CONNECTIONS News and information for a Jewish community that includes individuals with disabilities and special needs Vol. 5, No.1 Pittsburgh, PA Winter 2015 Agency Spotlight: New Home for Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Friendship Circle Grant to ELI Supports Meaningful Child on Horizon for Protection Efforts in Israel This Year By Ilene Rinn Lately it seems that news of child ELI focuses specifically and solely on abuse is splashed across the the prevention, protection, and treat- By Rachael Shockey headlines. We've all heard horror ment of children who are abused or stories about children abused by at risk, and on prevention of abuse A major expansion project is on the a trusted and loved family member. What through public awareness and training. horizon for The Friendship Circle about the stories that are not reported? The organization has touched the lives of of Pittsburgh. Founded by Rabbi What can we do if a child can't speak for thousands since its inception in 1979. Last Mordy and Rivkee Rudolph in 2006, themselves or has a disability that prevents year alone, ELI received 7,800 calls from the organization provides program- them from speaking out? abused children, provided therapy for ming that pairs teen volunteers 4,000 abused children and thousands more In Israel, the Israel Association for Child with youth with special needs. More parents, siblings, and other family mem- Protection—known as ELI—provides much bers. ELI houses 15 children per day in an than 100 programs are offered each needed services for this population. year, including holiday celebrations, emergency shelter. physical fitness activities, a cooking Dr. Hanita Zimrin, its club, outings for older youth, Friends founder and chairper- More than 90,000 school children in Israel At Home visits, and volunteer oppor- son, recently traveled have participated in one or more of ELI's tunities for young adults. The goals here from Israel to meet 1,000 outreach and abuse prevention pro- of these programs are to promote with Jewish Federation grams. From these programs, 1,200 cases inclusion, cultivate social skills, of Greater Pittsburgh of abuse were disclosed that no one knew teach teens the value of community planning professionals to about. New prevention programs address involvement, and strengthen the discuss the impact of an the threats and dangers of online sexual Jewish and greater communities by overseas block grant from the federation to predators, and educate parents on preven- creating lasting friendships. help fund a mobile clinical unit that treated tion measures. close to 4,000 abused children and their Continued on pg 6 “The Jewish Federation of Greater Pitts- families last year. The unit allows ELI to burgh's Overseas Funding Committee is respond immediately to emergency situa- committed to supporting such impactful tions, and provide treatment and services in organizations,” said Laurie Moser, who In this Issue: remote, underserved areas. cochairs the Federation's Israel and World Rabbi’s Message & Studies show that the risk of abuse for Jewry Commission. Focus on the Family page 2 children with special needs is nine to ten times higher than for typical children. At “Dr. Zimrin and her staff continue to do the same time, children in the special needs innovative work to transform the lives of JCC’s Teen Center these children and bring much needed at- After-School Program page 3, 4 population are less equipped to report abuse, and when they do, no one believes tention to this issue in Israel.” them. The first child ELI treated, Dr. Zimrin To learn more about ELI, visit AIM Program said, had significant hearing impairment. www.eli-usa.org/about-eli/ on Employment Supports page 5 Her father sexually assaulted her. She told her teacher, who didn't listen. She told her Calendar of Events pages 6, 7 mother, who didn't listen, either. When she Ilene Rinn is the senior manager of planning and met with the ELI social worker, she said, allocations at the Jewish Federation of Greater "And they say that I'm the deaf one!" Pittsburgh Rabbi’s Message: A Little Light Dispels a Lot of Darkness About Connections By Rabbi Moishe Mayir Vogel Connections newsletter is Our Rabbis teach us: As each day we are required to observe many com- mandments, never to transgress. So, too, is it important and necessary to set published by a consortium of aside time to think of our children and close friends, to infuse them also with six agencies with the mission yiddishkiet, that they should appreciate the light of Torah, observe another of encouraging, supporting mitzvah, and grow and be pillars of light in the community. and recognizing the inclusion The winter months are a great time to bring warmth to our children. As it is of individuals with disabilities cold and dark outside, our homes, therefore, have to be beacons of light, and be bright and in all aspects of Jewish life in warm. The same applies spiritually. The world is a cold and dark place. Evil things happen the Pittsburgh community. everywhere, terrorist attacks on our brethren in France, evil in the Mideast, etc. We have the tools to combat that evil, by dispelling the darkness with light. We do that by learning Torah Connections also provides and doing mitzvahs with joy and enthusiasm. information about a wide range of resources for individuals with A little light dispels a lot of darkness. By bringing light into the darkest places, G-d is enabling us to overpower and win the battle of good over evil. Women lighting Shabbos candles, men disabilities and their families. putting on teffilin, dispel negative forces and darkness, and we win the battle of good over evil. Best wishes for a warm and bright winter Rabbi Moishe Mayir Vogel is executive director of the Aleph Institute CONNECTIONS c/o Jewish Residential Services Focus on the Family: 4905 Fifth Ave., Suite 3 Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Strategies for Coping with Mental Illness 412-325-0039 By Linda Marino [email protected] I am sitting in my office. A parent is relating • Is the individual seeing a health care/ her story while choking back tears. Her son, mental health professional? How are the EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: in his early 20s, has a mental illness. He relationships between the professional cannot look for work or live on his own so he and the individual, and between the Liza Baron fills his time playing games on his computer. professional and family members? Jewish Community Center Sometimes, because of his mental illness, Ilene Rinn he is verbally abusive. In my role at Jewish • Are potentially beneficial therapies Jewish Federation Family & Children’s Service, I often meet (including psychotherapy and medication) of Greater Pittsburgh people like his mom. Someone they love available? Is the individual using them? has a mental illness and family doesn’t know Vita Nemirovsky • If you answered “no” to any of the above what to do. Agency for Jewish Learning questions, what barriers are preventing the individual from accessing appropriate Rivkee Rudolph Due to the complexity of this particular services? The Friendship Circle family's situation, I consulted with Wendy Levin-Shaw, a therapist at JF&CS. She Linda Marino Medication has many years of experience working Sometimes individuals who take Jewish Family & Children’s Service with clients and their families. During our of Pittsburgh medications choose to stop taking them discussion, it became clear that there are for a variety of reasons, often creating Deborah Friedman universal positive steps families can take to tension between the individual and Jewish Residential Services remedy such situations. Keep in mind, there family members. When this happens, it is is no "right road" for every family. Here is a important for everyone to communicate Linda Lewis summary of our conversation regarding this Jewish Residential Services openly and respectfully so they can issue. find needed support and decide how Reality check to move forward. Be sure to include the EDITOR: person’s strengths and challenges in the Patti Murphy Before you do anything, explore what is possible. Some questions to consider: conversation. The next steps depend on what they’re capable of, with or without • How is the individual with mental health medication. Consider, too, whether they issues functioning? Has there been a recent may benefit from a medication change. change or are the difficulties long-standing? Continued on pg 5 2 It’s Never Just Another Day at JCC’s Dynamic Afternoon Teen Center By Patti Murphy People of all ages, backgrounds and life- treated like an old friend as participants with day trips to the aviary, the zoo, Carnegie styles look forward to whatever it is they do and staff plunged into the full yet unhurried Science Center, the Heinz History Center, to unwind after a day at school or work. The stream of social and recreational activities Frick Art and Historical Center and such. same goes for the dozen or so young folks planned for the next few hours. It started from across the city who go to the Teen with Buddy Time for doing puzzles and Center After-School Program at Squirrel playing board games to increase cognitive Hill’s Jewish Community Center—some skills. Such activities are interspersed with from their high schools, others from voca- conversations about work, pop music and tional training sites or jobs. In the midst of friends they hoped would come later. Then their transition to adult life, they all face it was off to the track and dance room for a daily hurdles related to physical, intellec- solid hour of movement and song complete tual, vision, hearing, or mild emotional and with lively renditions of “Zippity Doo-Dah,” behavioral challenges.