"SHIFRA gave me exactly the love, kindness, and resources I needed to get through a very difficult time in my life.”

Jewish Pregnancy Help

Supporting Jewish Women Through Unplanned Choices

Pregnant & Worried? We Are Here For You

SHIFRA is a unique Jewish support network designed to help pregnant Jewish women through crisis. We provide layers of emotional and practical support throughout pregnancy and motherhood. 

SHIFRA helps women anywhere in the US and English speakers outside of Israel.

If pregnancy was not your plan, we’re here for you. If you planned your pregnancy and experienced a major upheaval such as a job loss or breakup, you can rely on SHIFRA.

SHIFRA can nurture you through the unplanned pregnancy crisis and empower you for your future.

SHIFRA Provides Our Clients With:

Counseling

We provide free, confidential virtual professional counseling throughout your pregnancy and the first year after giving birth.

We provide a safe space to explore your feelings and your choices without judgment.

All of our counselors have a masters degree in clinical social work.

Material Aid

We provide moms with maternity clothes, baby clothes, prenatal and postpartum care packages, and other essential items free of charge, customized to your situation and needs.

Financial Aid

Financial Aid

Our resources and grants allow us to provide you with the help you need at this urgent time. Some examples include: babysitting, job coaching, and household help.

Community Connections

If SHIFRA can’t provide it, we will help you find it. Our vast community connections allow us to connect you with resources you may need such as legal guidance, housing, and more.

Classes

Lifetime Parenting Support

We offer a lifetime of free parenting classes to help you navigate each phase of parenthood. Our support system includes an active community you can lean on at any time.

Who Do We Help?

We welcome and support pregnant Jewish women from every background. Our clients are both single and married, unaffiliated and Orthodox, ranging from late teens to early 40s.

Why a Jewish unplanned pregnancy can be a crisis:

Financial
concerns

How could I afford a baby right now?

Emotional
overwhelm

How could I handle having a(nother) baby given my other responsibilities?

Unstable
relationships

How can I have a baby when my relationship is not healthy and/or stable?

Coercion or
abandonment

How can I have a baby when people close to me won’t support me?

Book An Appointment By Texting Now

Book An Appointment By Texting Us Now

You can count on SHIFRA to treat you with kindness and respect throughout your unplanned pregnancy journey. If you need help, call or text us today and set up an appointment  to speak with one of our professional counselors.

You can also contact us by calling SHIFRA

You Aren't Alone SHIFRA Can Help

We help pregnant Jewish women undergoing emotional, economic, and financial crises from all around the United States. We offer professional and compassionate specialized social services.

SHIFRA Clients Tell Their Stories

Our counselors help pregnant Jewish women in crisis navigate their journey, one step at a time.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about our organization. If you have more questions, you can contact us.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about our organization. If you have more questions, you can contact us.

Where is SHIFRA located?

SHIFRA provides services everywhere in the United States and to English-speakers anywhere outside of Israel. Our counseling sessions and parenting classes are all held virtually. SHIFRA is governed by a Board of Directors primarily located in Chicago, New Jersey, New York, and the greater Washington, DC area.

Who can I contact with questions?

If you are a Jewish pregnant woman in crisis or know someone who is, please text us at 646-632-8457. For all other matters, please call our main office at 202-573-7611.

Is SHIFRA only for Jewish women?

Our focus is on Jewish women because no other agency within the Jewish community is meeting this need. However, we help non-Jewish clients if we feel that SHIFRA is the best fit and there isn’t a local non-Jewish agency that can help as well as we do.

Is SHIFRA only for single women?

No. SHIFRA is available for all pregnant Jewish women in crisis, regardless of their relationship status or the number of children they have. We understand that married and single women can experience dire financial, emotional, and psychological situations and need urgent help.

Are your counselors trained professionals?

Yes. All of our counselors have a master’s degree in clinical social work, and many years of experience counseling women and families through crisis.

Our counselors create a safe emotional space for you so that you are able to comfortably process your feelings, articulate your needs, and connect with your strengths. You receive the same counselor throughout your time with SHIFRA, which is from the first phone call until your baby’s first birthday. If your pregnancy ends by miscarriage or termination, sensitive follow-up sessions are available for you.

What if I decide I can’t raise a baby right now?

You deserve to have access to the maximum resources available before you make your very difficult decision.

We offer unique emotional, social, and financial resources that often make the impossible feel possible. This includes wellness grants for moms who place for adoption.

We encourage you to explore our resources before making your choice. We are not an adoption agency or abortion facilitator but we provide sensitive follow-up counseling, no matter your choice.

I am not pregnant. I am seeking to adopt a child. Can SHIFRA staff connect me with a pregnant woman considering adoption?

We wish you the best in your adoption journey but SHIFRA does not provide services to potential adoption families or act as adoption facilitator.

Are you affiliated with any religious movements or agencies and other Orthodox streams?

SHIFRA is designed to be a resource for Jewish women from any religious background. We collaborate with Jewish leaders and organizations from across the spectrum of Jewish life—from the secular Network for Jewish Human Services to Chabad. Our board, volunteers, and donors reflect a diverse group of Jews who care about helping pregnant Jewish women through crisis.

We do not provide religious or halakhic guidance but do encourage clients to speak with their rabbis if they need rabbinical guidance. For our own rabbinical guidance, we consult Rabbi Yitzhak Breitowitz.

How much are SHIFRA’s services?

Our services are free. We are a nonpartisan 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Generous donors make our services possible.

How can I spread the word and support SHIFRA?

We appreciate your help! If you work in Jewish communal services, please email [email protected] to arrange a SHIFRA staff training session or order materials to distribute at a Jewish communal location.
You can also support us by following, liking, and sharing our posts on Facebook and Instagram.

Who can I contact with questions?

Pregnant women or concerned friends or family should call the helpline: (888) 360-5872, or text our text-only line: (646) 632-8547. For all other matters, please call the office at (202) 573-7611 or email us at [email protected]

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Shifra’s Calling by Erica Pelman

I’m pro-choice but abortion wasn’t for me – Lori Prashker-Thomas

Abortion, grief and second chances by Eliana Rachamim

I’m Pregnant and Feel I can’t Handle a Baby

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Priceless: the moments when our client discovers she doesn’t have to do this alone and that she has more strength than she realized.