News & Impact

Although Mark Menell still considers himself a New Yorker at heart, the accomplished venture capitalist has been a Californian for over two decades and has contributed to the success of JFCS as a Board member since the early 2000s. Currently a general partner at the investment firm, Partech Ventures, he has spent his distinguished career building, advising, and investing in technology, media, and telecommunications businesses. As a parent, Mark says, “there are certain values and experiences I want to pass along to my daughters and my involvement with JFCS helps me set an example for them of what caring for… Read More

The Christian Science Monitor by Michael B. Farrell and Jessica Mendoza Can kids be encouraged to let go of the virtual world – occasionally – and engage in the real one? Can they stop posting selfies long enough to think of someone else? The answer is yes. But there are bound to be some anxious moments for parents along the way. MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF.—Jake Lee, a tanned California teenager in baggy shorts and a T-shirt, is lounging on the floor of his parents’ midcentury home. They live in a suburban Silicon Valley enclave of tech workers, cyber-savvy kids, and the… Read More

Twelve years ago, JFCS Executive Director, Dr. Anita Friedman, visited her father’s ancestral village in the Polish countryside. Since then she has returned to Gniewoszow multiple times and joins thousands of Jews who have traveled to Poland since the fall of communism. Friedman has built relationships with the local community and helped rededicate its Jewish cemetery as she grapples with her family’s lost homeland. She is also teaching teens in the Bay Area about this important history. JFCS is the leader in Holocaust education in Northern California, and thousands of students each year learn about the Holocaust and other genocides… Read More

Enormous Visual History Archive Now Available in San Francisco JFCS Holocaust Center, in partnership with the USC Shoah Foundation founded by Steven Spielberg, now gives people full access to view thousands of video testimonies, and is one of just two sites in Northern California to do so along with Stanford University. The Visual History Archive (VHA) is USC Shoah Foundation’s online portal which allows people to search and view testimonies of survivors and witnesses of genocide. Located in San Francisco, the Holocaust Center joins the ranks of a select group of 85 sites across the globe. When Leon Tsai talks… Read More

Nearly 100 Bay Area high school students got their first immersion into the world of work this summer through JFCS’ YouthFirst Summer Internship Program. The opportunity to participate in 20 hours of work per week, plus professional and personal development workshops, gave teens the confidence to begin to tackle bigger more complex life questions such as who am I? What are my values? And, how will I contribute in the world? Career Exploration and Skills Development As teens faced one of the toughest summer job markets on record, those accepted into YouthFirst’s competitive internship program came from 44 high… Read More

Form a new friendship with a Russian-speaking senior who is eagerly awaiting your visit in San Francisco! All it takes is one hour per week for conversation, short walks, and other enjoyable activities. Not only will it brighten the senior’s life, it will make you feel great, too! Meet the Clients Igor*, a lively conversationalist, is nearly 90 years old and has difficulty seeing and hearing. He is however sharp as a tack and very engaged with life and its existential questions. Because of the limitations of his eyesight and hearing, he has limited ability to be out and about… Read More