Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JF &CS) has added a new program to its curriculum, focused on addressing at-risk populations within the Jewish community. The program, called Jewish Connections, will address issues such as addiction, abuse and mental illness.

Diane Tolen, who recently joined the staff at JF &CS as the Coordinator for Jewish Connections, has met with various people and community organizations to help determine what specific issues are most in need of recognition. She will use this input, collected from local synagogues and other Jewish organizations, to help shape the program. Additionally, individuals can share their thoughts about relevant topics in an online survey that JF &CS has placed online at www.jfcs-stl.org/m- whatsnew.php. Once information is gathered and specific criteria set, Jewish Family & Children Service will offer presentations with professional speakers based around those topics.

The program came to fruition when JF &CS staff saw a need in the services available to the Jewish Community. “We established this program because we feel that many of these topics have become taboo among our population, and therefore haven’t been fully addressed,” says Tolen.

For more information about Jewish Connections, please contact Diane Tolen at 314.812.9366 or [email protected].