News & Impact

San Francisco Chronicle By Filipa A. Ioannou At Francisco Middle School in San Francisco’s North Beach, more than 80 percent of the students speak a language other than English at home — and they were quick to pick up on the talk about immigration during the recent presidential debates. “There’s a total undercurrent of fear here for our particular students,” says Marna Blanchard, a social studies teacher at Francisco, where students’ other languages include Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin and Korean. The complicated emotions students feel as they observe current events — from President-elect Donald Trump’s vow to build a border wall… Read More

Like many children who had a parent who survived the Holocaust, Lydia Preisler Shorenstein felt an obligation to find a way to honor her father’s memories and experiences, as well as to educate others about the tragedy of the Holocaust so that history would not continue to repeat itself. For Lydia the call to action came when she and her late husband, Doug Shorenstein, visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. along with her family, including Lydia’s parents, Simon and Etelka. Simon Preisler was born in Fancsicovo, Czechoslovakia to an observant Jewish family. A survivor of Auschwitz,… Read More

J Weekly By Dan Pine High school teacher Jessica Vaughn’s students have no trouble relating to Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler in the 1930s. Whether from Latin America, Southeast Asia or the Middle East, the teens know what it means to flee one’s homeland for safety. Most have refugees in their own families. That explains why teaching the Holocaust through the book “The Children of Willesden Lane” resonated with her English Language Development class at San Lorenzo’s Arroyo High School. Written by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen, the book recounts the story of Golabek’s mother, Lisa Jura, a Jewish piano prodigy… Read More

Do the good thing. “Many of us in the Bay Area are doing well, and I wanted an opportunity to give back to those who aren’t. I saw how JFCS helps so many different groups of people and, through volunteering with JFCS, I get to help improve their lives.” — David, JFCS volunteer In the Jewish tradition, isolation is one of the most painful forms of suffering. Part of JFCS’ core mission is to ensure that no one is lonely or left alone. Won’t you join us in doing that one good thing? David wanted to do the good thing,… Read More

What do you think of when you read the term “palliative care”? If you’re like many people, you might not be familiar with it. But if you’re coping with a serious illness or disability, it’s something you and your loved ones will want to know about. Palliative care can improve your quality of life, keep you comfortably in your home—and research says it may even help you live longer.   “Palliative care is about relieving suffering at any stage of an illness, whether you’re managing a serious chronic condition, like lung or heart disease, or dealing with a life-limiting disability,”… Read More

KCBS reporter Scott Lettieri interviewed students at City Arts and Technology High School in San Francisco where teacher, Allison McManis, is engaging her classroom in the JFCS Holocaust Center’s The Children of Willesden Lane BAY AREA BIG READ. Click Play to Listen:… Read More