Have you had or adopted a baby in the last six months? Are you expecting soon, or do you know someone who is?

Let us welcome your baby to the Metrowest Jewish community with a visit and a gift!

Welcome Baby! has welcomed 129 new babies to our community already! Welcome Baby! visits new parents with babies aged newborn to 6 months and gives them a complimentary gift basket filled with high-quality baby gifts. Welcome Baby! connects new parents to resources, family activities, and new friends. If you have a new baby or know someone who does, and would like to connect, sign up here!

добро пожаловать! 

Engaging Our Russian Jewish Families
in Jewish Community Life

JFN is excited to announce our new outreach program! A grant from the Genesis Fund is enabling us to reach out to Russian Jewish families throughout Metrowest. By developing collaborative relationships, we are identifying and connecting with members of this large and vibrant community through engaging programming and activities.

If you are interested in learning more about this program, or if you know someone who is, please contact our Russian community connector, Luba Olshan, or Malka Young for more information. 

A Family Rosh Hashanah Celebration

10-11:30 a.m. 

Play Dates and Get-Togethers

with Heidi, Nissa, and Amy!

Free!

South Area:

A Day at the Beach

Sunday, Sept. 4

10:30 a.m. 

Feel free to bring a picnic lunch and make a day of it!  

The official season is over, so there is no charge to park. Lifeguards are off-duty.

Stoddard Park, Lake Winthrop  

Stoddard Park Rd., Holliston 

Norfolk Playground Meet-Up

Kids' Place Playground in Norfolk is a nice, fenced-in playground with lots of equipment designed for the younger set. So come on out with your toddlers and preschoolers and join JFN and Heidi for some fun!  

Central Area:

Playtime Meet-Up

Tuesday mornings, starting Sept. 13

9:30-11 a.m. 

Our Playtime Meet-Ups are back! Please join our Central connector, Nissa Weiss, for this weekly drop-in playgroup. Perfect for kids up to 4 years, and for moms, dads, and caregivers of all ages! A light snack will be provided for the kids.   

JFS Children's Room

475 Franklin St., Framingham 

Shalom, Shabbat!

Thursday afternoons, beginning in October

Stay tuned for information about JFN's latest weekly group, which will give families an opportunity to welcome the coming Shabbat with music and laughter. Nissa will hold this group at the Shillman House in Framingham. Details will be coming soon to your inboxes!  

For more information about either of these groups, please contact

Nissa.  

North Area: 

Drop-In Playgroup

9-11 a.m.

Join our North connector, Amy Kohen, for a fun-filled morning in Acton. A great opportunity for the preschool crowd and their adults! 

JCC Early Learning Center, Acton 

133 Prospect St.

(at Congregation Beth Elohim)

For more information, please contact Amy. 

Matilda Jane Trunk Show  

10 a.m.-1 p.m.  

Come join our North connector, Amy Kohen, for a morning of socializing and shopping!

Amy is hosting a Matilda Jane trunk show at her home in Sudbury. You'll find a great selection of unique clothes in sizes 12 months to 10 years, and also an ever-growing collection for moms. You don't have to buy anything to enjoy this social morning.

Please RSVP to Amy to let her know you'll be attending and to get directions to her house.

Who's Hiring Metrowest?:

An Employer Panel and Networking Event 

Wednesday, Sept. 14

7-9 p.m.

Free

Register here

*Arrive at 6:30 to take advantage of one of our free services: Resume critique with JVS Career moves staff; 401(K)consultation with local financial professional

Moms' Night Out

Thursday, Sept. 15

7:30 p.m.

Who says kids are the only ones who should have play dates?

It's back to the fall routine now and the perfect time to take a break for yourself! Enjoy an evening out with our South connector, Heidi Anderson, and enjoy pizza, ice cream, or both. Go ahead- splurge a little!

Spruce Pond Creamery 

370 King St., Franklin

Please contact Heidi to let her know you'll be joining her for a tasty treat!  

Francine Ferraro Rothkopf:

The Gift of Community 

by Julie Wolf, JFN Newsletter Editor 

Synagogue, school, and Internet -- all provide Francine Ferraro Rothkopf with a sense of community that sustains her. A longtime resident of the Metrowest area, she and her husband, David, live in Ashland with their three children, Samuel (12), Micah (almost 10), and Sofia (6 1/2), who has Trisomy 21, more commonly known as Down syndrome. In this interview, Francine talks about the value of community in her family's life.

Your maiden name is Ferraro -- not exactly a common Jewish name. Were you born Jewish, or are you a Jew by choice?

This is one of those weird family stories: I have a picture of my paternal grandparents on their first date. On the back is written "The Future Mr. & Mrs. Langer." It wasn't until they had dated for a full year that my grandmother found out Grandpa's last name was really Ferraro! Having grown up in the Garment District in New York, Grandpa spoke better Yiddish than most people, and could "pass" well enough for the times, and he'd really wanted to date her. Of course, once it was discovered that he was not actually Jewish, there was upheaval on both sides. ... My great-grandparents stopped being observant once my grandparents married, and it wasn't until my father explored his own intellectual curiosity of Judaism, and later married my mother, from a traditional Jewish home, that we brought Judaism back solidly into the family.

My parents were very committed to their involvement in our small synagogue in Bristol, Conn., and I think that is where I began to develop my obsession with community. But for sure, having a last name like "Ferraro" was always amusing, especially on synagogue and USY letterhead. ...

Your daughter, Sofia, was born with Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome. As the mother of a child with Trisomy 21, what have you found to be some of the misconceptions about the syndrome?

... Down syndrome affects people of all ages, races, and economic levels. Although a woman's chances of having a child with DS increase after age 35, more live births of children with DS are to younger women, because older women are more likely to have prenatal testing, and more likely to abort. Approximately 92 percent of prenatal diagnoses of Down syndrome are aborted.

That last sentence gets to the heart of problem. OB/GYNs still present a diagnosis of Down syndrome as a terrible tragedy, and are not always quick to provide accurate, up-to-date information. The diagnosis is no longer terrible. I acknowledge that, had I been born with that extra chromosome back in the mid-1960s, I probably would have been put in an institution. But the world Sofia and her peers face is so vastly different. With preventative medical treatments (children with DS faced increased risk of cardiac issues, childhood leukemia, thyroid problems, hearing or vision loss, skeletal problems, and a few other issues), people with Down syndrome are able to live healthier, longer lives. With the developmental and academic supports, such as those provided by Early Intervention and Special Education services, they are able to accomplish amazing things. Early support (EI showed up in our home when Sofia was only three weeks old!) is key. Think about how much a typical baby grows and learns in the first few years; children with the developmental delays associated with the extra chromosome need extra help to achieve those milestones. ...

The world of Special Needs Mommies on the Internet is bursting with love and support and cheer. I have friends now from all over the world; on our recent trip to Israel we were able to visit with friends there. I hear about the struggles friends go through in other states and realize we are very lucky to live in Massachusetts, where both the medical care and the education are available. My "DS Mommies," both near and far, are a terrific resource for parenting Sofia.

This year Sofia is starting full-day kindergarten in Ashland, but she'll also be attending the MetroWest Jewish Day School. What were some of the special arrangements that went into enrolling Sofia at MWJDS? 

I am SO excited about this! I have been involved with MWJDS from the very, very beginning, so I always knew I wanted all my children to go there. When I got my prenatal diagnosis for Sofia, I was very clear: Sofia would be attending the school when she was old enough. We had the incredible luck to have Carolyn Keller as head of school, because aside from her tremendous commitment to the school and Jewish education in general, she also has a grown son with Down syndrome. She knew firsthand what it was like to send two children to day school but have to send one to public school.

Sofia attended preschool in the Ashland public school system -- children with learning disabilities are entitled to a free public education beginning at age 3 (per IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). The folks in Ashland have always been aware of how much we wanted Sofia to go to MWJDS, but also of how much we want to make sure she gets all the services and supports she needs. And they have been terrific collaborators.

The idea for "partial participation" did not crystallize until this past June. Although everyone at MWJDS was committed to having Sofia become a student there, we also needed to make sure that what we did was really in Sofia's best interest. If we had to bring in all our own therapists and specialists (Sofia needs speech, occupational, and physical therapy several times per week, in addition to learning supports), the cost would be astronomical. Were I to schlep her back and forth between schools all day, she'd never have time to learn anything (and I'd be a wreck!).

So ... we developed a special curriculum [at MWJDS] for her, following the kindergarten's Judaic studies. ... [Attending two afternoons a week], she will be a full member of the kindergarten class. ... While it is too early to predict how things will develop, we are confident that this first step will be a positive one for Sofia, our school, and our community. The folks in the public school have been fantastic advocates. We are so very blessed by the whole project.

A few years back, you contributed to a book called Gifts: Mothers Reflect on How Children with Down Syndrome Enrich Their Lives. You wrote about "The Gift of Community." What inspired you most? 

... My essay is about how the folks in our community and family embraced us when we announced Sofia's diagnosis prenatally. Our wonderful friends from Temple Israel threw us a "baby seder" before Sofia was born, and people from the shul and the day school cooked us so many meals once she arrived, I think it was three months before I had to cook again! We felt so loved and protected within our community, and we were -- and still are -- so grateful for how everyone has taken part in raising Sofia.

A candid question: Do your sons ever feel that Sofia overshadows them or takes more of your time and energy than they would like?

To read more about Francine and her family's recent trip to Israel, or to learn about resources geared toward families with children with special needs, visit her blog at http://fbfrothkopf.blogspot.com/.  

Ikkarim classes will meet at:  

Temple Israel of Natick 

145 Hartford St.

For more information or to learn about other locations for Ikkarim, please contact or 617-559-8733. This program is offered by Hebrew College and CJP's Commission on Jewish Life & Learning.

Preregistration is required. Scholarships are available.

Tot Shabbat