News & Impact

Bay Area teens will be ironing their shirts and putting on their dress pants in preparation for JFCS’ Summer Internship Program. This prized six-week paid internship offers a unique opportunity for students to gain work experience and professional skills that will last a lifetime. JFCS’ YouthFirst offers innovative programs for our future leaders and received a huge number of applications this spring from high school students who want to be part of the internship program. With the support of generous individuals and foundations, 100 teens were accepted as interns—nearly doubling the program’s size. The 2016 summer interns come from… Read More

We are pleased to announce that 7,000 students will participate in a powerful education program with JFCS Holocaust Center this fall. Thanks to generous donors, The Children of Willesden Lane Bay Area BIG READ will be offered to Northern California middle and high school teachers and their students. This unique program teaches youth about the Holocaust, the importance of standing up against bigotry and hatred, and the transformative nature of art. The curriculum culminates in an award winning theatrical production at Herbst Theatre by concert pianist and acclaimed storyteller Mona Golabek about how the power of music helped one young… Read More

Even in the best of times navigating today’s complicated healthcare system can be confusing.  But for older adults, like Leo, who are experiencing serious or life-threatening conditions, it can be especially daunting. After Leo underwent a bilateral knee replacement surgery the results were mixed. Though Leo had been convinced by his doctors that the surgery could enhance his quality of life at age 80, weeks after surgery his recovery was stagnant and he was experiencing a great deal of pain. Leo says, “My doctor said surgery would be ‘no problem’ and I thought, ‘no problem’, but it was not so… Read More

J Weekly by Patricia Corrigan The grandson of a Jewish couple hidden in the Netherlands during World War II and the grandson of the Dutch couple who sheltered them will meet for the first time on Sunday,  May 1, during a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at the JCC of San Francisco. Read more at the J Weekly >… Read More

J Weekly The horrors of the Holocaust are seared into the collective Jewish consciousness. For those old enough to have lived through the war, it is part of their personal memory. For younger American Jews, it remains a defining factor in their Jewish identity, as poll after poll reveals. That will not necessarily be so for future generations, as the narrative of the Nazi genocide moves into the pages of history books. Certainly the best way to ensure that the story remains vital is to hear it told by those who lived through it — the survivors themselves. That includes… Read More

The Righteous Among the Nations Award Will Be Presented by the State of Israel as Part of the Yom HaShoah Ceremony For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 21, 2016 (San Francisco, CA) – Community members are invited to observe Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, on Sunday, May 1 at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. This year’s observance, titled Out of the Shadows: Rediscovering Artists, Musicians, and Poets, will include performances, workshops, and a Memorial Ceremony focusing on the young artists, musicians, and scholars whose lives were cut short because of the Holocaust. During the Memorial Ceremony there will be… Read More