News & Impact

Candace Sue and Rob Hofmeister knew their second adoption might come with some challenges. The couple adopted their daughter, Violet, nine years ago and were prepared for the occasional hiccups that can come with the adoption process. What the couple didn’t anticipate was that their adoption would involve a 1,700-mile road trip during a global pandemic. All the preparations had been made, and the family’s home study completed, when the shelter-in-place requirement went into effect. It was then, in late March, that the Bay Area family received a call from JFCS’ Adoption Connection that put them in touch with a… Read More

While the road to equality for those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+) has been a long one, for over 30 years JFCS has been breaking ground by supporting families of all kinds to grow their families by adoption. JFCS continues to work and advocate for LGBTQ+ adoptive families’ legal rights—both in the United States and in Israel. JFCS’ Adoption Connection Receives Prestigious Award from Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Back in the 80s, while the public and elected officials were busy debating the merits of adoptions by queer families, JFCS’ Executive Director Dr. Anita Friedman began… Read More

J Weekly By Rob Gloster Bay Area rabbis, political and community leaders are among 200 Jewish individuals and organizations across North America condemning the Israeli government’s “callousness and ignorance” in making it harder for same-sex couples to adopt children. The public letter released on July 25 was organized by A Wider Bridge, the San Francisco-based organization that supports the LGBT community in Israel. Signatories included Hillel International, leaders of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Union of Reform Judaism, prominent Jewish LGBT leaders and over 60 U.S. rabbis. Fifty-four local Jewish leaders signed the letter, including state Sen. Scott… Read More

JFCS’ adoption program, Adoption Connection, has been placing babies into adoptive families’ homes successfully for over three decades and the program has recently widened its service eligibility—opening its doors to families who want to adopt and reside anywhere in the United States. Previously Adoption Connection required that adoptive families live within one of 19 Northern California Counties. Using the latest marketing strategies to locate birthmothers who want to make an adoption plan and by providing exceptional counseling to expectant mothers, Adoption Connection has established a reputation as a premiere adoption agency. And since adoptive parents do not need a… Read More

  By Tara Noone, MSW When Adoption Connection opened its doors over 30 years ago, open adoption was starting to blossom, but still in its infancy. As one of the first adoption agencies focused on open adoption, we found ourselves working to correct three common misconceptions, many of which are still common today. They are: that the adopted child would be troubled and confused by contact with birth parents; that continued contact would exacerbate birth parents’ grief; and that adoptive parents would remain in constant fear of losing their child or children. Although there has been plenty of anecdotal evidence… Read More

CBS SF Bay Area From community and service professions to business management and education, a degree in sociology can be quite practical for a number of careers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most sociology jobs for San Francisco students require a minimum of a master’s degree. Nevertheless, the overall job outlook for sociologists is projected to grow much faster than the national average. In considering a career in sociology, there’s nothing much better than receiving expert advice from someone highly respected in the field, such as Lynne Fingerman, M.S.W., Co-Founder and Director of Adoption Connection, headquartered in… Read More