Orthodox Services Website

JFCS is committed to understanding and ensuring that our services meet the unique needs of the people we serve. Frum and culturally sensitive JFCS associates offer the Philadelphia Orthodox Jewish community the same wide range of services provided to all JFCS clients. They respond to Orthodox Jewish families’ mental health challenges, engage Orthodox professionals (Rabbis, educators, administrators) around challenges that may be impacting their community, strengthen the Orthodox Jewish community’s response to these challenges, and expand the capacity of local providers to ensure that they are culturally sensitive to the nuanced needs of Orthodox families. In addition, JFCS services can function as a gateway to assisting Orthodox families in reaching other available community resources and supports.

JFCS Orthodox Services include:

• Care management: provides a full range of services in areas such as determining eligibility and attainment of public benefits, assistance with identifying and accessing resources, advocating on behalf of individuals as they navigate through different systems, and supporting families with critical needs through a holistic lens
• Counseling: supports Orthodox individuals, couples, and families in achieving stability and growth in areas such as interpersonal relationships, depression, anxiety, life stressors, trauma, isolation, parenting, intimate partner violence, symptom reduction, and coping skills
• Financial empowerment coaching: provides assistance and guidance in setting financial goals through analyzing expenses, developing a budget or spending plan, exploring ways to save, understanding credit reports, and debt management support
• Professional development: provides cultural competency trainings about the Orthodox Jewish community’s specific needs for the broader community’s mental health providers, social service organizations, and general service providers
• Suicide & Child Sexual Abuse Prevention: provides educational programming to area Jewish Day Schools
• Domestic Violence Support & Prevention: addresses domestic violence in the Orthodox community, assists Orthodox leaders in reducing stigma and increasing support for survivors and their children, and provides training for secular organizations to offer culturally and religiously competent services. This project, Shema Koleini, is offered in partnership with Jewish Women International through a grant awarded by the Office of Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice.

Website Link

The Jewish Relief Agency (JRA) was founded in 2000 as a hunger-relief organization working to inspire volunteerism in Philadelphia, under the conviction that no member of our community should be hungry. Today, JRA continues to create positive change by bringing people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities together each month to fulfill its mission.

Jewish Relief Agency serves over 6,000 diverse, low-income individuals across Greater Philadelphia, by relieving hunger, improving lives, and strengthening our community. Through a monthly Food Distribution Program, JRA harnesses the power of hundreds of volunteers to deliver kosher, nutritious food assistance and essential home supplies to thousands of low-income households each month. 

Although many organizations are working to fight hunger in Philadelphia, very few deliver directly to the homes in need. Home delivery alleviates several barriers food-insecure families may face such as the need to leave the house, lack of transportation, or access to healthy foods in nearby markets. Many of the individuals JRA serves, often elderly or disabled, are also experiencing some level of isolation. Through JRA’s program model, the agency is able to provide valued food assistance along with a warm community connection.  JRA also provides toiletries, menstrual products, produce boxes, children’s clothing, school supplies, and other critical items to individuals and families in need.  

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Dinah is a legal services center that provides low-cost and pro bono legal representation to survivors of domestic abuse in the Jewish Community of Greater Philadelphia. By partnering with existing Jewish social service providers, Dinah combats intimate partner violence through advocacy, education and representation. (Emergency Protective Orders)