Benji Rosenzweig met his wife, Sarah, in the kitchen at the Daniel B. Sobel Friendship House while preparing a Shabbat dinner. They were both in recovery and connected Judaism to the 12-steps. They were friends for six months, dated for six months, and married nine months later. The couple was so grateful that they hosted their engagement party at Friendship House.

At the time, neither Benji nor Sarah had any idea just how significant Friendship Circle would continue to be in their lives.

After their marriage, the couple volunteered at the Walk4Friendship and stayed involved in the Friendship House. In 2011 their daughter, Ellah, was born. Even though they were already immersed in the organization, the couple spent a few years in denial that their daughter had special needs and could benefit from Friendship Circle services. Today they participate in almost all of the programs and services offered.

“Friendship Circle is a place where we each personally received support in recovery, and where Ellah and her older sister have many incredible friends,” Benji says. “It is also a place where a community of unconditional support has been built for all of us.”

Sarah and Benji will be celebrating their 12th anniversary in June 2019, and Friendship Circle has been with them every step of their journey.

“I can’t even imagine what our lives would look like without Friendship Circle,” Sarah adds. “We would need to engage about a dozen other organizations to make up for the one organization that we are able to get help and community and services from. Friendship Circle is the best place on Earth.”

-Rosenzweig Family, Friendship House