News & Impact

This spring, JFCS’ Financial Aid Center received record numbers of scholarship applications from outstanding local youth eager to pursue their college dreams. Thanks to the generosity of donors to JFCS’ scholarship fund, many young people received the life-changing news of financial help. Among the happy students were the four recipients of the Vivienne S. Camp Scholarship, which was established more than three decades ago through the visionary commitment of Mrs. Camp. This year’s Vivienne S. Camp Scholarship recipients have an array of aspirations—from astrophysics to the arts. What they share is a strong connection to their Jewish identity, a commitment… Read More

Julie was always an exceptional student. Whether she was earning gold stars or straight A’s, she never failed to impress her teachers. That all changed for the worse when a tragedy struck her family, plunging Julie’s educational future into grim uncertainty. Fortunately, with the support of her family and JFCS, she was able to find her footing, get her degree, and set out on her dream career. Towards the end of her 6th grade when she was eagerly looking forward to beginning middle school, Julie lost her adoring father to an undiagnosed heart condition. She and her mother were devastated.… Read More

From June 23 – 26, 2024, dedicated teachers from across California gathered in Los Angeles for the second annual Summer Institute of the California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education. This groundbreaking event, organized by the JFCS Holocaust Center in partnership with The USC Shoah Foundation, brought together educators from 51 California school districts. Through expert-led workshops, moving testimonies, and rich primary sources, the institute equipped teachers with effective tools to build critical thinking skills and address antisemitism and hate in their own classrooms and communities. In a post-institute survey, 98% of teachers reported the curriculum and instructional strategies… Read More

By Dr. Anita Friedman, JFCS Executive Director and co-chair of the Governor’s Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education As we all can see, hate is surging at unprecedented levels throughout our society. Antisemitism is at an all-time high in California, and every week the JFCS Holocaust Center receives calls from local schools seeking guidance on how to handle hateful incidents. Now more than ever, education is critically and urgently needed to combat this frightening trend. The Case for Fighting Antisemitism and Hate Through Education Holocaust education was legally required in the California state education code as of 1985. Only now,… Read More

September 14, 2023—Governor Newsom has signed and passed California’s 2023-24 budget, which includes $1.5 million in renewed funding for the California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education. The Collaborative is developing a robust series of new, standards-aligned lessons and teacher training initiatives to educate 6 – 12th graders about what happens when bias goes unchecked. The funding included in the State budget will support the continued work of the Collaborative to train over 8,500 teachers and educate over one million California students by 2027. The California Teachers Collaborative is the first of its kind in the nation. Established by… Read More

“When JFCS called me with the news about this scholarship, my eyes immediately filled with tears of joy and I felt a sense of relief and happiness rush through my whole body,” says local student Shana Sklovsky. This spring and summer, outstanding young people in our community received the joyful news that they would receive meaningful financial help for their college dreams, thanks to the generosity of donors to JFCS’ scholarship fund. One of the scholarships administered by JFCS’ Financial Aid Center is the highly competitive Vivienne S. Camp Scholarship. Each year, the Vivienne S. Camp Scholarship is awarded to… Read More