255 Hartford Ave., Bellingham

To ensure that there is enough food and space for everyone, please RSVP to Kelly by Tuesday, Sept. 11, if you plan to attend.

Playground Get-Together

Route 85, Hopkinton

For up-to-the-minute information on what Kelly has planned for JFN, and also to learn about other activities for young families in the area, please join her Meet-up page, Jewish Families with Young Children, Metrowest Boston.

by Julie Wolf, JFN Newsletter Editor

Marcia Hoffman jokes that she and her friends are the "poster kids" for Jewish Family Network and one of our longest running programs, Little Wigglers/Little Waddlers. Little Wigglers and Little Waddlers are classes designed to get kids, from infants to toddlers, moving and interacting -- and to get parents connecting. Taught by development specialist and parenting coach Jill Vetstein, the classes more than lived up to these promises for Marcia and her friends, Stefani Misiph, Jennifer Newberg, Lara Friedman, Ali Fleisher and their families. 

 

Jill Vetstein entertaining the troops. Little Wigglers, 2010

 

 

Being a new parent can be isolating, and it can be difficult to join activities alone. About two and a half years ago, when the five signed up for Little Wigglers, they were fortunate in that they weren't completely on their own: Lara and Stefani were childhood friends, and Marcia and Ali's husbands had grown up together. But the since-unbreakable bond that formed among these five women grew out of their shared experience as new moms looking for their place in the Metrowest Jewish community. Now, countless Fridays later, they are still going strong as a group, meeting weekly, sharing holidays, and even traveling together. Jenn was unable to participate in our interview, but Marcia, Stefani, Lara, and Ali all were happy to share their feelings about Jewish Family Network -- and each other. As their families have grown, so has their appreciation of their friendship, and also of the opportunities JFN provides to new parents.

 

What was it that first inspired these women -- all new parents at the time -- to get involved with Jewish Family Network? Were they looking for playmates for their children? Friendships for themselves? Connection to the Jewish community? Maybe all of the above?

 

The Friedmans

"Maybe at first I was just hoping to find an activity that would get us through some long days," says Lara, who lives in Natick with her husband, Avi, and their 3-year-old twins, Ayla and Zachary. "I think if I had gained just one of the above, I would have been happy. But to have gained all of the above, I feel truly blessed."

 

When Ayla and Zachary were still babies, Lara was reluctant to register for Little Wigglers, recommended to her by her friend Stefani, who lives in Framingham with her husband, Joseph, and their sons, Asher and Benjamin. "I was hesitant, as my kids were just under 6 months, and it was not specifically a twin-geared group," Lara says. "But it ended up being the best thing I could have done for both myself and my children. We developed a bond not only as new moms, but also as families, and our children are among each other's first and closest friends."

 

The Hoffmans

Marcia, who lives in Westborough with her husband, Jonathan, and their children, Ava (3) and Daniel (2 months), seconds Lara's opinion. Although she signed up for the class with Ali, Marcia soon realized it was a great opportunity to meet other Jewish moms and playmates for her daughter as well. "It was a way for Ali and me to guarantee that we would see each other every week," Marcia says. "Little did we know that we would make so many friends. We are all very lucky to have each other and to have become so close."

 

For all four women, the Jewish piece was important. "It has always been important to me to be part of the Jewish community," says Ali, who lives in Natick with her husband, Todd, and their sons, Harrison (3 years) and Dylan (15 months). "But it has become even more so now that I have a family." 

The Fleishers

Lara is quick to credit JFN and Jill Vetstein with providing the space that allowed these friendships to blossom. "It was truly a life-changing move to have stepped into Jill's happy space. I feel so thankful that she and JFN were able to draw such a wonderful group of people and had the wherewithal to see that we really could make a connection on this level."

 

Of course they are all different women with different families and different concerns, but they are united in recognizing that what happened to them within the walls of the JFS Children's Room, with Jill Vetstein entertaining their babies and giving them the chance to get to know each other, was very special. Stefani is a great cheerleader for Little Wigglers and other JFN classes: "I recommend them to anyone who wants to create connections and lifelong friends."

The Misiphs

That's a tall order to be sure, but one which Jewish Family Network helped five Metrowest families fulfill, and hopes to make possible for many others.

 

"This group of women has meant more to me than I can possibly tell you," Lara says. "They have become my support network and very much like sisters. I hope other moms can find even a little bit of what I have found through this group."

Lots of birthdays to celebrate this month! Look who your baby shares a birthday with!


Let us wish your child a happy birthday next month. Please click here for Birthday Wishes.

$145 per person/$240 per couple

Classes begin in the fall  

For parents of children up to age 12

Register here!

  

There are several Metrowest locations to choose from:

  

Mondays, 4:15-5:45 p.m.

Temple Beth Torah
Sundays, 8:45-10:15 a.m.

Temple Israel

Thursdays, 7:45-9:15 p.m.

  

Congregation Or Atid
Sundays, 9:30-11 a.m.

Temple Shir Tikva
Thursdays, 9:15-10:45 a.m.   

 

Free on-site baby-sitting will be provided by Parents-in-a-Pinch for daytime classes only.  

 

For more information, please contact Elisha Gechter at 617-559-8733 or ikkarim@hebrewcollege.edu.

 

Visit JewishBoston.com!

Find what you need, when you need it. Share events, resources, and ideas, or simply have your voice heard. Go ahead, be Jewish the way you want to be.

While browsing JewishBoston.com, check out Jewish Family Network's blog under Personal Stories, where you can find Julie's interviews with some of the amazing people in our community in one place.