Every Friday night, a group of SAJD Supported Living Program clients and staff gather in a client’s home to celebrate Shabbat. The host and location change every week, but the traditions remain the same. Friends come together to light candles and say blessings over grape juice and challah.
Holding these dinners in a home creates a familial atmosphere. To prepare for the gathering, the host cleans his or her apartment and selects the menu. “Most clients are low-income and don’t have a lot of choice when it comes to food,” explains Instruction & Support Specialist Christy Rosenlund. “It’s a treat for them to pick the meal, and I enjoy preparing it for them.” The most requested dinners are Rueben sandwiches made with beef, non-dairy cheese and sauerkraut, tuna melts, pizza and Tofutti cuties for dessert.
Like most family gatherings, guests arrive while the meal is being prepared and linger once they finish eating. “This gives them time to chat,” explains Rosenlund. “Our folks get a lot of validation and support from each other since they are often experiencing similar symptoms, like depression or hearing voices. People can feel alone with their symptoms, so it’s important for them to have this community.”
Instruction & Support Specialist Bryan Fabert says, “Bringing clients together like this is a unique experience for all of us. One of our regulars describes it as a blessing for everyone to come together each Friday night.”
Rosenlund notes, “I’m not Jewish, but I love going. So often, the people we work with are isolated. We bring them together for a home-cooked family meal. These Friday night dinners are some of the most spiritual and amazing experiences I’ve had. I look forward to them every week.”
The Friday night Shabbats are part of a larger network of services offered by the SAJD Supported Living Program that includes Sunday social outings and Sha’arei Tivkah holiday celebrations, in addition to one-on-one in-home support. Over the course of these group activities, friendships have developed, and people extend the sense of connection by meeting on their own for dinners or organizing smaller outings with a staff person to accompany them.
By Jenelle Birnbaum
Violinist, hiker and all-around arts nerd Jenelle Birnbaum is the Marketing Coordinator and Web Administrator at JFS. Outside of that, she enjoys speaking French and vegan cooking.
Feature photo by Robert Couse-Baker.
