News & Impact

For Irene Gorodyansky, serving as a JFCS mentor to a 16-year-old high school junior is a way of giving back to the Jewish community that helped her and her family when they emigrated from the former Soviet Union. But it is also a labor of love. “I love working with teenagers,” says Irene, a UC Berkeley alum and now a doctoral student in psychology. “They’re at an age when you can have an impact on them … and they’re also a lot of fun.” In addition to tutoring her student, Marisa, in math and SAT prep, Irene talks to her… Read More

Until a few years ago, when Louis, a concentration camp survivor in his late 80s, came to JFCS for assistance, he had never received the Holocaust reparations due to him. That changed quickly as Louis’ JFCS case worker helped him successfully apply for restitution claims. “The funds I receive each month make a big difference,” says Louis, who lives below the poverty line. “Otherwise, my income would not cover expenses.” In addition to benefiting from JFCS’ Holocaust Reparations Program, Louis now receives daily kosher meals through JFCS’ Food Programs. “If it weren’t for these meals, I don’t know… Read More

Following the Holocaust, a tragedy of epic proportions, how can one retain faith not only in a higher being, but also in the goodness of all humankind? That open-ended question is at the heart of the thoughtful and poignant documentary Hiding and Seeking: Faith and Tolerance after the Holocaust, which will be screened at Congregation Shomrei Torah on Sat., Jan. 19, 7:00 pm. Directed by Menachem Daum and Oren Rudavsky, the film focuses on Mr. Daum and his family, who, almost 60 years after World War II, visit Poland and meet with the righteous Gentiles who hid the father and… Read More

J Weekly by Rebecca Rosen Lum Christmas Day for many Jews is about more than eating Chinese food and going to the movies. This year like every year, as part of the time-honored American tradition of Jews doing mitzvahs at Christmastime, Jewish volunteers across the Bay Area will be offering gifts of comfort and community — sheltering the homeless, feeding the hungry and caring for the vulnerable. Read More from J Weekly… Read More

A retired teacher with a busy social calendar, Ann P., 84, suddenly became reclusive, declining invitations to lunch, theater, and the symphony. This concerned her children, who always thought of their mother as outgoing, spry, and interested in life. “We tried talking to her about what we saw,” says Ann’s daughter, Marla, “but she always rebuffed us.” Frustrated and increasingly worried, Marla and her brother, Jeffrey, met with a Seniors At Home care manager for a consultation about Ann. “We had a very thoughtful discussion about the possible reasons behind our mother’s recent changes,” says Marla. “The care manager gave… Read More

For Dafna Kory, it all started with the jalapeño. “I’m from Israel, and I remember seeing jalapeño jam in the store soon after we moved to the States and thinking ‘What’s this?’” says Kory, founder and owner of Inna Jam, an artisanal jam company that recently received support from JFCS’ Business and Professional Loan Program. A few years ago, when Kory was at a friend’s, she braved jalapeño jam and found she loved it. “Now, if I were an ordinary person,” she says, “I would have asked my friend where she bought it. But being who I am, I had… Read More