News & Impact

Jewish Family and Children’s Services and our community in the Bay Area are helping the victims of the devastating wildfires across California.  Please donate – Make a gift today and you can help JFCS provide direct aid in concert with the network of other disaster relief organizations to ensure that essential services are given. Our community experienced first-hand how the destructive 2017 North Bay fires have impacted thousands of people who still face a long-road to recovery. At JFCS, we are here to support those who have suffered the loss of homes, jobs, community, and loved ones—now and in the… Read More

William “Bill” and Renée Rothmann along with Bill’s siblings, John Rothmann and Susan Rothmann Seeley, were honorees at the 2nd Annual Fammy Awards Gala in 1986, the year the event officially became a tradition. “We were huge Gala goers,” said Bill, reflecting in 2018 on the JFCS fundraiser. “The Fammy’s were my wife’s favorite. I don’t know that we ever missed one.” Bill has always recognized the importance of family, and when it was suggested that he be honored for his leadership he said yes, as long as his family was included, too. Bill’s family plays a central part in… Read More

JFCS’ Executive Director, Dr. Anita Friedman, was recently presented with the Silver SPUR Lifetime Achievement Award, the most prominent award for lifetime civic achievement in San Francisco. Dr. Friedman was honored for her visionary leadership in health and human services and innovative social enterprises across the Bay Area. In addition to heading JFCS’ services and humanitarian work, Dr. Friedman has served on various local, state, national, and international boards and commissions, and served as a consultant to Israel’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. As a speaker and author, Dr. Friedman’s expertise includes social policy and programming for diverse populations;… Read More

When Tad Taube, of blessed memory, left Poland in 1939 en route to New York via Ellis Island, the Krakow-born child didn’t know that he and his parents would narrowly escape the Nazi invasion. The eight-year-old also did not know that he would never return to the culturally rich and prosperous Polish Jewish community that he knew in his youth, or that this community would be destroyed during World War II. As the war raged on, Tad and his parents would soon learn that Tad’s beloved grandfather had been murdered by the Nazis, along with many others in their family.… Read More

Written by Beth Berkowitz, Psy.D, Director of Children’s Clinical Services and Child Training Institute at JFCS’ Parents Place. There is no doubt that the most recent tragedy in Pennsylvania has escalated our fears. With this sad reminder of the painful consequences of anti-Semitism, racism, and hatred, it is normal for all of us—including children—to experience anxiety, worry, anger and confusion in its aftermath. Below is some guidance to help prepare you for conversations at home. Talk to Your Children Avoiding the subject will only increase worry and fears. Encourage your children to ask questions, and do your best to… Read More

Dear JFCS community, We are all full of sorrow in the wake of the terrible loss of life and hateful act of anti-Semitism at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. We send prayers for strength and healing to those who are suffering, and we are grateful for the expressions of support echoing across the country and the world at this difficult time. At this time we remember the words of President George Washington, who wrote to one of the first US synagogues—the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island—in 1790:  “May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell… Read More