News & Impact

With Bay Area residents sheltering in place, social isolation is putting thousands at risk while trying to keep them safe. Even before a statewide Shelter-in-Place was mandated, social isolation was known as America’s quietest health risk—afflicting everyone from children to seniors, and from stay-at-home parents to CEOs. Even under normal conditions, thousands in our community suffer in silence from the physical and mental health issues related to isolation and loneliness. Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks of many physical and mental conditions including high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive… Read More

By Ellie Pelc, PsyD, clinical psychologist, JFCS Center for Children and Youth. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is something none of us has ever experienced before. It is a time of tremendous change and disruption for everyone. Parents are being asked to do the impossible, especially working parents, who are suddenly taking care of themselves, their houses, and their kids. The key to meeting this challenge, while taking care of your own mental health, is to be kinder to yourself. Remember That You Are Doing the Best You Can “I never thought I would yell like this. I never thought I’d… Read More

By Ryan Berman, MSW, Director of Disabilities Services at JFCS The recent change in routine has been challenging for us all—and for many adults with developmental disabilities, the upending of a familiar daily schedule has been overwhelmingly distressing. To make matters worse, families have been suddenly left with gaps in the support they are accustomed to receiving, whether from agencies, independent living services, or caregivers. The good news is that there are some tangible ways that families can help their adult  children with disabilities to cope with the new normal. Read on: 1. Make Sure Your Child Understands the Facts… Read More

Read the original article on jweekly.com > Anita Friedman thought she’d seen it all: wildfires, earthquakes, 9/11 and the brutal 2008 economic recession. But the longtime executive director of the S.F.-based Jewish Family and Children’s Services had not seen it all—not until the onset of the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, which she calls “the deepest and most profound crisis we’ve had to deal with in the last generation. This combines both a health crisis with a mental-health crisis with an economic crisis, and it affects everyone.” Having served the local Jewish community for more than four decades, Friedman is… Read More

Kathy and Garry were introduced to JFCS when they sought prenatal advice at JFCS’ Parents Place before the birth of their first son, starting a decades-long relationship with the organization. They are now dedicated board leaders and wonderful supporters. When the couple met in San Francisco 30 years ago, they instantly connected over shared goals and values. These values guide all their engagements with the causes they support. Coming from families with similar Jewish traditions, both are also long-time supporters of the US-Israel relationship through AIPAC, as well as Tel Aviv University. Through their sons’ and classmates’ struggles at school,… Read More

“Failure is mandatory to get better at anything,” said Dr. Madeline Levine in a recent conversation with JFCS about her new book Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World. Madeline, who is serving as an expert for JFCS’ new Center for Children and Youth, explained that parents need to exhibit confidence in their children’s resilience. She said, “I’ve watched my own son and his and wife react as their toddler falls on her butt over and over—they know she has to fall down 100 times in order to stand up”. When… Read More