News & Impact

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

There has been a recent and dramatic rise in antisemitism; from the shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, to the stabbing on Hanukkah in New York. Attacks on Jews have increased globally, and locally as well. The JFCS Holocaust Center reports a 175% increase in antisemitic acts in schools and community spaces of the past year. As leaders of the Jewish community in the Bay Area, JFCS works diligently to combat hate and antisemitism. We find that education is one of the strongest tools in this ongoing fight. The Holocaust Center continues to play a role in preventing these… Read More

Jon Levinson is a pillar of our community. After attending U.C. Berkeley and serving in the Army, Jon met his future wife, Diane, while working for her cousin. The two were engaged a week after first meeting and have been happily married for 55 years. The couple settled in San Carlos and raised two sons and a daughter. Jon is a devoted member of his synagogue, Beth Jacob, where he has been a member for over 50 years. It is through his synagogue that Jon was initially introduced to JFCS. A friend suggested he get involved with our organization because… Read More

Known as America’s quietest health risk, social isolation and loneliness affects people indiscriminately. From tweens to seniors and from stay-at-home parents to CEOs, many suffer in silence from the physical and mental health issues related to isolation and loneliness. Through the efforts of JFCS’ Center for Children and Youth (CCY) and Seniors At Home (SAH), JFCS is combating isolation by providing critical services and resources for those afflicted. In a time when there are so many ways to stay connected (email, text, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.), why are so many of our youth feeling isolated and lonely? The percent… Read More

Vera and Harold z’l Stein sat for this interview in 2019. May his memory be for a blessing. Vera Stein’s desire to give back was born from her personal experience fleeing Nazi Germany as a young child in 1939. When Vera was just five years old, her father, Eric Livingston, was taken to Dachau following Kristallnacht. The family had already obtained visas to leave the country, so they were fortunate enough to get Eric out of Dachau and flee to the United States. They traveled by boat to New York, an experience Vera recalls being a miserable, seasick-filled journey, where… Read More