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Summer 2008 Newsletter

In this edition:

 

Our 60th Retreat!!!

JACS is fast approaching an extraordinary milestone: our 60th Retreat! Yes, the Fall, 2008 Retreat will be the 60th consecutive retreat that JACS has held, marking 30 years of serving Jews in recovery.

To mark this amazing accomplishment, JACS is planning a dynamic, fun-filled celebration. The retreat will be the weekend of October 31 through November 2, at the beautiful, modern Wyndham Princeton Forrestal Hotel and Conference Center in Princeton, New Jersey.

Located just one hour south of New York City, conveniently near Interstate 95, the Wyndham is newly renovated and well equipped. Our caterer will again be the fabulous Kenny Yager of Five Star Caterers! We're confident that this new facility will be fitting site for such a significant occasion.

We are inviting the wonderful rabbis who have supported and guided us, as well as the pioneering Council leaders and volunteers who have led JACS since its inception. The theme of this retreat will be "Adventures in Happy Medium Land: The Quest for Balance." Throughout the weekend, meetings and activities will focus on this vital element of recovery. Another highlight promises to be Saturday night, when participants will have a choice between a stirring performance of "Freedom Song," deeply moving recovery stories of Beit T'Shuvah rehab residents set to music, or taking in a recovery-themed movie.

Julie S. is Retreat Chair and Ari S. is Co-Chair, and welcome your input. Look for the Retreat Registration Form, which will soon be up on the JACS website, www.jacsweb.org, featuring a special Early Registration Discount.

 

Jewish Sisters in Sobriety at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan

Don't miss this terrific opportunity to showcase the award-winning collection of stories of recovery, Jewish Sisters in Sobriety, at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan on Thursday, September 18th, 7:30 p.m.

The evening will feature readings of excerpts from the book, a discussion of both the book and the issue of addiction in the Jewish community, a Q & A, book sales, and refreshments.

This event will also serve as the kick-off for the JCC in Manhattan's initiative to reach out to Jews in recovery. This initiative will include seasonal Jewish holiday programs and raising awareness of how some of the JCC's current programs can be especially beneficial to Jews recovering from addiction.

 

Faith Coleman Outreach Project moves into Full Gear!

The Faith Coleman Outreach Project to raise JACS' visibility among non-Orthodox Jews, under the leadership of Karen S. and Brenda S.L., is moving forward with wonderful new outreach materials, a priority contact list, and an enthusiastic work group of volunteers and staff.

This project is designed to restore JACS as a well-recognized resource for Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist and unaffiliated Jews, while JACS continues to reinforce its strong presence within the Orthodox community.

We have already begun an "email Blast" to the 375 synagogues, JCC's, youth groups, schools, camps and organizations on the priority contact list. Next, we will be mailing out the packets of our new outreach materials, and then following up with phone calls to arrange visits, so we can discuss a range of options such as Speakers Bureau presentations and our new "Partners in Prevention" program. (See following article.)

If you would like to volunteer and contribute to this important initiative, please contact the JACS Office.

 

JACS and Beit T'Shuvah become "Partners in Prevention"

For the past twenty-one years, Beit T'Shuvah has served the Jewish community as a residential rehab that proudly features Jewish spirituality as a core element of its recovery approach. Located in Los Angeles, Beit T'Shuvah recently developed an outstanding substance abuse prevention curriculum and program, "Partners in Prevention," which they have begun providing in Southern California.

When it came to replicating the program on the East Coast, it was natural that Beit T'Shuvah should invite JACS to be its exclusive partner! Members of the JACS Council and Staff observed Rabbi Mark Borovitz and Beit T'Shuvah Staff use the prevention curriculum with a group of teens in the USY (United Synagogue Youth) Summer Internship program. These teens' enthusiastic response reinforced our very positive assessment of the curriculum and approach.

JACS staff and volunteer Teen and Young People's Network Co-Chair, Lisa A. participated in an intensive training conducted by Beit T'Shuvah during their recent visit to New York. We already have a number of initial prevention events booked, and expect this to become a very effective part of JACS' efforts to raise awareness throughout the Jewish community.

 

Jewish Sisters in Sobriety Benefit Reading

The Community Connections Divisional Board, the new lay leadership body for all JBFCS' Rita J. Kaplan Jewish Connections Programs and Volunteer Services Programs, has just accepted our recommendation that its December, 2008 fundraising event be a Benefit Reading of Jewish Sisters in Sobriety!

This will be a great opportunity to showcase the JACS book and to promote JACS as a core JBFCS program, not to mention raising funds so that JACS can continue to support Jews in recovery. We will send out a Save-the-Date as soon as the exact date and venue is determined.

 

Birthright Israel Trip for JACS Young Adults

As we are sending out this Summer edition of JACS News, Sharon Darack, JACS Program Director, is in discussions to finalize a birthright Israel Trip for JACS Young Adults for the upcoming December, 2008 Winter Break period. Exploration of this exciting possibility began last year. We are currently looking into the possibility of building the trip around a young adult weekend retreat in Israel, which would pick up on the previous Israel exchange project led by Sharon, Arnie G., and Jonathan Katz. We'll keep you posted!

 

Recent Developments

In addition to these exciting upcoming activities, we want to note:

  • The JACS Spring, 2008 Retreat was a big success, with 215 participants sharing a weekend of terrific meetings, warm fellowship, Shabbat ruach (spirit), and plenty of fun and good food!
  • Thanks to Marilyn P., JACS has become a vital part of planning for the 2009 Limmud NY Conference, the annual Jewish outreach and informal education conference modeled on a highly successful initiative begun in London in the 1980's. JACS is organizing a daily closed 12-Step meeting and one or more open workshops on Judaism and Addiction. The 2009 Conference, will be held (as usual) on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, (January 16 - 19, 2009) at the Nevele Hotel in the Catskills.
  • An In-Reach Work Group co-led by long-time volunteer, Karen B.F. and JACS Administrative Coordinator, Vickie Griffiths and has taken on the imposing task of cleaning up the JACS database and reaching out to members who have "disappeared" during the past few years.
  • Mazel Tov to: Brook on her July wedding; Eric S. (B.) on his impending August wedding; Perry S. on the graduations of three children (twin boys from middle and daughter from high school)!
  • Refuah Sheleimah (a complete healing) to: Sue Ellen W. as she deals with a serious illness; Faith C. from recent surgery; Rafi D. from recent surgery.
  • Yashar Koach (Thanks! Strength to You!) to: Sylvie B. and Marilyn P. for their tireless work promoting JACS and the Women's Book; Gavi D. for her volunteer work in the JACS Office; Renee S. for her energetic and effective leadership of the Council's new Outreach Committee; David B. for skillfully taking on the chairmanship of the Council's Nominating Committee; Alan S. for being a very active and dedicated Finance Committee Chair; and, of course, Perry S. for his calm, wise leadership!
  • Audrey Freshman, LCSW, CASAC, who has a long and positive relationship with JACS, is conducting a research study through the NYU School of Social Work. Since this study may be of interest to JACS members, we are posting her request for participants:

 

Attention all Second-Generation Children of Holocaust Survivors

Are you an adult child of a MOTHER that has survived the Holocaust?

Would you be willing to participate in a completely anonymous survey that will help advance what is known about Holocaust trauma and substance use in the Jewish community?

By doing so you could help to make a valuable contribution to the families of future generations that grow up in the aftermath of trauma.

The on-line survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

A $5.00 contribution to the US Holocaust Museum will be donated on behalf of each completed survey.

For further information and to complete the survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/holocauststudy

You can also access the survey by going to the website www.afreshstartonline.com and click on the link to the survey.

Jewish Connections Programs


©2008 JACS
120 West 57th Street · New York, NY 10019
Phone: (212) 397-4197 · Fax: (212) 399-3525 · jacs@jacsweb.org
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