MARCH 26, 2007 – ParnossahWorks is an innovative, young program that responds to an often overlooked problem facing the Jewish community – that of unemployment among highly trained mid-career professionals who have lost jobs due to retrenchment or outsourcing.
ParnossahWorks is dedicated to helping these professionals become self-reliant once more by supporting them in their efforts to find meaningful employment. The program creatively combines intensive synagogue involvement, sophisticated web technology, and face-to-face counseling to bring jobs to people.
Targum Shlishi, an Aryeh and Raquel Rubin Foundation based in Miami, FL, has helped fund ParnossahWorks in 2006 and 2007, providing support as the initiative expands its reach from the New York metropolitan area to work with Jewish organizations nationwide.
“Being out of work is devastating on so many levels, and there are not many places for those advanced in their careers to turn to for help,” notes Aryeh Rubin, director of Targum Shlishi. “What ParnossahWorks is doing is very important, and it’s been encouraging to see how effectively the initiative has used technology to establish itself and now to expand its geographic impact. We hope not only to see ParnossahWorks successfully expanded, but also to see it emulated in other communities.”
ParnossahWorks has found jobs for more than 530 individuals in the New York area, many of whom had been out of work for extended periods of time. The program conducts job search seminars, training sessions, counseling, and maintains a website with extensive job listings.
ParnossahWorks is a partnership of the Orthodox Union and the FEGS (Federation Employment and Guidance Service) Health and Human Services System. In addition to Targum Shlishi, ParnossahWorks has received support from the UJA-Federation of New York and the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation of Baltimore. For more information, visit its website at www.parnossahworks.org.
About Targum Shlishi
Targum Shlishi, an Aryeh and Raquel Rubin Foundation, is dedicated to providing a range of creative solutions to problems facing Jewry today. Premised on the conviction that dynamic change and adaptation have historically been crucial to a vibrant and relevant Judaism and to the survival of its people, Targum Shlishi’s initiatives are designed to stimulate the development of new ideas and innovative strategies that will enable Jewish life, its culture, and its traditions to continue to flourish. For more information about Targum Shlishi, visit our website at www.targumshlishi.org.
Media Contact
Phone: 306.692.9991
e-mail: info@targumshlishi.org
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