Domestic violence. Gun violence. Sexual assault. Family abuse. The statistics are staggering. Jewish Women International (JWI) has worked for decades to break the cycle of violence against women - from college campuses to faith communities to Capitol Hill. 

Network Member Agencies are working to raise awareness surrounding domestic violence during the pandemic and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this October. Shari Bloomberg, LCSW, Clinical Director, Domestic Violence Services at Jewish Family Service of MetroWest NJ wrote an op-ed published in the New Jersey Patch offering advice, "How To Help NJ Domestic Violence Victims In COVID-19 Era."

"When the initial call for a statewide, if not a nationwide shutdown occurred, it was a shock. It was inconceivable to think that agencies could be closed for weeks, if not longer. As difficult a thought as that was for Jewish Family Service of MetroWest NJ (JFS), that was the tip of the iceberg for many of our clients who were faced with an even greater challenge. While we were told to stay at home to be "safe", such an order would have the opposite effect on those experiencing domestic violence."

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a time to recognize the often overlooked talents that people with disabilities bring to the workforce. This is a year of milestone anniversaries for the disability community as we celebrate 30 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act and 75 years of NDEAM. This year's NDEAM theme, "increasing access and opportunity," reflects the impact of these two milestones.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy offers a range of resources to help employers and organizations plan NDEAM observances, including a poster; social media content; activity ideas for each day of the month; and sample articles, press release, and proclamation.

In a busy week last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the availability of $20 billion more in provider relief funding and another extension of the Public Health Emergency (PHE) for 90 more days to run until January 21st. Doing so will permit the continuation of a number of important emergency authorities, such as the broad expansion of Medicare and Medicaid-covered telehealth.

Continue reading here.



NJHSA and Yedidut Toronto are co-hosting a 3-session introduction to the Headway model for helping families in financial distress attain self-sufficiency. Since 2012, the program has shown great success, with 67% of families reducing the gap between their income and expenses, and 55% of families increasing their income by at least 20%. It has been adapted to address the needs of families that have been severely impacted by COVID-19. This training series will provide Headway methods, tools, and case studies that will enable you to assess how it can work for your team. You will gain a clear picture of how Headway helps families achieve financial stability while improving their family synergy. After completion of these three sessions, we are offering personal mentoring in how to integrate Headway into your organizational structure. The cost is $120. Learn more here.

NJHSA, with generous funding support from a prominent national foundation, announced an opportunity for Network U.S. member agencies in good standing to apply for funding to support capacity building and/or capital purchases/improvement to address the needs of those struggling with issues of food insecurity related to the impact of COVID-19. Executives are welcome to invite whomever they feel is appropriate from their agency to attend. The call will be recorded and shared in the Network's Resource Library. Click here to learn more about the funding opportunity. 

Tuesday, October 13th | 11am ET | REGISTER

Monday, October 19th | 2pm ET | REGISTER

 Thursday, October 15th | 5pm ET | REGISTER

NJHSA member agency executives and senior level staff are invited to "A BYO Gathering," an offering of the 2020 Executives' Networking Forum. So, put down the pen, let down your hair and plan to meet virtually on Thursday October 15th for 90 minutes of renewal and rejuvenation as we begin the new year of 5781 together. In lieu of our past Biltmore fireside chats, we will be hopping to various break out rooms, with our BYO goodies, to mingle, share laughs, learn more about each other, and have fun. Learn more and register here.

Wednesday, October 28th | 1-3pm ET | REGISTER

Join us for the Closing Webinar to learn about the results of this process. Highlighting important opportunities to build on the collective strength of our Human Service Agencies, especially in uncertain times, is the most important outcome of our scenario planning process. Register and learn more here.

On Thursday, October 22nd at 3pm ET NJHSA will hold the third training offered in the TeleMental Health 2.0 Training Series - Managing Risk - Managing My Two Identities: Mental Health Expert and Zoom Expert. There is no question that mental health professionals want to provide the same standard of care virtually as they do during their face-to-face sessions.  This training will explore some of the unique challenges of a virtual platform, in terms of both the client and the clinician. . Learn more about the remaining trainings here. Please contact Megan to register.

NEW Blog Commentary

In today’s world there is even more pressure on local communities to creatively tackle their own problems. While successes have been highlighted including social innovations like microfinance, we need to look at addressing the operational challenges of bringing about meaningful change in ways that community-based organizations can increasingly create more valuable social innovations with greater frequency. Continuing reading the blog here.

Crafting or Re-Crafting Your Intervention(s)

Presented by Ta’amod | Hosted by the Human Resources Affinity Group

Tuesday, October 13th | 1pm ET | REGISTER

With the new COVID-19 virtual and in-office landscape, our workplaces have become more challenging to navigate. Ta’amod has been established as a national response to support Jewish communal organizations with this effort. Explore workplace culture and respect through a Jewish lens, discussing the values which guide the missions of NJHSA member agencies. Learn the identifying factors of safe, respectful workplace culture, warning signs, and barriers in different working environments. Discover and engage with skills and tools we can use to become active bystanders and bring this work into our professional environments and communal spaces to help our agencies and all who work or engage with them develop cultures of safety, respect, and equity.

Wednesday, October 14th | 4pm ET | REGISTER

Join your colleagues to discuss virtual events. Hear from a panel of peers who will share the decisions they made and the process they went through to determine how to plan and host a you delete virtual event. See which platforms were chosen and why. Learn about the pitfalls uncovered and what to try and avoid. 

Thursday, October 15th | 2pm ET | REGISTER

Presented by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance

Monday, October 19th | 1pm ET | REGISTER

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a sudden, massive need for trustworthy digital inclusion support, while at the same time making it impossible to use shared spaces to meet that need, such as face-to-face classes and public computer labs. We need to thoughtfully expand the digital inclusion field to meet this need. Join the call and learn what digital inclusion and equity are, and how we support practitioners.

Co-Sponsored by the European Council of Jewish Communities

Tuesday, October 20th | 11am ET | REGISTER

ECJC and NJHSA invite you to the third transatlantic zoom session with the goal of sharing expertise and best practice from both sides of the Atlantic in delivering mental health services virtually. The transition to virtual service delivery for mental health services in response to COVID has revolutionized the manner in which this traditional “face to face service” is offered. Hear from two mental health professionals leading their Jewish communities through this transition. Topics to be covered will include the technical, legal, clinical and financial implications, as well as the impact on therapists and thoughts on how this transition has affected the stigma often associated with accessing care. ​You will have the chance of joining both sessions, and to have time to discuss challenges of your services with both speakers. 

Closing Webinar for NJHSA Scenario Planning | An Offering of the 2020 Executives’ Networking Forum

The Network signed on to Jewish Communal Statement Denouncing White Supremacy. Jews as a people have a long history of being singled out, stigmatized, and blamed without basis during times of societal crisis. The Jewish community is not alone in experiencing these stigma. In times of great fear, uncertainty and unrest, the demonization of the other has had the capacity to encourage extreme violence fueled by bigotry, racism, hatred and antisemitism. Knowing the perilous reality of incitement compels us to call on all people and particularly all leaders to reject white supremacy and right-wing extremism.

October 15th marks the last day that individuals can file for their federal stimulus payments (officially known as Economic Impact Payments, or EIPs) of up to $1,200 for individuals and $2,400 for married couples for this tax year. We are encouraging state and local health and human service agencies and community leaders to launch a final outreach push to eligible individuals, especially to communities that have reported issues with receiving the payments.

Jewish Disability Advocacy Month (JDAM), JFNA's premier disability event for the year will be transformed into a month-long virtual experience. During JDAM, JFNA will host a series of weekly online programs and networking sessions throughout February that will culminate in a week of advocacy programming. We will feature local programming on the Jewish Together website. We hope that you and your clients will participate in this amazing new endeavor. A critical component of JDAM will be collecting stories and testimonials from clients about how your agencies have helped clients achieve goals and maximum independence. Please begin to think of clients that have a good story to tell and send their stories to Aaron by October 16th.

The National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty's work to end Jewish poverty and address the many hardships this pandemic has caused is a marathon, not a sprint, so self-care is critical! Click here to learn about what the Jewish Funders Network has in store for October 2020 including a webinar presented by Dana Gold, COO of JFCS Pittsburgh, who has created a powerful new tool to raise awareness about poverty.

Join the Council On Accreditation (COA) for their highly popular Intensive Accreditation Training (IAT) and Performance and Quality Improvement (PQI) trainings, now available virtually. The COA Speaks Series: Overcoming Resistance and Fostering a Culture of Evaluation will cover program evaluation and continuous quality improvement, which are essential to effective human service delivery, but achieving staff buy-in and maintaining engagement in a continuous evaluation process can be a challenge. Due to continued strong interest, COA is again hosting their live virtual Introduction to COA webinars for organizations interested in accreditation. Learn more here.

Tuesday, October 13th | 12pm ET | REGISTER

Thursday, October 15th | 1pm ET | REGISTER

The National Alzheimer's and Dementia Resource Center (NADRC) is hosting a free webinar series on COVID-19 and dementia. Each webinar will focus on organizations that have pivoted their service delivery systems to continue serving and supporting people living with dementia and their caregivers during the pandemic.

Monday, October 19th | 2pm ET | REGISTER

Two providers will discuss how their organizations used innovative approaches to ensure people living with dementia continue to receive needed services through traditional means during COVID-19. Nevada Senior Services adult day center has remained open, providing services at two locations. Ventura County Area Agency on Aging adjusted home delivered meals to include all clients who live alone with dementia and those with intellectual disabilities and dementia. Learn more here.

Monday, October 19th | 7pm EDT | REGISTER

In partnership with Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) of Greater Boston and the Religious Action Center (RAC) of Reform Judaism, the Vilna Shul is proud to present a “fireside” type conversation between two long-time colleagues, friends and racial justice leaders that promises, as Rabbi Pesner states, to go into the “hard, agitational places for deeper learning.” Learn more here.

MAZON | A Jewish Response to Hunger and WhyHunger are working with the Duke University World Food Policy Center to survey food access organizations throughout the US and the changes they have had to make due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are focusing on looking at shifting priorities, and programs as well as shifting perceptions of the food system and what it will take to end hunger in the US. If your agency manages any type of food service please consider completing this survey.

At this pivotal time for our community and communities everywhere, GA 2020 will bring our entire Jewish world together–from across backgrounds, political viewpoints and even continents–to enlighten, engage and inspire. Together, we’ll celebrate our accomplishments over these past tough months, examine our current challenges and work to ensure a strong, flourishing Jewish community. Today. Tomorrow. And for generations to come. Learn more here.

The Access to Power Fellowship is a new virtual seven-month organizing fellowship for Jewish young adults with disabilities (ages 20-39). Open to both professional and volunteer organizers who live anywhere, with any kind of disability, the Access to Power Fellowship will support emerging Jewish organizers with disabilities to take their leadership to the next level through training and coaching. This opportunity is brought to you by JOIN for Justice in partnership with Sins Invalid, National Council on Independent Living, and Detroit Disability Power. Jews of color with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply. Please spread the word! Click here to learn more, sign up for the info call on October 6th, and apply by November 6th.

A listing of open positions at member agencies can be found here.

Non-members may post positions for 60 days for a fee. Email Megan to learn more.