SEPTEMBER 16 • 2021 | 25

stories to hundreds of 
people in the audience, 
knowing I played a role in 
getting these conversations 
out there really meant a lot 
to me,” Stone said. 
Even after leaving for 
college, UMatter’s mission 
never left Stone’s mind. 
Brecher and Stone’s 
donation will help UMatter 
programming continue 
impacting teens in the 
community.
“Jonah found 
a remarkable 
way to continue 
supporting 
UMatter’s 
programming 
and mission 
after high 
school,” said 
Friendship Circle Teen 
Director Rabbi Yarden 
Blumstein. 
“Mental health challenges 
are a major concern for 
college students. Jared 
and Jonah took UMatter’s 
mission on a college 
framework and started that 
important conversation on 
campus.”
The money raised will 
help many kids in need of 
counseling and emotional 
support. 
Even though Brecher 
doesn’t struggle with 

mental health, he realized 
that many of his fraternity 
brothers do when living in 
the AEPi house this past 
school year (2020-21). 
“At one point or another 
we’ve all hit an emotional 
wall, and the hats are a way 
of telling people they aren’t 
alone,” Brecher said. “So 
many of my friends have 
said that therapy has been 
great for their psyche.” 
In Brecher’s experiences, 
“people don’t talk about 
[mental health] enough, and 
quarantine forced people to 
spend much more time with 
their thoughts than they 
were prepared.
“I spent so much time 
with these guys that they 
just felt comfortable to 
open up at a certain point,” 
he added. “I’d say some 
of the most honest and 
meaningful conversations 
of my life came from my 
brothers when we lived in 
the house.” 

To support the cause, or for 

information about the UMatter 

program powered by the Andrew 

Kukes Foundation for Social 

Anxiety or Friendship Circle, call 

(248) 788-7878. If you or anyone 

else is thinking about suicide, you 

can contact the National Suicide 

Prevention Hotline at 998 or call 

1-800-273-8255. 

Rabbi 
Yarden 
Blumstein

Congregation Beth Shalom
The egalitarian Conservative Jewish presence 
in the Woodward Corridor

Chanu-Con! • Greenbaum Concert • Trivia Night
Cafe Shalom • Prime Time Players • Nelson Legacy Event
Yachad Religious School • Social Action Projects

Consider Yourself Home at Beth Shalom

14601 W. LINCOLN ROAD • OAK PARK, MI 48237
www.congbethshalom.org | 248.547.7970

Jewish Family Service Receives Grants 
from Zuckerman Klein Foundation

Jewish Family Service 
received two grants from 
the Zuckerman Klein 
Family Support Foundation, 
a part of the United Jewish 
Federation.
The Foundation has 
awarded JFS $100,000 to 
improve the quality of life 
of Holocaust survivors, 
leveraging funding from the 
Claims Conference Inc. and 
the Jewish Federations of 
North America to support 
services such as emergency 
financial assistance, home 
care and food assistance, 
as well as programming 
that addresses the issue 
of social isolation. This 
programming includes 
support groups, cognitive 
training, and connection to 
and training in technology 
such as iPads and Uniper, 
a telehealth and social 
engagement company that 
offers older adults access to 
social groups and wellness 
programming.
“We are honored to 
be a recipient of this 
funding,” says Yuliya 
Gaydayenko, JFS Chief 
Program Officer, Older 
Adult Services. “This grant 

enhances our ability to 
serve Holocaust survivors 
while also serving as a 
match for other funding 
sources, leveraging millions 
of dollars in funding for 
our community’s most 
vulnerable members.
The Foundation 
also awarded JFS with 
$65,000 toward school 
social workers. These JFS 
employees are based in 
area day schools to support 
students, parents and 
school staff. 
“In response to COVID, 
JFS increased the presence 
of our social workers in 
area day schools,” says 
Dini Peterson, JFS Chief 
Program Officer, Family 
and Community Services. 
“This grant from the 
Zuckerman Klein Family 
Support Foundation allows 
us to provide a higher level 
of support for students, 
especially in the areas of 
social skills, behavioral 
challenges, depression 
and anxiety. We’re looking 
forward to supporting 
students, parents and 
teachers for the coming 
school year.” 

JN 1/8 page

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