Children’s Village Advocacy Finds Foster Homes for Jewish Children

Sixteen years ago, when Natalie Zangan and her husband Rabbi Bijan Refael Zangan got married, at first, they struggled to conceive. It was Natalie’s dream to adopt kids since she was a child herself, so she and Bijan started an application to become foster parents. 

In the midst of it, a miracle happened: they conceived on their own. However, they continued to be very active in learning about the foster system.

“Throughout the years, I got in touch with different social workers and realized there was a shortage of Jewish foster families for Jewish kids.” – Natalie Zangan

“Throughout the years, I got in touch with different social workers and realized there was a shortage of Jewish foster families for Jewish kids,” she said. “When a kid got detained (removed by child protective services) and they preferred to be in a Jewish home, there wasn’t any place they could call.”

Three years ago, Natalie, now a mother of four and a mental health therapist, started Children’s Village Advocacy, a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization that places detained Jewish children with Jewish foster families. With the help of volunteers and social workers, Natalie and her team become involved soon after detainment. They set a child up with a new family as well as a care package that includes essentials like a hairbrush, toothbrush and backpack to give them some comfort during a tumultuous time. So far, Children’s Village Advocacy has worked on 57 cases. 

“None of this would have gotten done if it wasn’t for the volunteers and the team members who saw my vision and helped to make it a reality,” Natalie said. “My husband has also been the great support behind this.”

When Natalie gets a call – whether it’s from a local family in L.A. or one in another state or Canada – she gives them resources so they can avoid detainment or figure out what to do if detainment has already occurred. Social workers will also call Natalie and tell her about a child in need.  

No matter what the circumstances, Natalie will quickly take action, making a vague post on social media (to protect the identity of the child), trying to find a placement for them, as well as reaching out to foster families and synagogues. 

According to Natalie, the children have a say in what happens to them, and some choose not to return home. The situation differs from case to case; sometimes, kids go back home, other times, they end up with foster families and some may even get adopted.

“Being a foster family is not a bad thing,” Natalie, who has also fostered children, said. “It means I made an effort to give a home to this child who needs it. Our mission is to normalize this and create awareness.”

Most of the cases deal with neglect and failure to protect. Many times, a woman will stay with a male partner who is abusive, but she may not recognize the emotional or physical abuse. She’ll tell her therapist or the police she’s not ready to move out, either. “She doesn’t let the police arrest [her partner] or get a restraining order,” Natalie said. “Within a day or two, [children’s services will] remove the kids because of failure to protect.”

Even if a woman is part of a Jewish community, Natalie said that rabbis and community leaders are not always as supportive as they could be. “When you tell a woman [abuse is] not a big deal, you don’t know what you’re sending her back to. Many of [the rabbis and leaders] don’t believe such things are happening.” 

Unfortunately, abuse does happen, even in tight-knit and otherwise supportive religious communities. Natalie became well aware of this six years ago, when she and her husband welcomed her friend’s children into their home after the children got detained.

“Every individual deserves to be in a safe, loving environment.”
– Natalie Zangan

“Every individual deserves to be in a safe, loving environment,” she said. “For whatever reason if it’s not being provided, we as a community need to step up and be there to support one another. It’s as important as having Jewish schools and synagogues.” 

One case that stands out to Natalie occurred when a woman told her that Children’s Village Advocacy was like a “sunrise in the midst of the storm of her life.” This woman’s family was trying to convince her not to speak about the abuse she was enduring, so she turned to Natalie. The woman was relieved that someone finally believed her and was willing to help. 

In another case, at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, Natalie got a call in the middle of the night from a boy’s grandmother. The boy was going to be sent back home to his family, but he didn’t want to go and his grandmother couldn’t care for him. 

“She said he likes his Jewish connection and he’s a Cohen,” Natalie said. “His grandmother asked if we could help him find a home.”

The boy ended up staying with a family in Orange County for a few months and eventually, another family adopted him.

“That was three months ago when the adoption papers were signed,” Natalie said. “The grandmother is involved. It was the most amazing story.”

Sharon Partush, an adoption social worker for the Department of Children & Family Services in Los Angeles County who is familiar with Children’s Village Advocacy, said that Natalie “works proactively instead of reactively. She has prevented numerous kids from going into non-Jewish foster homes and has been able to work together with social workers on the front end to have them go straight into Jewish homes at whatever religious level is needed.”

In the future, Natalie hopes to coordinate with hotels to provide shelter for women who need it, since many women end up homeless after leaving their abusive partners. 

“We had a woman who slept in her car for months because she was so scared to lose her kids,” she said. “We put together money and gave her a place to stay.” 

Natalie also wants to create a safe space with programs and activities for women. “They wouldn’t be as isolated,” she said. “They would be a lot more empowered.” 

With all her work, Natalie keeps the children’s needs at the top of her mind. 

“Children are the most vulnerable and voiceless,” she said. “We owe it to them to be there for them when their families can’t.”