Celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month

This is a special post written by Charles Warren, Curriculum Developer at Triangle. Charlie is also a member of Triangle’s Racial Equity Committee (REC) and Disability Justice Task Force (DJTF). As part of our commitment to the work of the REC and DJTF, we will be sharing more information with you on subjects related to racial equity and disability justice. This post continues our series dedicated to calling attention to the contributions of people with disabilities to American history.

For Jewish American Heritage Month, this week’s post is about JVS Boston, one of the largest community-based providers of adult education and workforce development in the Greater Boston area. JVS has a long history and provides free disability services and programs for adults and youth. 

When JVS Boston was founded in 1938, its mission was to assist new Jewish immigrants and refugees to enter the American workforce and support their families. This history is the root of the organization’s commitment to providing support and opportunity for those facing significant barriers to employment and inclusion. JVS Boston has a big impact on the lives of many individuals and serves clients representing over 90 nations and speaking 50 languages. JVS Boston’s mission is to empower individuals from diverse communities to find meaningful employment and build sustainable careers, while simultaneously partnering with employers to help them hire, develop, and retain productive workforces.

JVS Boston’s commitment to empowering individuals with disabilities is demonstrated through their diverse, innovative, and impactful programs. Each year, the organization serves 340 clients who are part of the disability and/or the Jewish community. Transitions to Work is an employment program for adults with disabilities between the ages of 17-35 that offers skills training, employer-based internships, job placement, and creates positive impacts on workplace cultures. Connections is an individualized career counseling and placement service available to adults with disabilities in the Jewish community that provides one-on-one career counselling, job and volunteer placement, and ongoing support. Direct Care Worker Training provides training for individuals seeking direct care careers with a free 6-week training period, guaranteed job placement, and offers MAP/CPR/First Aid certification.  The Youth Pilot Program is an early intervention initiative for youth with disabilities between the ages of 14-16 that offers opportunities to explore different industries and teaches skills to navigate barriers.

JVS Boston states, “We are deeply proud of our roots as an organization steeped in the Jewish tradition.”  For over 80 years, JVS’s mission and services have been consistently guided by a set of core values: social justice, the dignity of each person, and the inherent value of work. These values, while universally recognized, are explicitly identified as “deeply rooted in traditional Jewish teachings.” Every day, JVS Boston is empowering individuals with disabilities to find meaningful employment and build fulfilling careers.