Holiday celebrations, in general, bring the complex nature of family into stark relief. For those of us in child welfare, Mother’s Day embodies that complexity perhaps more than any other day. On the one hand, the nature of our work is defined by family disruptions,...
Dear JCCA Colleagues, As I reflect on 2017, I am more appreciative than ever of you, our JCCA staff members, who continue to devote yourselves to the highest quality of care for our children and families. While we cannot predict what the future holds, I am optimistic...
The Jewish holiday of Chanukah began last night. Known as the festival of lights, Chanukah celebrates a miracle from 167 BCE, when the Maccabee freedom fighters’ only supply of pure oil, enough to light the temple for one night, lasted for eight. This year, if we...
We know too well the hardships of not having a loving family or enough food to eat throughout the year and especially during the holidays. Indeed, we work to build and strengthen families and to make sure children are safe, nurtured, and nourished. On Thanksgiving,...
On Sunday evening, a gunman opened fire on an outdoor concert in Las Vegas, killing at least 59 people and wounding hundreds more. It is the deadliest mass shooting in our nation’s recent history, and a horrifying tragedy. Our hearts go out to the families who lost...
In a city as large and diverse as New York, we all know someone affected by recent natural disasters across the Caribbean, Florida, Texas, and Mexico. All of us are concerned for our JCCA colleagues who are heartbroken with worry for their parents, grandparents,...
Rosh Hashanah, which begins tonight at sundown, and Yom Kippur are once again upon us. We commence the ten days that culminate on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year — the Day of Atonement. During this period, Jews reflect on their actions during the past...
Reaching out when we need each other most As we prepared to send a message to share our deep concerns about the Trump Administration’s decision earlier this week to rescind DACA, dramatic natural disasters have overwhelmed our thoughts. So many people all across our...
As we know from the Race Consciousness work we do at JCCA, racism is not limited to nasty epithets, white hoods, and yellow stars. It can also manifest itself in subtle ways. But when institutionalized intolerance creates space for individual hate, it is...
Dear JCCA Colleagues, Father's Day is a complex holiday, not only for our clients, but for many of us as well. For some, it's a joyful opportunity to celebrate the father figures in our lives. For others, just like Mother's Day, it can be a painful reminder of those...