October 7 changed so many elements of Jewish life in Israel, that we are still cataloging its effects. With every Israeli family affected in some way by the massacre, the need for services—mental health, financial, social/emotional—has skyrocketed. Just One Life/Nefesh Achat B’Yisrael, (JOL/NAB), a U.S. and Israeli organization dedicated to sustaining Israeli families, has stepped up its efforts in major ways since the start of the war. After a full year of extending its resources as best as possible, help is needed to continue its essential work.
JOL/NAB invites the community to hear internationally renowned speaker Rabbi YY Jacobson expound on how we can make a difference. The event will be held on Tuesday, October 8, at 8 p.m. at 60 Westminster Avenue in Bergenfield. [Register with QR code in the ad on page 6]
Founded in 1989 by Teaneck’s Jack and Carole Forgash; Madelaine Gittelman, MSW; and Prof. Emeritus Dr. Shimon Glick, former dean of the Faculty of Health Science at Ben Gurion University; along with Executive Director Rabbi Martin Katz, JOL/NAB aims to support Israeli women and families through pregnancy and postpartum challenges and crises. The organization has been leading efforts to tackle the social, economic and emotional difficulties that so many face during pregnancy through many methods. In the past 35 years, JOL/NAB has proudly facilitated the births of over 22,000 babies.
JOL/NAB’s multipronged approach offers monthly financial subsidies to help cover basic necessities before and after birth, for a period of six months. Clients also receive goal-oriented therapy, with workshops focusing on parenting skills, psychoeducation, maternal health and mother-infant bonding. JOL/NAB has a vast, well-respected referral and support network, and can refer a woman with a serious issue to the appropriate agency. In turn, hospitals, doctors and welfare offices refer to JOL/NAB as well, as they are aware of the excellent network of social agencies that work in tandem with the highly regarded organization throughout Israel. By providing social, psychological and financial support to families, JOL/NAB’s clients gain the skills and resources to navigate their situations and emerge as better mothers.
Since October 7, Just One Life’s caseload has nearly doubled, with caseworkers serving 850 women since last summer, helping bring their babies into the world, including 520 babies from evacuee families alone—290 of them from Sderot. These clients include direct victims of the October 7 attacks as well as expecting mothers from evacuated families, young mothers of injured or fallen soldiers, and wives of drafted soldiers—all experiencing extreme distress. With requests coming in from all over Israel including Sderot, Netivot, Ofakim, Metula and Kiryat Shemona, as well as Jerusalem’s Sha’are Zedek, Beersheva’s Soroka Hospital, Tel Aviv and Eilat, the need was so great that Just One Life doubled its response, launching the One Baby Chai Fund in November 2023 to ensure it could fulfill its commitment to its clients. Over the course of this year, Just One Life has shown itself to be agile, adapting its services to meet the unique needs of a post-October 7 Israel, delivering financial assistance, social services and trauma support to evacuees in hotels, all while maintaining its standard of care. These measures have shown JOL/NAB’s incredible value to the social services community at this inordinately challenging time.
Almost a year later, however, JOL/NAB has reached its capacity, both in budget and caseload. With continuous referrals for services coming in, the JOL/NAB team urgently needs to hire more professionals to continue providing critical services. Just the addition of two more social workers can meet the needs of 100 more women this coming year.
Centrally located in Jerusalem, JOL/NAB is staffed with knowledgeable professionals, under the direction of CEO and Director of Social Workers Chaya Katzin. The dedicated staff is uniquely positioned to come to the aid of these young families, who need the care that JOL/NAB can provide to set them on the path to sustainability.
Please join the Tuesday event, hosted by Rachel and Azi Mandel and Sheryl and Aaron Liberman, and donate to generously support Just One Life and the One Baby Chai Fund. Be a part of bringing more Jewish babies into this world, as Israel’s greatest resource is its children.
JOL/NAB is pleased to announce that Ari Z. Greene has joined its staff as the new director of development. Greene looks to bring new energy and a fresh outlook to the veteran organization. For more information or to donate please contact Rabbi Martin Katz at 347.996.7751, or Ari Greene 201-845-5007, or email [email protected].
