Jewish Communal Certificate Students Explore the Kehillah Partnership at The Bergen County JCC

Dr. Harold Benus, Executive Director of the Bergen County YJCC, in New Jersey, had an idea. Why not create a network of synagogue congregants who pay one fee for membership at a synagogue of their choice, and automatically gain access to programming at the Bergen County Y. Strengthen the Jewish community and save money at the same time. The Kehillah Partnership, he decided to call it.

When Dr. Saul Andron, director of the Certificate in Jewish Communal Service program heard about it, he decided it would be a perfect field trip for certificate students who were attending the summer Block program.

After a tour of the newly renovated facility, Dr. Benus and his staff (including Steven Mark, WSSW ‘08/Certificate in Jewish Communal Service), and the immediate past president of the agency described how they had developed the Kehillah Partnership and the experience during the pilot phase. Students learned firsthand about the challenges and complexities of this new collaborative model.

Dr. Benus acknowledged that the JCC movement is “not well” and that many JCCs haven’t adapted successfully to the changing needs and interests of individual Jews and families. He explained that there is fierce competition in the marketplace to attract members for leisure-time activities and that the entire Jewish communal system is experiencing cutbacks due to declining philanthropic support. With synagogues being the primary portal for many Jewish families and the one fee for multiple services model as the driving strategy, Dr. Benus hopes that community members will find the Kehillah Partnership an affordable way to participate in Jewish communal life.

Thanks to Rachel Neuman, our guest editor.

Two WSSW Students Present at Research Conference

Two Wurzweiler students, Lara Bolsom and Wendy Schudrich, presented posters at the annual Behavioral Science Research Day conference, co-sponsored by the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology and the Institute of Public Health Sciences. The conference took place on the 15th of May, on the campus of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Laurie J Bauman, Ph.D., a sociologist and Professor of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, was the guest speaker.

Ms. Schudrich used survey techniques to measure job satisfaction among 434 urban child welfare workers. She found that while most of the workers did not regret their career choice, child abuse prevention had not been their first preference. More than half the respondents had thought about leaving their jobs in the previous year, but more than 75 percent intended to stay. The four factors associated with looking for employment were contingent rewards, satisfaction with the nature of the work, pay, and perceptions of child welfare, in that order.

Ms. Bolsom presented a single-system research design that she had developed in Social Work Research and Evaluation (SWK 6401), a required course for all MSW students. She measured the efficacy of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) on a 29 year old female complaining of excessive negative thoughts. Using standard scales and a client log, she demonstrated that her own practice was effective in reducing the occurrence of negative thoughts for the client.

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.