News & Impact

A leading pioneer in the software industry, Eugene Fooksman (founding developer at WhatsApp) is no stranger to paving the way to change. Looking to use his innovative vision and bold leadership to create positive social change, Eugene founded the Fooksman Family Foundation in 2018 to support the state of Israel and the continuity of the Jewish community. Originally from Russia, Eugene and his family were resettled by JFCS when they immigrated to the US over 20 years ago. Eugene’s deep connection to JFCS and commitment to strengthening the Jewish community came full circle this year, when the Fooksman Family Foundation… Read More

For Lydia Shorenstein, helping those in need is a way to honor the lessons of the past. Though she originally came to JFCS because of our Holocaust education programs, she is now helping lead the agency’s efforts to assist those in crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lydia’s father, Simon Preisler, was an Auschwitz survivor who resettled with his wife Etelka in Germany after the war. Lydia, who was born and raised in Frankfurt, learned the importance of giving back from her father. Undeterred by the atrocities in his past, Simon became a well-known philanthropist and a leader of the… Read More

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