News & Impact

Marina Tikhman and her family were helped by JFCS when they immigrated as Jewish refugees from the Soviet Union more than three decades ago. And for years, Marina has been helping JFCS and our community as a volunteer. We recently discussed the pivotal role JFCS has played in her life. First, tell us about your Jewish upbringing. I grew up in Moscow. We had a very traditional household, where Jewish holidays were cherished. My parents instilled a strong Jewish identity in me – in spite of the fact that observing or teaching Judaism was essentially illegal at that time. Did… Read More

  Never the Last Road: A Partisan’s Life By Mira Shelub and Fred Rosenbaum Mira Shelub is a partisan and a familiar face to many Bay Area students who have had the privilege of hearing her speak. Never the Last Road: A Partisan’s Life has just been released and tells Mira’s miraculous story. Barely twenty years old, Mira escaped from a Nazi labor camp to join the Jewish Resistance in the forest. She fought back against radical evil and began a passionate love affair that would last a lifetime. Published by Lehrhaus Judaica in partnership with Jewish Family and Children’s… Read More

By all accounts Micah had a great freshman year—good grades, a nice mix of extracurricular activities and some new friends who shared his passions for music, soccer and anime comics. But by October of his sophomore year, Micah, now 16, had lost interest in school, sports, clubs and friends. He spent a lot of time alone in his room listening to heavy metal music; only emerging for meals where he sat sullenly, responding to his parents’ questions with barely a grunt. “We were out of our minds with concern,” said his mother, Joanne, who contacted Parents Place for help after… Read More

Bay Area Reporter by Cynthia Laird A lesbian who runs the palliative care program at Seniors At Home, the senior care division of Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco, will receive one of two 2015 Compassionate Care Leadership Awards from the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California. Read more from the Bay Area Reporter… Read More

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