News & Impact

One of our most cherished volunteers, Dr. Larry Hill recalls that he first became intimately acquainted with JFCS eight years ago when he picked up a brochure at Congregation Emanu-El after services one evening, called the number on the back, and asked if there was a role for him. His timing could not have been more fortuitous. JFCS’ Redwing Keyssar, the director of our Palliative Care and End of Life program, had just begun asking her contacts if they knew a doctor who could help. At the time the program was still in its planning stages and she saw the… Read More

When Annie’s husband, Dennis, passed away she was initially overcome with sorrow. For five years Dennis had suffered from Alzheimer’s, and Annie, 78, had been his loving primary caregiver. He was the focus of her life just as he had been for over 50 years. Now that Dennis was gone Annie suddenly felt lost and unsure how to move forward with life on her own. Months after his death, Annie wasn’t coping well—sleep was elusive and she had lost her appetite. Dennis’ death brought more than just sadness and grief for Annie. It emerged that Dennis had left their estate… Read More

Nine years ago Scott Kay and his wife were very busy juggling the demands of two toddlers and two careers. Yet they also felt that the time was right to start giving back. Scott says, “We were looking for a meaningful way to share our good fortune, and the mission of JFCS struck a deep chord. JFCS was doing everything that we believe in.” Since then, Scott has shined as an enthusiastic JFCS leader and passionate advocate of the agency’s mission. Professionally, Scott is the Chief Investment Officer and Founder of Asymmetry Capital Management, an asset management corporation. Besides being… Read More

Adolescence is a time when children and parents begin to spend less time together. It is a time when teens begin to develop their independence, understand their place in the world, and begin to work out their own values and beliefs. It can be especially challenging to connect with teens who may seem like they don’t want anything to do with you. And with busy schedules it can be all too easy to share the same space with another family member without really connecting. Your child still needs a strong relationship with you to feel safe and secure as they… Read More

From the first day of life humans are social beings. Upon a separation from a caregiver a baby rightfully senses danger and their nervous system pumps hormones, cortisol, and adrenaline through the body to activate the flight or fight response. Separation anxiety at this age of development is not just common, but expected. While the purpose and function of anxiety is to trigger our nervous system to respond, adapt, and survive a dangerous situation, our response systems can misfire. We can cause a “false alarm” to our nervous system when we misperceive an experience or situation as dangerous when it… Read More

Ronald Kahn has been an incredible JFCS supporter and advocate for almost a quarter-century. As the founding volunteer chair of JFCS’ Investment Subcommittee, Ron has been instrumental in creating a system of thoughtful oversight to ensure that JFCS’ endowment fund is professionally monitored and wisely invested. Ron is currently Managing Director and Global Head of Scientific Equity Research at BlackRock, the world’s largest investment manager. As one of this country’s experts on quantitative investing, Ron has authored groundbreaking books and articles on the subject. He also teaches financial engineering at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Ron is an exemplary… Read More