News & Impact

“Service is an important part of our family values and our Jewish values,” says Scott Haber, who was elected to the JFCS Board of Directors in July 2021. Growing up near Philadelphia, Scott observed his family’s active engagement in keeping their temple strong and supporting their community. “For my parents, the ethic of service was fundamental,” says Scott. “From childhood, I knew that giving back was part of life.” As a parent and leader, Scott has set his own example of service to the community. A graduate of Cornell Law School, Scott moved to California to join the global law… Read More

“I am always trying to find ways to engage other Jewish young adults who feel some connectivity with Jewish culture and religion and don’t know where to go to find community,” says Mitch Waxman, who was elected to the JFCS Board of Directors in July. A native of Marin County, Mitch has known about Jewish Family and Children’s Services since childhood, through the involvement of his parents, Barbara and Scott Waxman, and his friends, including Aaron Tartakovsky, son of JFCS Executive Director Anita Friedman. He became personally involved after moving back to the Bay Area with then-girlfriend, now wife Melanie… Read More

Robert (Bob) Rosner and his wife, Julie Goldman, are long-time friends and generous supporters of Jewish Family and Children’s Services, dating back to when they attended classes at Parents Place. “What resonates so much for me is the combination of Jewish values and social services,” says Bob, who recently was elected to the Board of Directors. “We love that JFCS helps families and children in need and the most vulnerable of our community.” Growing up in Palo Alto, Bob attended Congregation Beth Am. His mother was a special education teacher, and his parents raised Bob to have a strong Jewish… Read More

As a native San Franciscan, Valli Benesch has been involved in the local Jewish community throughout her life. She attributes her deeply rooted commitment to giving back to her community to two things: “Being Jewish and the values of Judaism.” Valli joined the Board of Directors of Jewish Family and Children’s Services at the urging of her husband, Bob Tandler, who recently completed two terms on the board. Our community is fortunate to have the involvement of these two dedicated leaders with expertise in real estate, finance, and business and a wholehearted affinity for the JFCS’ mission. Valli, a… Read More

Doug Winthrop has served on JFCS’ Board of Directors since 2007 and was recently elected as President for 2021 – 2022. A magna cum laude graduate of both Harvard College and the University of Minnesota Law School, where he was an editor of its law review, Doug clerked for former United States Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens before moving his litigation practice to San Francisco to join Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk and Rabkin, which later combined with Arnold & Porter LLP. We recently sat down with Doug to talk about his time with JFCS and what motivates him… Read More

“I’m excited to be an ambassador to younger professionals,” says Robert (Robby) Kaufman, one of the newly elected and youngest members of the JFCS Board of Directors. “There are so many opportunities to participate as volunteers and so many ways to access help.” Robby, the vice president of investor relations at FTV Capital in San Francisco, became involved with JFCS when researching his family’s history. Inspired by a summer 2017 trip to Poland, Robby began to piece together the experiences of his maternal grandparents, both Holocaust survivors, who had passed away. His research led him to the JFCS Holocaust Center… Read More