Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
and Jewish Family Service welcome
Wendy Mnookin, award-winning poet, for two special events

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and Jewish Family Service welcome Wendy Mnookin, award winning and critically acclaimed author and poet, for two special events in Cincinnati on difficult issues that face families: child drug abuse and the death of a loved one. Partnering with Deborah Eckert, LSW, CCDCIII, a therapist specializing in substance abuse from Jewish Family Service and Rabbi Samuel K. Joseph, Professor of Education and Leadership Development at HUC-JIR, the sessions offer insight from both personal experience and professional expertise. The events are free of charge and open to the public, but RSVPs are requested. Contact the Department of Outreach Education of HUC-JIR at (513) 221-1875 ext. 353.

"My Child A Drug Addict?: A Jewish Mother Confronts Her Son's Drug Abuse will take place on Sunday, December 8, 2002 from 7:15 pm - 8:30 pm at Temple Sholom, 3100 Longmeadow Lane. Utilizing her book, To Get Here, and articles co-authored with her son, Mnookin will address parenting and family issues of a drug addicted child from her own experiences. Following the presentation, Jewish Family Service therapist Deborah Eckert, LSW, CCDCIII, will facilitate a discussion on talking to children about drugs, finding help, and how the Jewish community can better address this serious problem.

"A Tough Issue: Children and the Death of a Loved One" will take place on Monday, December 9, 2002 from 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm in Mayerson Hall Auditorium on the campus of HUC-JIR, 3101 Clifton Avenue, Cincinnati. Mnookin will share her book of poetry, What He Took, and her experience as a child losing a parent. What He Took, won the Sheila Motton award from the New England Poetry Club for the best book of poetry 2001-2002. Rabbi Samuel K. Joseph, the author of a curriculum for teaching children about death and a founder of Fernside Center for Grieving Children, will present a lesson and lead a discussion about teaching children about death and helping mourning children.

Mnookin, is the author of three books of poetry. In 1999 she won a poetry fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. She graduated from Radcliffe College and received her MFA in Writing from Vermont College. Mnookin has taught poetry to children in Boston area schools and creative writing and poetry to students at Boston College. Mnookin's first book, Guenever Speaks (Round Table Publications, 1991) is a cycle of persona poems in which Mnookin explores the inner life of the woman at the center of the Arthurian legend. In addition to her three books, Mnookin's poems are included in a number of anthologies, including Boomer Girls: Poems by Women from the Baby Boom Generation and Urban Nature: Poems about Wildlife in the City. Her poems have won prizes from a number of journals, including The Comstock Review, Kansas Quarterly and New Millennium Writings.

For more than 50 years, Jewish Family Service has played a vital role in serving the constantly changing social service needs of individuals, families and their children in Greater Cincinnati's Jewish community. Through the Alan R. Mack Parent's Center, Family Life Education, Adoption Connection, Resettlement and Acculturation Jewish Community Center, Older Adult Services, and Counseling, people count on Jewish Family Service every day for support, comfort-and hope. For more information about the programs and resources of Jewish Family Service contact (513) 469-1188.

The Department of Outreach Education of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion connects the community with the resources of HUC-JIR through ongoing learning experiences such as the Academy for Adult Interfaith Study and the Food for Thought Luncheon Lecture Series, and one-time programs. The Department of Outreach Education also coordinates group tour and educational experiences for temples, community, and school organizations. For more information about the programs or to arrange an educational experience at HUC-JIR, contact Rachel Stern Komerofsky, Director of Outreach Education at (513) 221-1875 ext. 354.