers to a connection to something greater than us.  These are just a few of the concepts that come to mind when we talk about spirituality.