Date: Wednesday, 

September 2

Time: 8:00-9:30 ET / 7:00-8:30 CT / 6:00-7:30 MT
 

Click here for enrollment: https://forms.gle/jx7ZaKYsMd6MoVe18

The zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87168249935

 

Coping with Curveballs 
Supporting Yourself and Others

In partnership with JCFS Chicago

With - Bracha Jakofsky, LCSW & Rabbi Dr. Joseph S. Ozarowski

Course Objectives

This course explores how our backgrounds, experiences, and identities shape the way we communicate and connect with others.

Participants will learn practical strategies for building understanding across differences, strengthening relationships, and creating more inclusive communities.

Through discussion and reflection, you'll develop skills to communicate with greater empathy, awareness, and respect.

 

The Facilitators:

 

Bracha Jakofsky , LCSW is the Abuse Prevention Coordinator & Mental Health Educator at JCFS, dedicated to advancing mental health and safeguarding the Jewish community. Holding a master’s in social work from UIC, she brings over a decade of experience in mental health and community services.

Bracha has developed, customized, and delivered numerous mental health programs and curricula, equipping community members and professionals with tools for emotional resilience and wellness.

Additionally, she is a key leader in the SMART Kids abuse prevention program, reaching over 2,500 students and training over 1,000 professionals in child safety.

With a deep commitment to the Jewish community, Bracha builds strong partnerships to provide impactful prevention and mental health education. She also serves as a board member for Nefesh Chicago. 

 

 

Rabbi Dr. Joseph S. Ozarowski is Rabbinic Counselor and Chaplain for JCFS Chicago. He is also an adjunct professor at Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, Hebrew Seminary, as well as the Academy for Jewish Religion in Los Angeles.

Rabbi Ozarowski was cited by Chicago Jewish News as a “Top Jewish Chicagoan of 2013,” and received the “Rabbi Mordechai Simon Award” from the Chicago Board of Rabbis in 2014. He served as President of the Board of Rabbis from 2015 to 2017 and President of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) from 2022-2024.

This coming May, he will be receiving the National Lay Leadership Award from the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies. An engaging, nationally known teacher and speaker, Ozarowski has served congregations in Pennsylvania, California, Minnesota and the New York area.

Rabbi Dr. Ozarowski is a Board-Certified Chaplain. He received his undergraduate degree from Loyola University of Chicago, his rabbinic ordination from Skokie’s Hebrew Theological College and his doctorate from Lancaster (PA) Theological Seminary. He has served on the Jewish Federation of Chicago (JUF) Board and on the North Shore University (Endeavor) HealthCare System Institutional Ethics Committee.

A prolific author, Rabbi Ozarowski co-authored Common Ground, (1998, Jason Aronson) and has written numerous articles and chapters in various books. His first book, To Walk in God’s Ways - Jewish Pastoral Perspectives on Illness and Bereavement, (hard cover 1995, Jason Aronson, paperback 2004, Rowman and Littlefield) is considered a standard in the field of Judaism and Pastoral Care.

Rabbi Ozarowski is married to Ashira (nee Rapoport), has four children and twenty grandchildren.