Our Story

Who is SHALVA?

Since 1986, SHALVA’s mission has been to support survivors of domestic abuse by providing counseling, supportive services and community education. SHALVA envisions a knowledgeable and supportive community dedicated to breaking the cycle of domestic abuse, where everyone feels safe and respected in their home or relationship.

Learn more about SHALVA

Why Seven Circles?

While there is some education about healthy relationships in schools, and services like couples counseling, SHALVA found a gap for those in between: couples who are in a healthy relationship, especially before marriage (for those who choose marriage). They don’t have the space to gain the skills and knowledge to keep their unique relationship strong and prepare them for the inevitable ups and downs that everyone experiences over time.

Personalized, structured ways to listen, learn, share, and strengthen your relationship with intention is our goal. This inclusive, private, self-guided experience is for you and your partner to deepen your conneciton with intention, with an eye towards your future, together.

SHALVA is deeply grateful to a SHALVA donor who had the vision and drive to allow this program to be created within our organization.

Why is it called Seven Circles?

This program provides couples with seven unique date nights that touch on the keys to long-term healthy love. Circles have deep meaning; Judaism has a weding tradition with couples circling seven times to represent the building of a new family and creating a wall of safety for the relationship. Circles are a symbol of equality with every point on the circle being equidistant from the center, and they are a symbol of something that has no beginning or end. There is no timeline, no beginning or end, when considering the ongoing care and attention a relationship needs. Let Seven Circles guide you with readings, tools, and games to set you on a path of a healthy and fulfilling long-term relationship.

Our Seven Circles Team

Meet the team that will help guide you through your relationship journey.

Jordyn Scorpio, Director of Community Education

Jordyn has been passionately working in the healthy relationship/domestic abuse space for most of her career. Her initial focus post-college was on becoming a marriage counselor, but she quickly pivoted when she learned about the prevalence of domestic abuse, especially among young people. Her first job in the space was at a national organization educating high school and college students on healthy relationships. Upon moving to Chicago from NYC in 2019, the opportunity with SHALVA to create a healthy relationship program for couples was exactly what she hoped to do with her career. At SHALVA, she can continue her community education work alongside others providing direct services for survivors of domestic abuse. Since its launch in 2022, hundreds of people have participated in Seven Circles and Jordyn is eager to continue to expand. Jordyn felt, and continues to feel, that key to creating a safer, more loving world is talking about healthy relationships and she’s dedicated to being a part of the solution. In 2022, Jordyn was recognized by JUF as a 36 Under 36 honoree and the winner of the Samuel A. Goldsmith Young Professional Award. Born and raised in New Jersey, Jordyn has been loving life in Chicago since she moved here with her partner, Dan, in 2019.

Stephanie Goldfarb, Curriculum Writer

(Contracted 2020 – 2021) Stephanie is a veteran Jewish community professional specializing in experiential Jewish education. Goldfarb holds Masters Degrees in both Gender Studies and Clinical Social Work from Loyola University, as well as a certificate in Experiential Jewish Education from Yeshiva University. She currently works as the Director of Educational Initiatives at Hillel International. Goldfarb is committed to widening the tent for folks on the margins of Jewish community by building friendly, accessible, culturally competent educational resources such as Seven Circles. Steph was thrilled to work on the Seven Circles content because it intersected all of her loves: Jewish education, clinical social work, and love. She believes strong couples can heal the world together, and she wants to be a part of that healing! Steph lives with her partner, Hunter, and dog, Marvin.

Maris Rosenfeld, Community Outreach and Education Coordinator

Maris is so grateful to be a part of the Seven Circles team! Born and raised in the Chicagoland area, most of her career has been spent as a history museum educator. While history and healthy relationships may not have a lot in common on the surface, Maris’ love of meeting people where they’re at and engaging them in new ideas and topics is part of what Seven Circles is all about! Plus, she knows all the best museum spots and will happily chat to anyone about their favorite history topic any time. Growing up around advocates against domestic abuse, Maris has always been frustrated and saddened by how insidious and prevalent domestic abuse is. Her role at SHALVA and Seven Circles combines her passion for education with her desire to help those impacted by abuse. She is so excited to be helping foster healthy relationships with Seven Circles, including her own! She participated in the program with her partner Ben, whom she lives with in Chicago, in 2024.