The Wakschlags are a Jewish family full of love, compassion, and strength. Milt, a retired attorney and ordained rabbi, and Laurie, a professor and vice chair at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital and Northwestern University, live in Lincolnwood and have three adult children. Tmima (Mims) and Efraim (Fry) both have intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Their daughter Shira and her husband, Eli Rosenblatt, have two daughters, Maerav and Bella. Bella is on the autism spectrum. 

The JCFS Chicago Jewish Chaplaincy program is expanding its services to include two area hospices and Misericordia, while also growing its Russian-speaking Jewish Chaplaincy program. 

Every year, JCFS Chicago partners with six synagogues in the Lakeview, Edgewater, and Gold Coast neighborhoods to host a Shabbaton. This year’s theme: The Ripples of Divorce through the Lifespan, addressed both the experiences of individuals and families across generations, while equipping clergy with practical tools for support.

At the recent Through a Jewish Lens: Hope and Healing for Suicide Loss Survivors, which JCFS co-sponsors annually with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Rabbi Marianne Novak spoke about how the Jewish community can best support suicide loss survivors.

Here are a few highlights from her presentation.

Overdose deaths have reached unprecedented levels in recent years, particularly due to the increased stress, isolation, and barriers to addiction treatment brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The good news: we can learn to recognize symptoms of opioid overdose and administer the rescue drug Narcan (brand name for Naloxone), which can reverse opioid overdose symptoms within minutes.

Did you know that our JCFS chaplains work with more than 16 senior communities in the greater Chicago area, with diversity and inclusion communities, and with more than 40 individual clients at a time?

Since March 2020, when Covid-19 first altered our daily lives, public health officials warned of a potential surge in drug overdoses.

The dedicated chaplains at JCFS Chicago are committed to uplifting community members. “We listen,” Rabbi Joseph S. Ozarowski said. “It’s all about relationships.” In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, these success stories illustrate those relationships and the journey of mental health.

The pandemic has left many people feeling isolated and alone. To ensure that our clients feel connected to their community and faith, JCFS Chicago’s Jewish community services swiftly transitioned support groups and their chaplaincy program to be virtual.

Soon it will be Thanksgiving, a special time to reflect on the people we are grateful for. Carol Brumer, former chaplaincy coordinator and community educator, shares her appreciation for chaplains and the work that they do.