Shana Chaikin Talks about Sexual Abuse Advocacy

On April 2nd, students and faculty members heard Shana Chaikin, a survivor of sexual assault at the age of 16, speak about her advocacy work for CONNSACS (Connecticut Sexual Assault Crime Services). Connecticut is currently one of several states that has recognized the importance of working with both the offenders and the victims and has developed a full range of comprehensive programs and services addressing both the immediate and long-term needs for survivors of sexual assault.

Shana began her discussion with a moving description of her own assault and the long and difficult journey of her own healing, including some of the complex issues that she has personally confronted over the past 15 years. Her commitment to advocacy work began over 9 years ago when Shana became involved with SAVVI (Sexual Assault Victims Volunteer Initiative), a not-for-profit advocacy agency affiliated with Mount Sinai Hospital. She became an advocate for women who had come to the emergency room for treatment right after their assaults. From there, Shana went on to become a spokesperson for SAVVI, training others to become advocates for sexually abused women. She now sits on the board of SAVVI and facilitates school-based workshops that raise awareness and consciousness for young adolescents. Her current work with CONNSACS involves working directly with the victims, but also acting as the ‘voice’ of the victims with the perpetrators in groups and court proceedings. Shana described some of the professional confidentiality conflicts that she confronts regularly as well as the transference and counter-transference issues that occur for her. She is a strong advocate for supervision and agency support for workers who are confronting ethically challenging issues in the workplace. Wurzweiler hopes to welcome back Shana Chaikin at a future date.

Can Mikvah Attendants Spot Abuse? Sweifach & LaPorte say "Yes!"

Dr. Jay Sweifach and Dr. Heidi Heft LaPorte are conducting research investigating the extent to which mikvah (ritual bath) attendents recognize and respond to cases of domestic violence. Sweifach and LaPorte believe that Mikvah attendants are in a unique position to respond to domestic violence, in that they are responsible for checking women before they immerse in the water and may see evidence of abuse. The researchers believe that attendents can be trained to spot abuse, and preliminary findings suggest that some attendents have already been trained to do so. The researchers believe that findings from the research can be used to refine and develop protocols that can assist mikvah attendants in enhancing their role as front line responders to domestic violence and other types of abuse.

Rabbi Tessler Speaks to Ethics Class & Student Lunch

Rabbi Joel Tessler, WSSW class of '83, recently returned to Yeshiva University, first to speak to at an ethics class taught by Rabbi Norman Linzer, PhD, who is himself a renowned authority on social work ethics, and then to address the student body in a Lunch & Learn talk titled The Social Worker, the Rabbi, the Struggle.

"A rabbi is trained to answer questions posed to him. He is the final authority for the members of his community. A social worker is trained to listen to his/her client. He/she is a facilitator to enable the client to discover the path on which to travel. When people come to an orthodox rabbi, they expect him to have a definite opinions and preconceived conclusions regarding many issues based upon the Jewish law halacha). People come to social workers expecting them to have a open mind and tune into where the client is at. Despite the tensions, conflicts and values inherent in the demands of the different professions, the MSW is an invaluable set of skills which does enhance the counseling challenges and demands confronting today's rabbi and the clergy in general."

--Rabbi Tessler

Jewish Certificate Program Offers Seminars in Financial Resource Development

If one program is attracting a lot of buzz this year, it's the Certificate in Jewish Communal Service program, under the capable direction of Saul Andron. Dr. Andron seems tireless in his efforts to make this program exceptional!

This month students working toward the certificate attended the first of a series of Financial Resource Development Seminars, four three-hour seminars on the nuts-and-bolts of running successful capital campaigns, writing proposals, building relationships with donors, and establishing planned-giving programs and endowments: the kind of subjects one normally associates with a business school rather than a school of social work.

Dr. Andron told the "What's New" blog...

Today’s Jewish non-profits face increasing competition for donor support and loyalty. Professionals will be expected to generate financial resources for their organizations. Jewish communal professionals are going to have to build FRD into their professional skills set.

Each seminar features an experienced senior professional from Yeshiva University’s Department of Institutional Advancement. For the first seminar, Daniel T. Forman, Yeshiva University's Vice President for Institutional Advancement, provided insights about fund-raising for a major university.

Panel Discusses Dilemma of Homosexuals in the Orthodox Jewish Community

On March 5, members of JQ Youth, a support group for young gay and lesbian religious Jews, addressed a packed conference to talk about what and who helped them come to terms with their plight as active members of a community which opposes their sexual preference.

Guest speakers, Chasya, Justin, and Mordechai, described their experiences consulting with rabbis, social workers, and therapists throughout the years as they tried to reconcile being both gay and Orthodox. Some of these encounters were extremely frustrating and hurtful, ending with rejection or condemnation. Those that were more fruitful took place when their advisors employed social work skills and sensitivities.

For example, a turning point in Justin’s life came when an Orthodox rabbi, while not sanctioning homosexuality, talked with Justin about possible life paths he might take as a gay, Jewishly observant man.

After the presentation, Dr. Norman Linzer, who teaches Values and Ethics, noted that those who were able to help Chasya, Justin, and Mordechai, “acted as good social workers, starting where the client was at, with the situation that was presented to them.”

The seminar was organized by Glenn Taylor, ’08.

Thanks to Robert Liebowitz for this post.

Student Forum on Internet Practice

Have you ever wondered about the opportunities for social workers to use their practice and organizational skills through the Internet? While the Internet has revolutionized professional and social discourse in recent years, little attention has been given to how new technologies can be integrated into practice.

On March 19th, the faculty Bioethics Committee and the Student Government Association sponsored “Social Work Ethics and Technology Practice,” to illustrate innovative strategies and the special ethical dilemmas such practices may create. This mini-conference was offered free to all Wurzweiler students along with a buffet lunch (kosher, naturally!)

Prof. Gary Stein, chair of the Bioethics Committee, moderated a panel that included:

• Richard Hara, MSSW, Ph.D., who directs Cancer Care’s on-line services, including a message board, supportive “chat” among group members, and information and referral.


• Elizabeth Zelvin, LCSW, a clinical social worker who has counseled clients from around the world since 2000 through her website, http://www.lzcybershrink.com/.


• David Wasserman, JD, MA, the Director of Research for the Center for Ethics at Yeshiva University, who asked prodding questions to highlight ethical and practice concerns.

Discussion reinforced the value of the Internet as yet another powerful intervention for helping clients, especially clients who may be challenged by traditional face-to-face strategies because of distance, illness, or disability. Service is also enhanced for clients who prefer using the “narrative” to communicate, or who may benefit from services that can be provided at any time or place. Clients may appreciate being able to review their social worker’s words whenever support would be helpful. However, ethical concerns, such as confidentiality and security, are ever-present. In addition, new territory is being charted here. Which jurisdiction’s licensing laws govern technology practice, where the social worker is based or where the client receives the message? The regulation of Internet practices is a new concern, and one that will debated in the upcoming years as a growing number of professionals enter this practice arena and as the technology further evolves.

Organizational Structure of the American Jewish Community Course Goes Real-time Big-time

What better way to learn about the history, development, and organizational dynamics of a growing Jewish community than by partnering with it!

Case in point: the Jewish community of Atlanta Georgia, a community which has grown in population by over 60% in the past decade and now ranks as the 11th largest Jewish community in North America.

This Fall, students working for their certificate in Jewish Communal Services contracted with the Greater Atlanta Jewish Federation to examine historical, demographic and Jewish engagement trends and developments, as well as the organizational structure of this community.

Students were provided access to federation planning and governance reports, financial resource development plans, and the data of the recent population study. Phone mentoring sessions were held between students and senior professionals of the federation, where the dynamics of change were closely investigated and strategies for serving the community brain-stormed.

But the highlight of the process was the private face-to-face meeting with the Greater Atlanta Jewish Federation delegation to the United Jewish Communities annual General Assembly, which took place this past November in Nashville, TN. Certificate students heard presentations from the chief volunteer and professional officers of the Federation about the community and its needs and challenges. The students engaged members of the delegation in lively small groups, after which they met separately with the professionals of the federation to discuss job and career opportunities in Atlanta.

Upon return from Nashville, the students completed the assigned written projects and collaborated on a final document about their impressions of the community and their experience working with the Federation. The final product was submitted to the professional leadership of the Federation and was received with great appreciation and enthusiasm. As noted by the Federation’s chief professional officer Steve Rackitt:

I have read all of the material. Please express my admiration and appreciation to the students who worked on the Atlanta project. The overview papers were excellent and I was particularly impressed with the Impressions and Recommendations document. The observations were astute and recommendations excellent. We are implementing many of them already, and I was truly impressed with the fact that the students are sitting 1,000 miles away, yet were able to capture some of the most important challenges and issues facing our community, structure and direction.

Thanks to Dr. Saul Andron for this post!