Who's Who in Outreach : Debra Allen
I have been the director of JFS of Greenwich, CT for the
past five years and for three years prior, on the clinical
staff. During this time I have observed the rapid growth
of the Greenwich JFS community to approximately 6,000
people. Although Greenwich Jewish families are a highly
educated and affluent group, the issues confronting them
on a daily basis are similar to those in many other Jewish
community in the U.S. today. My job at JFS has required
me to respond to those issues through a variety of programs
and services. One area particularly important to me and
the JFS Board has been developing community outreach programs
to those Jews who are on the periphery of the greater
Jewish community. In my mind, this group of people includes
interfaith families. These families require a greater
welcoming effort on the part of the organized community
to convey the message that they too belong and that we
are interested in their concerns and issues.
JFS of Greenwich puts a priority on providing services
to interfaith couples and their families, viewing this
as an important way of helping them remain connected
to the larger Jewish community. JOI¹s training program
helped strengthen our counseling services, discussion
groups for couples, workshops and other educational
efforts, and strengthen and nurture these families.
We recently developed a pamphlet which will be distributed
in the Greenwich community. Interfaith families are
a large and important part of our constituency. Our
JFS is interested in providing a ³safe place² where
professionals who understand the particular stresses
of an interfaith family can help people explore lifestyle
options and improve communication with their families.
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