Many in the Jewish community imagine building their family and the magical moments along the way. For some, however, having a child is difficult and those magical moments fade and are replaced by strains of saving for medical treatments or adoption expenses.
In a joint effort between The RedStone and Hasidah, three grants have been awarded in the Washington DC area Jewish community to help alleviate some of the financial stress that comes with medical interventions or adoption expenses.
To be fruitful and multiply is considered the first Jewish commandment in the Torah. Much of the Jewish community is organized around families and children. Wanting to have a child and facing barriers can therefore be not only personally challenging, but quite isolating as a Jew. The RedStone, led by Amy Jablin Forseter, provides support groups and community programs to build awareness in the Jewish community and give support to those facing fertility challenges. Rabbi Idit Solomon founded Hasidah, a national organization that also builds awareness and works to establish national network of support resources and focuses on financial assistance for those needing in vitro fertilization in order to build their family.
“We were fortunate to have received funding to pilot this program in the DC area and are really pleased to be able to provide help for both adoption and fertility treatments, ” shared Forseter. “We know from our work in the community that having a Jewish response to this issue means a lot to those we help.”
“Fertility challenges are much more common than people imagine,” said Rabbi Solomon. “The Jewish community has focused a lot of resources towards keeping families involved and affiliated. The RedStone and Hasidah are focused on the important need for building the Jewish families in the first place.”
One of the grant recipients received funding to help defray medical expenses for fertility treatment. The other two received funding to help with adoption, one of which just moved to the next step with a healthy birth.