Philanthropist Bill Lowenberg z”l, who survived Auschwitz, spent much of his life educating children, grandchildren, and countless others about the lessons of the Holocaust. Two years after his death, the JFCS Holocaust Center renamed its survivor speaker program as the William J. Lowenberg Speakers Bureau, in tribute to his legacy of courage and leadership. “It was very important to my father that young people understand the Holocaust and that they never forget. He saw the impact that eyewitness testimonies had on students,” says Susan Lowenberg, Bill’s daughter. In tribute to her father, Susan and her spouse, Joyce Newstat, dedicated… Read More

The Mitzi and Adolf Wilner Memorial Fund was established by Susan Wilner Golden in loving memory of her parents. Adolf and Mitzi were married in Lvov, Poland, on November 28, 1944, having survived the last few years of the war together. Adolf had immigrated to Palestine in 1934, and returned to Poland in the summer of 1939 to attend a family wedding. With the outbreak of the war, he was caught in Poland, unable to return to Tel Aviv. During the war, Adolf was hidden in the basement of a home where Mitzi worked serving meals to German soldiers who… Read More

For George Maisels and his wife, Lois, both of blessed memory, caring about others began at home in the Bay Area. George ran a liquor store in the Mission District of San Francisco for many years with his brother, Larry. When he and Lois decided they wanted to leave a legacy for the Jewish community, they chose Jewish Family and Children’s Services to receive a substantial part of their estate, dedicating it to establish the George and Lois Maisels Perpetual Endowment Fund. The couple thoughtfully designated the fund to support domestic violence survivor services; housing assistance for seniors; immigration legal… Read More

The Benjamin and Elizabeth Leavitt Fund, established by Barbara and Barry Kay in loving memory of Barbara’s parents, provides financial support for the comprehensive social services that JFCS offers to Russian emigres, helping them build successful new lives in the Bay Area. Born in 1903 in Plissa, Wilna Geberne, Benjamin Leavitt emigrated from Russia with his parents when he was 12. The family settled in the small Connecticut town of Fitchville, but eventually Benjamin moved to Bridgeport and went into business as one of the original owners of a Hertz franchise. Barbara’s mother, Elizabeth, affectionately called Betty, was born in… Read More