News & Impact

The theme of Jewish Family and Children’s Services’ 29th Annual Fammy Awards Gala, to be held on Saturday evening, March 9, at San Francisco’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel, is “Love Stories”—and for good reason. This year’s honorees are esteemed community members who, with love and concern, have transformed painful situations into opportunities to help others. Gala awardees include United States Senator Dianne Feinstein, community leader Roselyne “Cissie” Swig, journalist John Rothmann, Max R. Garcia, Earl Rabb, and Naomi Lauter, as well as Allen, Norman, and Tauba Weiss and the late Lonny Darwin, who is being recognized posthumously. They are all being honored… Read More

Seventy-three-year-old retired businessman Paul Sonnenblick volunteered with students in San Francisco’s public schools for a couple of years, so when he learned about JFCS’ mentoring program during a tour of the agency, he jumped at the opportunity to be of service. “I like working with kids,” says Paul, “and the 10-year-old JFCS assigned me to is such a delight and smart as a whip.” Paul reviews homework and school assignments with Steven, a 5th grade student, and he uses computer games as a springboard to discuss a wide array of issues and to boost his student’s writing and speaking abilities.… Read More

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