News & Impact

Prominent Holocaust Scholar from USC Shoah Foundation, Stephen D. Smith, Ph.D., will discuss a major new initiative that takes Bay Area survivors’ testimonies to a global audience. For Immediate Release: Mon., Apr. 17, 2017 (San Francisco, CA) – Community members are invited to observe Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, on Sunday, April 23 at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. This community memorial service bears witness to those who have perished in the Holocaust and educates young people about the meaning of their legacy. This year’s observance, titled The Future of Our Past, A Conversation about Memory and Testimony,… Read More

There are about 14 million Jews in the world today—and so, as the saying goes, there are 14 million different ways of being Jewish. Making its way across this wide expanse of Jewish identity and affiliation is the Passover seder, which finds its way into millions of homes, more than any other Jewish ritual. In spite of the Jewish People’s great diversity, the seder continues to enjoy widespread appeal. Why? The Passover seder was established a little under 2,000 years ago, in response to the urgent existential question that arose in the wake of Roman destruction of the Jerusalem Temple:… Read More

When Manny Kagan and his family stepped off the plane to start their new life in the United States, he knew from his first day in San Francisco that he was in a town like no other. In the years that have followed Manny has become a successful businessman, a well-loved philanthropist, and a talented photographer. A long-time member of JFCS’ Emigre Committee, Manny has been an instrumental supporter and voice for the thousands of immigrants from the former Soviet Union who were helped by JFCS to start new lives in California over the past forty years. A Life Purpose… Read More

J Weekly By Carly Nairn While most high school students wouldn’t choose to spend their weekends inside a classroom, Piedmont High School senior Danny DeBare did. The Jewish teen, along with hundreds of his peers, gathered last Sunday at a San Francisco high school to bring Jewish history into focus. “Participation is everything to get the full effect of learning the history,” said DeBare. Now in its 15th year, the Day of Learning, organized by the JFCS Holocaust Center, brought together Holocaust survivors in the Bay Area and 750 students and educators from schools in the region — from… Read More

SAN FRANCISCO—March 6, 2017—Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS) will present Tad Taube with the Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award for Lifetime Achievement for the remarkable and lasting success of his philanthropic endeavors. The award will be presented at the annual Fammy Awards Gala on April 1 at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco. The Fammy Awards honor individuals who contribute significantly to the community through service and leadership. JFCS’ highest honor, the Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award for Lifetime Achievement, is reserved for those whose lifelong commitments and achievements have helped improve societal challenges. “Tad’s dedication to strengthening social, educational, and cultural… Read More

A Legacy of Remembrance and Resilience To an observer, Zoe Goldfarb (center) and her peers look like any other group of young professionals when they get together—telling stories, sharing a meal, and catching up on each other’s lives. But this group, called 3gSF, has something very important in common. They call themselves “3Gs”—as in third generation—and they are all grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Living Links between Holocaust Survivors and Future Generations “3G is the bridge generation,” says Morgan Blum Schneider, Director of Education at the JFCS Holocaust Center, noting that they are the ones with personal relationships with both… Read More