JIAS Agencies Work Together For Success

By Jeni Adler-Magat, Community Worker
Jewish Family Services, Edmonton

Family service work has, at the heart of its mission, the urge towards community.  The richest sense of what we offer our clients is an experience of meaningful connection with themselves; with the community of family, friends and fellow workers; and with society in general.  Resolution of distress is the restoration of experience of belonging to oneself, to others, to the world as a whole. (Michael McKernan, “Radical Relatedness: Exploring The Spiritual Dimension Of Family Service Work”)

Eshkol, Suzan and baby Kaniel Reuben arrived in Edmonton from India last November.  With many years of training and experience in High Tech and Business, and a wealth of positive coping skills, they anticipated success in finding work.  After seven months they came to realize that, for what they had to offer, the employment market in Edmonton was very limited. They concluded a larger centre would hold promise for more opportunities, and in June, they decided to move to Toronto.  

The Reubens understood that they were facing an intimidating relocation to a much larger foreign-to-them city and were wary of arriving there without supports in place and certain arrangements made, especially with a very young child.  Anyone who has immigrated (and this was the Reubens’ second time!) knows the magnitude and variety of change that will occur. They came to JFS here in Edmonton to see if we could help ease the transition.

A typical JFS welcome awaited them, and we immediately began to explore what kind of supports they would need.  We sorted out the priorities for housing, employment, childcare and social involvement in the Jewish community.  Before long, we had made contact with JIAS Toronto, Jewish Vocational Service, Jewish Information Service and Toronto Jewish Family & Child Service.  I was quite envious to find out the scope of support services available in that city!   

Following a flurry of calls, e-mails, and faxes, the family set off for Toronto with an apartment waiting for them and contact people for assistance regarding employment, childcare and their new social life. The network of JIAS/Jewish communal agencies had really delivered!

For myself as a Community Worker, this family was a pleasure to work with.  Both adults were optimistic, motivated, organized and committed to doing as much as they could from this end to ensure a smooth move.  They also brought their gorgeous little boy into the office a few times, which was a real treat.  I enjoyed and learned so much from our conversations about India and the small Jewish communities they lived in. 

Working across Canadian provincial borders to support one family in their quest for a better life was a very rewarding experience.  I appreciated the congenial and effective working relationship we have with our sister agencies in Toronto, which contributed to a positive outcome.  I also felt a personal connection to these lovely people who came here from half way around the world to create a new life for themselves and their child.  To add to all the sharing and caring, Eshkol and Suzan insisted on donating their furniture to one of our client families in need when they left Edmonton, rather than selling it. 

There were tears in our eyes as we said farewell.  I’ve recently received e-mail that all is going well in Toronto, detailing the practical help they have been getting.  We had jokingly warned about renting an apartment “sight unseen”, but Eshkol notes, “There are so many people that there is no space for rats!”

Editor's note:  Eshkol and Suzan have asked us to express their sincere gratitude to Jeni Adler Magat of JFS Edmonton and to Lia Kisel of JIAS Toronto for their help and for the moral support that they have both extended to them.