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EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

SUPPORT GROUPS

These support groups are free and open to all experiencing infertility in Greater DC.

  • You will be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement.
  • Registration is requested at least 24 hours in advance.
Register for a JFF-Greater DC Support Group

FERTILITY BUDDIES

Our fertility buddies practice “relationship-based support.” Individuals currently experiencing infertility and/or on a family-building journey are matched with trained fertility buddy veterans, who understand the pressure, pain, and emotional upheaval caused by infertility and various pathways to parenthood, and can offer the much-needed support to their buddies.

Need a buddy?Want to become a buddy?

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

JFF-Greater DC FERTILITY GRANTS

As a Greater DC resident, you may be eligible to apply for our grants:

  • Invitro Fertilization (IVF)
  • Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

Other financial benefits through JFF include:

  • 20% off discounts from our partner clinics
  • Interest-free loans
  • Pharmacy discounts for medications and genetic testing (of embryos) discounts from our partners
Learn More

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

JOIN US!

JFF offers community programming to spread awareness of infertility and to bring our amazing community together.

Register for an EventPrevious Events
JFF-GREATER DC Event

GREATER DC COUNSELORS (for one-on-one counseling)

Shatiera Amankrah, LCSW, LICSW, PMH-C – Accepts Virginia- BCBS/Anthem/Carefirst & Aetna, DC, Georgia and Maryland- Aetna

Julie BindemanPsy-D- Out of Network

Rose Bleiweis, LCSW – Accepts most insurance

Katherine Hannon, LCPC – Accepts most insurance plans & Out of Network

Caryn Malkus, LCMFT- Out of Network

Jordana Ravick – Out of Network

Danielle Rothman, Psy-D- Out of Network

 

GREATER DC CLINICS

GREATER DC TEAM

Meet the JFF- Greater DC Manager

Aviva Janus

JFF-Greater DC Manager

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Aviva Janus lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband, David, and teenage son.  She is also the proud mother of four grown daughters. Her family has grown to include two sons-in-law as well as grandchildren. Building her family has brought her tremendous joy and she’s delighted to help her local DC community members expand their families too.

Aviva has a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and an M.A. in Jewish Professional Studies from the Spertus Institute of Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago.  She studied at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, where she lived for six years before relocating to Maryland.  Aviva has served as a Jewish communal professional in Reform, Conservative and Orthodox institutions and is excited to contribute to a Jewish non-denominational space which supports building families.

Meet the JFF- Greater DC Local Ambassadors

Jessica Chod

Jessica is a Partner at Potomac Law Group. Her practice focuses on general corporate law and contract matters, as well as corporate governance work. She has a BS from Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations and has a JD/MBA from Emory University. Jessica grew up in the DC area and currently lives in Montgomery County with her husband and children. She believes in the value of service and is actively involved in several nonprofits.

Why JFF?
Jessica and her family are committed to supporting the Jewish community. She believes assisting with the creation and growth of Jewish families helps foster a stronger, more vibrant, sustainable Jewish community for today and the future.

Amy Forseter

JFF-DC Advisory Council Chair

Amy lives in Bethesda, MD with her husband and three children. Following graduation from the University of Michigan, Amy left her home state and lived in San Francisco, Boston, where she received her MBA & MA at Brandeis University, and overseas before calling the DC area home. With a background in Jewish Communal Service and nonprofit management, Amy has been involved in the community, both lay and professionally, in various organizations over the past 20 years. She is passionate about connecting people to each other and looks forward to meeting you

Why JFF?
Amy has always been interested in how our community can respond and support people in various ways. During the decade she spent building her own family she thought about others facing fertility challenges and wanted to make a difference as so many people who are trying to build their families feel very marginalized. JFF is a transformative organization that can help people feel accepted, taken in, and cared for while they are experiencing this life crisis. And we can connect people to Judaism, hopefully creating a lifelong connection.

This is a headshot of Dr. Jennifer Biron Tipograph.

Jennifer Biron Tipograph

Dr. Jennifer Biron Tipograph is a native Washingtonian. After completing her undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech, Jennifer began working at Natural Dentist Associates as a dental assistant. While working under Dr. Kimberly Baer, she developed a deep passion for holistic dentistry and treating the body as a whole. Following her apprenticeship as a holistic dental assistant, she attended Howard University College of Dentistry, where she earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree.

Jennifer dedicates her time to many organizations, including the Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA) where she provides dental treatment to Holocaust survivors. She enjoys traveling overseas to volunteer with Kids International Dental Services (KIDS) to provide for children who do not have access to dental care. When she is not treating patients or volunteering, Jennifer enjoys exercising and spending time in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband, two children, and their rescue pup Rosie.

WHY JFF?
Volunteering with the Jewish Fertility Foundation (JFF) allows Jennifer to help provide local families with the gift of education, financial support, and emotional guidance.

Jamie Kushner Blicher

As a self-taught artist, Jamie started creating mixed-media pieces in high school and continued to do so throughout her college years at New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology. Today, Jamie’s main medium is ink on paper. She creates these magical abstract pieces by filling the same tool that brings many families hope and rainbow babies with ink (sterile IVF needles). Then releasing the ink over the paper in a way that builds up color and form through careful gesture and thoughtful placement. The way the ink moves across the paper you can easily imagine a mermaids tail swishing through the colorful pools of ink.
Since 2016, Jamie has been using her art to help bring calm and happiness to others who have gone through or are still going through their infertility journeys. As well as those who just want something fun and reflective of their styles in their homes through private commissions.
Jamie lives with her husband, her twin boys, and their labradoodle named Gem in their very noisy house in Bethesda, Maryland.

Sharon Safra

Sharon is a DC native who lives in Rockville with her husband and three children. She did her undergraduate work at the University of Michigan and got her master’s degree in Jewish education at the Jewish Theological Seminary in NYC. Sharon has worked in a variety of Jewish communal positions, including as a Hillel professional and synagogue educator, and currently serves as the Associate Director of Ramah Day Camp Greater DC. Sharon believes strongly in the power of community and, in her many roles, has worked hard to create vibrant and diverse engagement opportunities for Jews of all ages.
Why JFF?
The road to parenthood was not a straightforward one for Sharon and her husband. At the
time, there were no resources for Jewish adults facing infertility and it was a very isolating time.
The work that JFF does to support and embrace those struggling to create their families is so valuable, Sharon was eager to get involved as soon as JFF came to DC.

CALENDAR

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Support Group: Experiencing Infertility

Zoom , United States

Free and open to anyone experiencing infertility. Registration is required at least 12 hours in advance. REGISTER HERE.

JFF-GREATER DC Loving Someone with Infertility

This is a FREE event intended for people experiencing infertility as well as their friends and family to gain tips and tools from professionals and veterans of infertility on how...