Staff Spotlight | High Holidays at The Ark | Pack the Pantry | Remembering October 7th

“Maya made an otherwise formidable series of applications entirely comprehensible and I am so grateful to her for that. I’m now waiting to hear about additional benefits I wouldn’t otherwise have known were available." 

—  Ark Client

The High Holidays are a special time at The Ark and a significant way in which we bring clients together for a shared Jewish experience.

The season began with a special Rosh Hashanah Café, where clients gathered for a festive dinner, dipped apples in honey, and enjoyed traditional foods, including pomegranates and dates. The evening concluded with the sound of the shofar. 

To help clients attend Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services, Rabbi Shaya Hauptman coordinated with local rabbis and synagogues to arrange places for them to worship during the High Holidays. Regular Torah Groups also gave clients an opportunity to learn about the holidays, reflect on the emotions and challenges this time of year can bring, and look ahead to the new year. 

Preparations for Sukkot included a mini shuk, a market where clients selected their own lulav and etrog sets, learned how to use them, and received take-home guides to support their holiday observance. 

The Ark’s Facilities team prepared a beautifully decorated sukkah on the Outdoor Terrace, which hosted several gatherings throughout the holiday. Samantha Spolter, The Ark's Manager of Mental Health Access and Special Projects, organized a staff get-together featuring refreshments and holiday learning. 

Clients also came together for two Simchat Beit HaSho’eivah celebrations, a Sukkot tradition commemorating the joyous water-drawing ceremonies held at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The gatherings featured hot catered lunches and violin music performed by The Ark's Grant Manager, Dana DeBofsky. 

Staff, board members, volunteers, and our dedicated partners at the Chicago Police Department, Officers Roger Heath and Mike Specht, helped serve lunch. Clients and volunteers also participated in the tradition of reciting the blessing and waving the lulav and etrog. 

The season concluded with a special Torah Group on Isru Chag, the day after the holiday, where clients reflected on the past month and shared what they hoped to carry with them into the winter. 

These celebrations are just one part of The Ark’s Spiritual Enrichment Program, which helps clients stay connected to Jewish life and traditions throughout the year. 

The High Holidays may be behind us, but our Pack the Pantry collection is still underway, and we need your help keeping The Ark’s kosher food pantries stocked. 

Recent federal changes to SNAP are putting additional pressure on households already struggling to afford groceries. According to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, SNAP enrollment in Illinois has dropped by 24% since July 2025, leaving approximately 450,000 fewer people receiving food assistance.

The growing need is evident at The Ark. This August, we saw a record number of clients visit our food pantries, with more than 1,000 households receiving food assistance. With more than 3,400 Jewish individuals turning to The Ark’s food pantries each year, continued community support is especially important. 

Right now, one of the best ways to help is through our Amazon Wish List. You can purchase much-needed kosher food, personal care items, and household supplies from the list and have them shipped directly to The Ark. It's a simple way to help us restock our shelves and keep food available for individuals and families who depend on our two pantries, in Chicago and Northbrook. You can also make a monetary donation helping The Ark stretch every dollar further to provide more food and essential supplies for those who need them.

Thank you to the synagogues, community partners, and individuals who have supported Pack the Pantry so far. The collection continues, and there's still time to take part! 

On October 7, The Ark’s Gesher program held a special art therapy activity to mark three years since the October 7 attacks in Israel and honor those whose lives were forever changed. Gesher serves Jewish adults living with mental health challenges through therapeutic groups, creative activities, and opportunities to connect with others.

Led by Israeli-born Art Therapy Intern Karin Sher, the gathering brought clients and staff together to reflect and express their feelings through art. 

Participants worked together to create a memory garden filled with handmade butterflies and red anemones, flowers that grow throughout southern Israel and have become symbols of remembrance. Each person was invited to decorate a butterfly with words of hope, personal reflections, or messages honoring those who were lost. 

The activity gave participants a chance to acknowledge the sadness of the day while creating something together that reflected both loss and hope. 

As we read Parshat Noach last Shabbat, we were reminded of the remarkable story of Noah’s ark, which provided shelter and protection during a time of great uncertainty. But the Torah describes another ark, the small basket that carried the infant Moshe to safety along the Nile. Though very different, both served the same purpose: protecting lives whose futures had yet to unfold. 

This message is especially meaningful to the work of The Ark, which takes its name from Noach's story. Every day, The Ark helps individuals and families navigate difficult circumstances, offering compassionate support that addresses immediate needs while preserving dignity and helping build a path toward stability. 

Both arks remind us that the true purpose of shelter is not simply to withstand life's storms, but to make new beginnings possible. 

Click the link below to read the full blog post.

• Schedule an informational talk or tour for a first-hand understanding of how The Ark addresses the needs of our community with your co-workers, group, or nonprofit group.
  
  
• Make a connection between your company or organization and The Ark for an interactive program or service project.
  
  
• Start a Pack the Pantry collection drive. Challenge your friends, neighbors, and co-workers to help you collect any one item from our pantry list. 

To express interest or learn more, please fill out our volunteer interest form.

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The Administration Receptionist is the first person clients, visitors, and staff see when they walk in, and sets the tone for everything that follows. Alongside reception, you’ll handle the administrative work that keeps the office running smoothly. This role suits someone warm, steady, and organized, who stays composed when things get busy and treats every person with dignity.

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The PRN/Per Diem Pharmacist steps in to cover vacations, illness, and other scheduling needs. This role suits someone experienced, dependable, and comfortable working independently, who takes real satisfaction in thoughtful, unhurried patient care. 

Program Support Specialist 

The Program Support Specialist supports the day-to-day operations of The Ark’s Volunteer and Outreach Department. This role helps coordinate volunteer activities, manage volunteer systems and records, prepare materials and supplies for programs and events, and provide administrative support that keeps the department organized and running smoothly. 

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