By Reporter staff

The Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton has hired Merryl Wallach as the new director of Jewish Family Service. Wallach’s prior experience includes more than 30 years as a crisis counselor for the Vestal School District. She has also worked at the SOS Shelter (now called RISE) and the Rape Crisis Center (now called the Crime Victims Assistance Center). In addition to providing direct counseling, she also made referrals to outside agencies when needed.

“I decided to apply for the JFS position because my friend Nancy Dorfman called and said she had the perfect job for me,” Wallach said in an e-mail interview. “I retired a year earlier, and it really did seem perfect. I’ve only been here for two weeks, and I can say that it really is a good fit. Shelley [Hubal, Federation executive director] and Jen (Kakusian, office manager] are incredibly supportive, and patiently answer all of my (many) questions. At the heart of it all, it’s an honor for me to be able to support people and families when they find themselves in need.”

“We’re so pleased to have Merryl as part of the Federation team,” said Hubal. “She comes to us with a wealth of experience and will be a great comfort to those in our community who need help.” 

For more information about JFS, visit their website here. Wallach can be contacted at 607-724-2332 or familyservice@jfgb.org.