Mr. Schneider z’l sat for this interview in 2022. May his memory be for a blessing. Yvonne z’l and Ernest Schneider wed in Homewood Terrace’s synagogue in 1951, surrounded by friends they made in the children’s home. Ernest Schneider was six years old when his widowed mother, unable to make ends meet during the Great Depression, brought him to live at Homewood Terrace on San Francisco’s Ocean Avenue. The campus for children in need would become his cherished home, where he would make lifelong friends, deepen his connection with his family’s Jewish heritage, and even meet the love of his… Read More

What can make a wedding day even more joyful? For Evelyn Danforth-Scott, daughter of longtime JFCS friends Gay and Carl Grunfeld, and Mitchel Scott, the answer was including a way to give back to their community. The caring couple invited guests to make a charitable gift to the Danforth-Scott Family Fund, their new Named Endowment Fund at Jewish Family and Children’s Services. The couple’s generous act followed the example of Gay and Carl, who requested charitable gifts as part of their own 2004 wedding. Gifts established a JFCS Named Endowment Fund, the Grunfeld Family Fund for Children’s Services, and… Read More

Established in loving memory by the Lasky family, the Henry Brand Lasky Memorial Endowment Fund continues the caring legacy of Henry Lasky z’l by supporting palliative and end-of-life care for Sonoma County seniors. Henry was born in Troy, New York, and grew up in Albany. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University and law degree from Albany Law School, he was called to active duty in the US Air Force. While serving at Hamilton Air Force Base, Henry honed leadership skills that would serve him throughout his life and gained judicial experience. He also fell in love with… Read More

“JFCS has helped my family and countless others in times of need,” says Howard S. Hahn, when reflecting on his recent decision to leave a legacy to help others facing hard times. “My parents raised me with Jewish values. Tikkun olam was especially important.” A native of New York City, Howard arrived in San Francisco for a visit not long after he graduated from college. He found a city and community he wanted to get to know better. “I never used the roundtrip part of the paper plane ticket,” Howard says. “I quit my job over the phone and stayed.”… Read More

None of us know what life is going to throw in our path. For young people who have experienced loss, trauma, a bad medical diagnosis or other difficult life events, hope comes in the form of the  Sandra L. Schnitzer Resilience Fund—a new permanent  Named Endowment Fund of Jewish Family and Children’s Services. The fund, which has been thoughtfully founded by Sandra L. Schnitzer of San Francisco, will pioneer a specialized model of compassionate assistance to help children, teens, and young adults up to age 25. Individual grants will magnify and enhance the expert services already available through JFCS’ Center … Read More

For Michael Rolnick and Linda Himelstein, community service is an essential family value. As they were raising their children, Jillian and Ben, in Hillsborough, Michael and Linda made it a priority to model the importance of giving back. “We wanted to nurture in our children a lifelong habit of giving back—not just money, but also time,” says Linda, an award-winning author and journalist. “This should be a vital part of life.” They began volunteering as a family at the JFCS Peninsula Food Bank. When Jillian and Ben were in high school, they participated in the YouthFirst service-learning and leadership development… Read More