Jackie Valfer Einbinder, a labor and delivery nurse, couldn't escape a painful irony: She and her husband, Isaac, were having trouble bringing their own baby into the world.
"'What are they doing that I'm not doing?'" Jackie recalled thinking. "'I must be doing something wrong.'"
But the Wheeling couple, who have known each other since third grade Hebrew school, weren't doing anything wrong. After consulting a reproductive endocrinologist, they learned that Jackie had a recurrent ovarian cyst. Their doctor recommended a course of fertility procedures.
The stress brought on by the daunting medical process was compounded by concerns over financing the treatments. "There's just so much you can do with insurance," Jackie said. "I was paying out-of-pocket. We had just bought a house. It was hard to navigate."
Fortunately, one of Jackie's colleagues told her about the Chicago Coalition for Family Building (CCFB), which partners with JUF to administer JUF's Path to Parenthood program.
Path to Parenthood strives to remove such financial barriers, irrespective of race, gender identity, or sexual orientation. This financial aid grant serves any Jewish individual or couple who want to grow their family through medical interventions, surrogacy, and adoption.
The Einbinders were thrilled to learn that they could benefit from a Path to Parenthood grant. With the JUF grant, the couple was able to proceed, resulting in a successful pregnancy. This past August, they welcomed Ethan Maxwell to their family.
"I don't have enough words to express how grateful I am" for the financial assistance, Jackie said. "Without it, I don't think we'd have Ethan. How did we get so lucky?"
The Einbinders' luck stems from the generosity of JUF donors, said Paula Harris, JUF Associate Vice President of Community Outreach and Engagement, who oversees the six-year-old Path to Parenthood Program. David and Melissa Sarnoff, longtime JUF donors, provided the seed money and continue to support the program, which also has been underwritten by other family foundations.
"We realized that there was a large need in the Jewish community" for a program of this kind, said Harris. She noted that Path to Parenthood also offers support and education. So far, she added, 28 babies have been born to Path to Parenthood grantees.
"Everyone who wants a child should be able to have one. This was true at the inception of the program, and it is even more urgent and relevant today," said David Sarnoff, who said that he and Melissa now have three youngsters themselves. "I can think of no greater mitzvah than to help Jews become parents, and in doing so, grow the next generation of Jews," added Melissa Sarnoff.
"The grant was such a godsend," said West Rogers Park resident Raquel Amster, who, with husband, Sam, welcomed a son, Yehudah Moshe, in December 2023, after a regimen of infertility treatments.
"He is the answer to all of our prayers … and beyond," said Raquel, who praised JUF for the emotional support it provided, along with the financial assistance.
The grant was also a huge help for Vernon Hills couple Matthew Rissien and Brittany Silberman, who adopted their son, Henry, in 2022. Matthew--Director of Congregational Learning at Temple Jeremiah in Northfield--and Brittany, a public school teacher, knew that adoption was their best option; their doctor had told them that Brittany's ulcerative colitis would prevent her from experiencing a safe pregnancy.
"There are a lot of costs connected to adoption," Matthew noted, so the Path to Parenthood Grant was "an amazing opportunity." For the couple, Birthright alumni who met on JDate, the fact that it came from the Jewish community was particularly resonant. "It meant the world to us," said Matthew.
Reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Eve Feinberg, the President of the Board of CCFB, noted that one in six individuals and couples seeking to grow their families faces infertility issues. That the Coalition and JUF's Path to Parenthood can work together to lessen prospective parents' challenges is nothing short of a "tremendously beautiful partnership," she said.
Robert Nagler Miller is a journalist and editor who writes frequently about arts- and Jewish-related topics from his home in New York.
