Every Child is Our Child: Foster Care and Adoption with Rabbi Susan Silverman, Rob Scheer and Rita Soronen

Jews have always been called upon to protect the most vulnerable. Today, the need is greater than ever, with approximately 700 children entering foster care every day and over 20,000 teens aging out of foster care each year. Rabbi Susan Silverman, founder of Second Nurture, which seeks to encourage and support those fostering and adopting children and teens, and Rob Scheer, founder of Comfort Cases, an organization whose mission is to bring dignity and hope to youth in foster care, speak about the challenges and struggles facing children in search of their forever families. Silverman and Scheer also share their own moving stories of foster care and adoption. In conversation with Rita Soronen, President and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

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Beshert | My Two Bundles of Meant-To-Be

I always wanted to be somebody’s mother. Since I was six, I would fantasize about holding my baby, dressing her and loving her.  I shared so much love and laughter with my own mother, Helen Ruset, that I wanted to have that with my baby. My dream baby was always a girl. We would have matching outfits, me and mini-me. So when I found myself divorced at 40 with no children, all I could think was, “This is not my plan.”  I began my quest for Mr Right. I looked online, went on singles trips, and allowed myself to be fixed up. I never found him. Clearly, the universe had him going in a different direction. After six years of looking for him, I decided to adopt a baby. I had a successful home-based business and a four-bedroom house....

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