Julie Cohen recalls that on the road to becoming the parents of a 4-year-old and twin toddlers, she and her husband went through “a lot of pain”.

“And I like to think that we’ve gone through that so that I can help others” on that journey, said Julie, manager of the new Birmingham office of the Jewish Fertility Foundation (JFF), a program of CJFS.

Founded in Atlanta in 2015, JFF is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance, emotional support and educational programs for people experiencing infertility. JFF has the goal of expanding nationally, and Birmingham is the first small Jewish community to offer its services. The organization’s Birmingham presence is made possible by a partnership between JFF and CJFS with support from the Birmingham Jewish Foundation.  CJFS Executive Director Lauren Schwartz said the partnership is a perfect fit for CJFS, which works to strengthen families and improve mental health and wellness. “CJFS is always evolving to meet community needs, and we’re thrilled to be bringing JFF’s successful model of education, support and connection for families experiencing infertility to Birmingham,” she said.

When she was going through her own infertility journey, Julie said she would have appreciated having a Jewish support resource. “People would invite me to Christian support groups, but that did not feel comfortable for my husband or me. I personally have reached out to others who I knew were going through it, but there has never been a formal network for Jewish families. Family and friends want to be supportive, but it’s difficult if they don’t have firsthand experience with the roller coaster of emotions that goes along with infertility. JFF’s programming addresses all of these issues and also assists with the high cost of fertility treatment for those eligible.  I can’t wait to build this resource for our community!”

Julie works part-time as a certified Speech Language Pathologist, and she will work part-time for JFF. “These are my two passions, and I’m grateful that I’ll be able to pursue them both,” she said. “I think JFF has the potential to help a lot of people in our community.”

For more information about this program, contact Julie at 205.879.3438 or julie@cjfsbham.org.