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. Please register by Wednesday, October 7th. Learn more here.

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.

On October 1st more than 50 member agency professionals will gather virtually for the Network's TeleMental Health Training - Virtual Supervision and Student Training. Participants will examine elements of offering supervision to staff and students through the use of virtual technology. Offering this modality for training and supervision requires identification of the clinician and/or trainee’s abilities, but also their technological competency. Competencies and barriers will be discussed. Learn more about the remaining trainings here. Please contact Megan to register.

NEW Blog Commentary

Typically, we spend time having organizations think through risk before they launch new programs, services, and business models; and this should happen several times each year throughout the lifetime of the business. It was one thing to do a competitive analysis or an assessment of the ecosystem, which covers specific threats, it's another to plan for things that could score a fatal blow to the program or the organization itself. The below link to the article “The Startup Entrepreneur’s Guide to Risk Management,” does a great job of outlining this from the nuisance risks, ignorable risks, insurable risks, and especially the company killers (in this case program killers). I really like the fact that the article recommends organizing your program killers into a table that outlines what you are up against and what specifically you're going to do about it. Continue reading here.

Crafting or Re-Crafting Your Intervention(s) (webinar #3) 

Assessing the Value Delivery System (webinar #2) was presented on Wednesday, September 2nd. View the presentation here. Watch the presentation here.

2020 Election and COVID-19: How Your Agency Can Engage Voters and Mobilize Communities

Tuesday, September 29th | 3pm ET | REGISTER

Hosted by NJHSA & ECJC | Sponsored by the Claims Conference

Wednesday, September 30th | 11am ET | REGISTER

NJHSA and ECJC are happy to invite you to the Second Transatlantic Zoom Session with the goal of sharing expertise and best practice from both sides of the Atlantic in the care of Shoah Survivors during COVID. COVID-19 has hit the whole world and our communities have not been exempt from damage. Now, even if services are in different stages of dealing with the pandemic, we invite you to join a discussion with colleagues from Europe, Israel, US and Canada to understand what we have learnt from responding to this crisis. You will have the chance of joining both sessions, and to have time to discuss challenges of your services with both speakers.

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

Tuesday, October 13th | 1pm ET | REGISTER

Since the rise of the #MeToo movement, research and investigative reporting have shown that there is much to be done to eliminate this painful reality in the Jewish communal world. With the new COVID-19 virtual and in-office landscape, our workplaces have become more challenging to navigate. The holistic approach to response and prevention is to proactively create safe, respectful workplace culture in our agencies. Learn more here.

We hope that you will take a few minutes to complete this brief survey by Monday, October 5th. Your input is critical to ensure that this document accurately represents the needs of our member agencies. Click here to review NJHSA's 2020 Public Policy Agenda. Please be in touch with NJHSA Washington Representative Darcy Hirsh with any questions.

ACT NOW!

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.

Advocate - Sign this petition and add your voice to the thousands of American Jews calling on the Trump administration to return our annual refugee admissions goal to the historic annual average of 95,000 for 2021.

Read - Download a special reading to utilize if you are leading High Holiday services this year or as a source of personal inspiration during your High Holiday observances.

Reflect - For our volunteers, advocates, activists, and leaders, consider using these 10 questions to reflect on your work in support of refugees and asylum in the year now ending and your hopes for the year to come.

Last week the Claims Conference released the first ever 50-State survey on Holocaust Knowledge of American Millennials and Gen Z and the results are alarming. Almost two-thirds of young American adults do not know that 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, and more than one in 10 believe Jews caused the Holocaust, a new survey has found, revealing shocking levels of ignorance about the greatest crime of the 20th century. Continue reading here.

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 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.

There is no doubt the High Holidays 5781 will look drastically different this year. While we are not celebrating together physically, we hope by sharing these resources, we can help bring the global Jewish community together in spirit if not in person. A conversation on mental health can bring forth powerful connections with the potential to save someone’s life. To help start people talking, We are happy to share resources created by the Blue Dove Foundation for individuals to reflect upon and improve their own mental health as well as to contribute to the mental wellness of the Jewish Community as we look forward to a sweet new year. View resources at:

Avodah released its first Racial Justice Guide, which provides a roadmap for Jewish organizations and institutions to pursue internal change at all levels and create diverse, equitable and inclusive cultures, especially for Jews of Color, who are under-represented in Jewish community leadership. As we approach the High Holidays and turn our focus inward, we hope this guide will be a useful tool for other Jewish organizations just beginning this work. The guide was designed to be a living resource and will be updated on an on-going basis with new learnings. Together, we can create stronger and more inclusive organizations that represent the diversity and breadth of Jewish life.

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.

FederationTogether - October 25th - 7pm ET/4pm PT

JewishTogether - October 26th - 1:30pm ET/10:30am PT

Here For is a free resource, created to help you and your community celebrate in a way that feels right to you. Think of this as a tool for organizing gatherings, (online or safely socially distanced) for your family, friends, neighbors, congregation… Here For has a collection of curated content - how tos, downloadable guides, even recipes to support you. Learn more here. #Herefor

Monday, September 28th | 2-3:30pm ET | REGISTER

This webinar series will address important topics for public health and health care professionals, aging services organizations, the research community, and other stakeholders in aging. The series is a joint project of four of the federal agencies that support the health and wellness of older adults in our country: the Administration for Community Living, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the National Institute on Aging. Learn more here.

Monday, September 28th | 2:00-3:30pm ET | REGISTER

There’s strength in numbers! Through Rise, a new initiative from Jewish Federations and JPRO Network for furloughed and laid-off Jewish community professionals, we’ve compiled resources to help strengthen your resilience alongside other Jewish community workers.

💪JewishTogether.org/Rise/Personal-Resilience-Resources #Jewish Together

Want to put your passions into action? The Jewish Service Alliance presents Serve the Moment. Serve the Moment Corps Members will spend 12 hours/week elevating their professional skills and accelerating their personal growth through virtual and in-person service with trusted partners. Serve the Moment Corps Members will volunteer while learning and reflecting with their peers through trainings led by national leaders in the field. There will be an intentional focus on social inequities, systemic injustices (racial, food, and education), and addressing urgent needs through meaningful service rooted in Jewish values. Apply today or nominate a changemaker in your community. Serve the Moment’s Fall Service Corps will take place from September 30th-December 11th.

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.