T H E INSIDER JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE p\/_ JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE & RESETTLEMENT SERVICE FALL 1993 • EXPANDING OUR HORIZONS TO SERVE YOUR NEEDS • ,IFS ESTABLISHES MEDICAL CARE FUND Jewish Family Service has announced that Michele Landgarten was named the first recipient of the newly established ES Medical Care Emergency Fund. The Fund has been established to provide resources for medical expenses associated with chronically ill individuals. Contributions to the Fund will provide 25m ANNUAL VOLUNTEER INsiTrun DAY their 25th Annual Volunteer Institute Day, Jewish Family Service and Resettlement Service jointly spon- sored an in-service panel discussion on the topic, "Life's Final Choice." The panelists included: Diane Czlonka, R.N., M.S., a clinical nurse specialist who discussed the medical and moral issues involved in determining when and how to die; Boaz Siegel, Professor Emeritus, Wayne State University Law School, who addressed the legal issues of this topic and how they are changing; and Rabbi E.B. Freedman of the Jewish Hospice Program of the Hospice of Southeastern Michigan, who discussed the impact of Jewish law upon this issue. The Volunteer Institute Day is an annual in- service training seminar designed to provide agency volunteers with a unique and mean- ingful learning experience. JFS and RS wish to thank all the panelists for their valu- able contribution toward demystifing this difficult subject. For information about agency volunteer opportunities, please con- tact Elina Zilberberg, Program Manager, Volunteer Services Department at 559-1500. monies to pay for medical facilities and related expenses. Eligibility for designated recipients will be determined by JFS follow- ing an assessment of medical/psychological needs and the availability of other resources. When funds are so designated, the recipi- ent and/or recipient's family will be able to direct where the funds should be applied, as long as they are used specifically to pay for the medical care of the designee. No pay- ments will be made directly to the family and/or designee from this Fund. Monies contributed to the JFS Medical Care SAFE PLACE Over 250 community leaders attended the September 20th dedication of SAFE PLACE, a single family shelter for battered Jewish women and children. The program featured Ellen Ledley, LCSW, Director, Family Violence Project of Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles and co-author of Shalom Bayit: A Guide for a Jewish Response to Child Abuse and Domestic Violence. Murray Feldman, News Correspondent for TV 2, served as the mod- erator for the program. Violence occurs in Jewish families as often as in the general population. Studies say that domestic violence exists in 15 to 19 percent of Jewish homes in this country. "The Jewish community has been slow to acknowledge that domestic violence is a sig- nificant Jewish problem," said Ledley. She stressed that "myths, stereotypes, sexism and the history of the Jewish people discourage battered Jewish women from seeking help. The reluctance of Jewish victims to speak out, coupled with denial in the Jewish com- munity, perpetuates the myth that domestic violence does not exist." Emergency Fund will supplement available financial assistance funds within the agency. TS hopes that by publicizing the needs of local individuals, others will be encouraged to donate to the Fund. Contributions can be made in memory of Michele Landgarten or to the Fund in general. For information about the Fund or to help someone you know, please call Reuben Rotman, IFS Director of Community Resource Development at 559-1500. Is DEDICATED The establishment of SAFE PLACE repre- sents the commitment of the metropolitan Detroit Jewish community to assist Jewish victims of abuse. SAFE PLACE is now an integral part of WINDOWS, a non-sectarian family violence prevention program, devel- oped by Jewish Family Service in 1987. Co- sponsored by Jewish Family Service and the National Council of Jewish Women - Greater Detroit Section, SAFE PLACE pro- vides a secure, supportive environment for Jewish women and children at risk. It is the only shelter in Michigan able to accomodate strictly kosher families. "The goal of SAFE PLACE is to help women explore options and develop coping skills through counseling while away from the battering situation," said Sandra Jaffa, Supervisor, JFS WINDOWS Program. Safety and confidentiality are key compo- nents of the program and ensure that the shelter is truly a SAFE PLACE for battered Jewish women. For information about SAFE PLACE or the WINDOWS Program, please call Sandra Jaffa at 559-1500. SAFE PLACE DEDICATION REACHES OUT The official dedication activities for the opening of SAFE PLACE were enhanced with a professional seminar which focused on domestic violence within the Jewish community. The seminar, co-sponsored by Jewish Family Service, the Haven in Pontiac and Safe House of Ann Arbor, was held on September 20 at JFS in Southfield. Approximately 30 representatives of sec- ular shelters joined together to understand the needs and special concerns of Jewish women. "We would like to establish ties with those who work within the domestic violence community," said Sandra Jaffa, Supervisor JFS WINDOWS Program. "We also want to share our knowledge about Jewish domestic violence. There are things that are specific to Jewish women that sometimes make it more difficult to leave a violent situation." The seminar featured a presentation by Ellen Ledley, LCSW. Ms. Ledley was the keynote speaker at the dedication cere- monies later that evening. She is the Director of the Family Violence Project of Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles. Her presentation was entitled: "Creating Shelter . ..Breaking the Silence: Domestic Violence in the Jewish Community". JFS and the National Council of Jewish Women - Greater Detroit Section, co-spon- sors of SAFE PLACE hope the profession- al seminar and the dedication ceremony which followed, served to make the secular community, as well as the Jewish commu- nity, aware that SAFE PLACE exists as an altemative, primarily for Jewish women and children. • THE INSIDER • JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE RESETTLEMENT SERVICE 24123 Greenfield Road Southfield, MI 48075 Phone: 313-559-1500 JFS Branch Office: 6960 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 202 West Bloomfield, MI 48322 Phone: 313-737-5055 Alan Goodman Executive Director Margaret Weiner Associate Executive Director Reuben D. Rotman Director Community Resource Development Susan Ulanoff Donations Liaison Barbara Cook and Helen Shevin, Co- Chairpersons, SAFE PLACE Steering Committee and Ellen Ledley. Left to right: Ann Zousmer, NCJW President, Alan Goodman, JFS Executive Director, Ellen Ledley, Murray Feldman, Janice Shatzman, JFS President 24123 GREENFIELD ROAD, SOU -F1IFIELD, NII 48075 • 6%0 OlidlIARD L.--‘1 ■ E ROAD, SUITE 202,NvEsT BLOONIFiFilb, \II 4-022'