Jewish Pregnancy Help

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.
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