News & Impact

J Weekly by Patricia Corrigan Steve Dvorkin, 18, and Eric Berkovsky, 17, have different interests and different career plans, but they have two important things in common. Both are sons of Russian immigrants and both volunteer in the citizenship program operated by Jewish Family and Children’s Services in San Francisco. Read More from J Weekly… Read More

Community members are invited to observe Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, on Sun., Apr. 19, 1:30 – 6:15 pm, at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street. This year’s observance, titled Resilience through Creativity, will include a number of programs focusing on the significant role that art, music, and poetry have played in the lives of those who endured the Holocaust. All of the afternoon’s programs are free and open to the public. The event will also honor the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the end of the Holocaust. The afternoon will… Read More

Anti-Semitism is on the rise—not just in Europe, but around the globe. At JFCS, we take this very seriously, standing with the communities that have been attacked by recent events and working closely with other organizations across the country and in Israel to counter growing anti-Semitism. Because anti-Semitism and other forms of hate can lead to extreme acts of violence against people—including genocides— the JFCS Holocaust Center, which holds more than 2,000 oral histories and testimonies from Bay Area survivors and witnesses to the Holocaust, believes that the need to educate others about the lessons of the Holocaust is… Read More

When the San Francisco section of the National Council of Jewish Women helped establish an educational scholarship at JFCS benefiting single parents in need, it held particular resonance for NCJW Board member Linda Kurtz, who partnered with the Council to bring the scholarship to fruition. “My father died when I was 11,” Linda says, “and my mother was left to raise six children alone. We became destitute overnight.” Named in loving memory of Linda’s late mother, the Rose Mazursky Memorial Scholarship helps single mothers striving to better their and their children’s lives through educational opportunities. “I know what a little… Read More

Hundreds of supporters are set to attend Jewish Family and Children’s Services’ 31st Annual Fammy Awards Gala, which will be held Sat. evening, Mar. 21, at San Francisco’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel. This year’s gala theme is “One World, One Family,” and JFCS will be honoring community leaders Lydia and Douglas Shorenstein of the Preisler Shorenstein Institute; employees of Cleanerific, JFCS’ innovative cleaning company; and Tamar Sofer-Geri, who formed a support network for parents whose children have juvenile diabetes. About the Honorees: Celebrating its 13th year, the Preisler Shorenstein Institute is pleased to support an important program of the JFCS Holocaust Center:… Read More

When Drew and Flavio met on JDate.com more than eight years ago, they discovered—to their delight—that one of the interests they shared was in raising a family. “I wanted to find a partner with a child who wanted to have another child,” says Flavio, a Brazilian-born psychologist. Drew, a high-tech executive who had been in an earlier LGBT relationship in which he was raising a son, was a perfect match. A few years into their marriage, after considering various options, the couple came to realize that open adoption was the best way for them to grow their family. Their thoughts… Read More