Receiving Support Through A Network of Professionals

For three years, Ewa, director of Jewish welfare services in Poland, felt professionally isolated as she worked to meet the needs of elderly Polish Jews. At a time when the community was moving ahead towards a self-sufficient future, the lack of local colleagues was holding Ewa - and the welfare program - back. What she needed was the chance to consult and share experiences with others in her field.

The Sela Forum, created in 2002, now gives Ewa and her fellow welfare directors from Jewish communities across Central and Eastern Europe the opportunity to do just that. Part of JDC's World Welfare Program, the forum brings them together - through biannual site visits -- to explore common issues, to learn from one another's solutions, and to coalesce into a "family" of professionals who provide ongoing peer feedback.

"I don't feel alone in my work anymore," says Ewa, " I have more confidence, more knowledge to continue and to create a better environment for our clients."

The Welfare Program Directors Forum was renamed by JDC in memory of Dr. Israel Sela z"l, country director for Hungary, after his untimely passing during the initiative's inaugural year.