Jewish Family & Children’s Service is seeking a Synagogue & Jewish Community Social Worker to join the Betty Ann Greenbaum Miller Center for Jewish Healing team serving Greater Boston synagogues. The center supports members of the Jewish community through illness, loss, aging, and life transitions. This role brings that work directly into synagogues and communal settings, where people often turn first when they are struggling.
You will be embedded in partner synagogues and lead bereavement and support groups throughout the Jewish community. You will help clergy, staff, lay leaders, congregants, and families respond to grief, mental health, and social service concerns with compassion, skill, and appropriate referrals. This is a high-impact, highly visible position, well suited to someone who is skilled at leading groups, building trust, and partnering with clergy and communal leaders.
This is a full-time, hybrid position reporting to the Director of the Miller Center for Jewish Healing, with clinical supervision from the Director of Community Resources and Mental Health Supports. This role includes:
- Weekly on-site work at partner synagogues and group locations in Greater Boston
- Regular work at JF&CS Headquarters in Waltham
- Travel to partner communities
- Regular evening and occasional weekend availability
Highlights
- $56,000 - $64,000 annual salary, commensurate with credentials and experience
- Hybrid schedule
- Travel/mileage reimbursement
- Immediate eligibility for dental and vision plans
- Medical insurance coverage is effective the 1st of the month following 30 days of employment
- Generous paid time off includes sick time, vacation time, personal time, and national and some Jewish holidays
Key Responsibilities
Synagogue Support and Consultation
- Serve as the on-site social worker for selected partner synagogues
- Consult with and train clergy, synagogue staff, and lay leaders as they respond to community members facing mental health, caregiving, grief, family, aging, or basic-needs concerns
- Provide supportive consultation, information and referral, short-term case management, and basic needs assistance to congregants, as appropriate.
Bereavement and Other Support Groups
- Develop, launch, and facilitate in-person and virtual bereavement and other support groups for synagogues and communal settings throughout Greater Boston
- Build and maintain relationships with the synagogues and partners that host groups
- Manage group clinical dynamics, assess when participants need a higher level of care, and make appropriate referrals
- Manage group administration, including outreach, intake and screening, scheduling and documentation
Additional Center Initiatives
- Support other Center programs with projects assigned based on agency needs and your skills and interests
About You
You are a confident, organized, and flexible professional and an experienced group facilitator with a strong presence, sound independent judgment, a working knowledge of mental health and social service resources, and deep familiarity with Jewish communal life.
Required Qualifications
- A master's degree or higher in social work, mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, psychology, pastoral care, or rabbinic/cantorial ordination
- Social workers and clinicians must hold or be eligible for Massachusetts licensure (LCSW, LICSW, LMHC, or LMFT)
- Clergy must have completed at least two units of Clinical Pastoral Education and have demonstrated experience in bereavement, grief support, or chaplaincy
Ideal Candidates Will Bring
- Experience planning and facilitating support groups; bereavement group experience strongly preferred
- Clinical understanding of grief and loss, mental health, aging, caregiving, and family systems
- Experience with case management, consultation, resource navigation, and the Massachusetts social service and benefits landscape
- Knowledge of Judaism and Jewish life, including holidays, lifecycle events, and mourning practices, and the ability to draw on Jewish tradition in supporting others
- A track record of building relationships with clergy, Jewish professionals, and lay leaders
- Strong communication and presentation skills for leading meetings, trainings, and groups
- Strong organizational skills, including program planning, intake, records, and logistics
- Ability to work independently across multiple sites and as part of a team
- Comfort with Microsoft 365, Zoom, and electronic case management systems
- Ability to travel to locations not accessible by public transportation
To Apply
To apply for this position, please submit your resume along with a cover letter addressing:
- Group facilitation: your experience leading support, bereavement, or other groups
- Jewish communal experience: your professional or volunteer work with synagogues, clergy, Jewish organizations, or lay leaders
- Your interest: what draws you to this role and to the work of the Miller Center
Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
About JF&CS
For more than 150 years, Jewish Family & Children's Service has been helping individuals and families build a strong foundation for resilience and well-being. We intentionally serve and employ people of ALL faiths, backgrounds, cultures, and abilities.
We have a strong culture of professional development, work-life balance, and promotion from within.
JF&CS is an equal opportunity employer who serves and employs people of all cultures and faith traditions. Employment opportunities are available to all without regard for race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.
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