Reuniting and supporting a father and his twin girls

The Wertzer family is headed by a Jewish single father with 8-year-old twin daughters. Although the father had been so estranged from the mother that she had not even told him of the girls’ birth, Child Protective Services (CPS) located him after removing the two girls from their mother’s care because of her mental illness. Despite his own disability, CPS believed he was the best placement for the girls, who at the time were living with a foster family, and they have since greatly benefited from his care. The Jewish Single Parent Center, made possible through JCF funding, provided case-management services and counseling to the new family. JCC memberships, guitar lessons and a volunteer mentor for the girls have helped create community connections, lessen their feelings of isolation and provide healthy outlets to address their emotional and financial difficulties. The Single Parent Center also advocated for the family through the public welfare system to obtain benefits and food stamps. As the next step, the Single Parent Center will help support the father’s efforts to reach self-sufficiency.

Helping a battered woman start her new job — and life

Rachel, a San Francisco Jewish professional, came to Shalom Bayit, the leading organization in our community serving Jewish battered women, after being assaulted by her former boyfriend. Her abuser was a “nice” Jewish man whose assault landed Rachel in the emergency room with a permanent disabling injury. Shalom Bayit supported Rachel through the criminal court proceedings and trauma recovery. Her abuser was sentenced to probation and a batterer treatment program, and is now under a restraining order. A small grant in September helped Rachel with food and medication needed for her serious health issues while she was transitioning to a new job and without health insurance. Rachel is now thriving and credits Shalom Bayit as a stabilizing force in her life.

Getting a little girl a real bed of her own

Rayna, an unemployed mother, did not have the resources to leave her abusive husband and live on her own. As a result of her husband’s financial control and isolation, Rayna had remained trapped in a one-bedroom apartment with her four-year-old daughter. In December we learned that her daughter did not have a bed, and was sleeping on a baby bed mattress with her legs curled up in order to fit. With the help of a generous Shalom Bayit donor, we bought Rayna’s daughter a bed. Rayna cried when the bed was delivered, and later told us how her daughter was so excited to be able to stretch her legs out in the new bed and sleep comfortably. Now, Federation’s support will provide Rayna with an even more significant gift that will be the key to her ability to end her marriage and keep her daughter safe: $1,000 to retain an attorney, so she can initiate divorce proceedings and obtain custody and legal protection for her daughter.