Synagogue & Community Social Worker

Jewish Family & Children’s Service is seeking a Synagogue & Jewish Community Social Worker to provide mental health support, consultation, resource navigation, and short-term case management within synagogues and other Jewish communal settings.

This role will be embedded in partner synagogues while also supporting broader Jewish communal needs. The social worker will help clergy, staff, lay leaders, congregants, and families respond to mental health and social service concerns with compassion, clarity, and appropriate referrals.

This is a high-impact, highly relational position for a social worker and/or mental health professional who is skilled at building trust, partnering with clergy and communal leaders, and helping individuals and families access support through JF&CS and the larger community.

• Community-Based Support and Consultation
  • Serve as a resource to clergy, synagogue staff, and lay leaders as they respond to community members facing mental health, caregiving, grief, family, aging, or basic-needs concerns.
  • Provide professional consultation, guidance, and training to clergy, synagogue staff, and lay leaders around community needs and challenges.
  • Help clergy and staff think through next steps and identify appropriate resources for individuals and families.
  • Provide supportive consultation, information and referral, short-term case management, and basic needs assistance to synagogue community members, as appropriate.
• Resource Navigation and Referrals
  • Connect individuals and families to JF&CS programs and external community providers.
  • Help community members access appropriate services, including mental health care, public benefits, housing resources, support groups, specialized case management, and other community supports.
  • Build and maintain relationships with local service providers and community resources.
• Programming, Support Groups, and Community Engagement
  • Help strengthen each synagogue’s capacity to care for its community.
  • Organize and facilitate support groups in different locations throughout the community.
  • Plan and facilitate workshops, trainings, and community conversations based on the needs of partner synagogues and the broader Jewish community.
  • Attend synagogue programs, meetings, and community events as appropriate.
  • Represent JF&CS in synagogue and Jewish communal settings.
• Program Development and Community Needs
  • Identify emerging needs and service gaps within synagogue and Jewish communal settings.
  • Share insights with the JF&CS team to help inform possible programs, partnerships, or additional resources.
  • Collaborate with colleagues across JF&CS to strengthen support for synagogues and Jewish communal partners.
• Work Environment and Schedule
  • Hybrid position with a flexible schedule; role can be structured as one full-time position or split into two part-time positions.
  • Weekly on-site work at partner congregations located in the Greater Boston area.
  • Regular work at JF&CS headquarters in Waltham.
  • Travel to partner communities, reimbursed according to JF&CS policy.
  • Occasional evening and weekend availability for synagogue programs, meetings, support groups, and community events.
  • Structure allows for a minimum of two years commitment to align with current synagogue partnerships; candidates interested in long-term growth are welcome.

Our ideal candidate is a strong relationship-builder with a clinical background, experience with the Jewish community, and a working knowledge of mental health and social service resources. This role is a good fit for a creative, resourceful self-starter who is excited to help shape new ways of bringing support into synagogue and Jewish communal settings.

• Strong relationship building, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Clinical understanding of mental health, aging, grief, caregiving, family systems, and social determinants of health.
• Experience with case management, consultation, resource navigation, information and referral.
• Training and experience facilitating support groups.
• Working knowledge of mental health and social service resources.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Comfort using Microsoft 365, Zoom,…