News & Impact

San Francisco Chronicle by Erin Allday Gloria Lyon sat in a quiet office, preparing herself for a speech she was about to give to 50 high school sophomores, when someone asked if she wanted a chair to sit in during her presentation. Lyon, 82, didn’t spare her answer a thought. “It’s better if I stand,” she said crisply. “I want to stand as long as I can. I’ll sit for their questions if I need to.” She didn’t need to. Read More from the San Francisco Chronicle… Read More

Gabrielle had so much going for her: a strong mind, a caring heart, and a warm demeanor. But no amount of intelligence or sweetness could save her from the abuse that she suffered from the time she was a child. Sexually assaulted by her father and emotionally and physically maltreated by both of her parents, she ran away at 16 to pursue an education. But as she sought to improve her life, she met men who promised her love and security, but instead beat her brutally and sapped her of her spirit. At 17, Gabrielle became pregnant by one of… Read More

Danny Gabriner knows that growing a business is a lot like baking the perfect loaf of bread. You need to be willing to roll up your sleeves, get dirty, and keep a watchful eye as your product takes shape. When Danny, a former computer geek, decided several years ago that he wanted to shift gears and start Sour Flour, a bread business, he rolled up his sleeves and then turned to JFCS’ Small Business Loan Program for assistance. “I was always interested in food and San Francisco’s culture,” says Danny “and I wanted to create the best naturally fermented,… Read More

San Francisco, Calif. – San Francisco’s observance of Yom HaShoah—Holocaust Day of Remembrance—will take place on Sunday, April 27, 1:30 – 6:00 pm, at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street. The afternoon program, entitled Remember and Retell: Our Sacred Responsibility, is free and open to the public. Highlights of the program include: • Workshops with Holocaust survivors, who will share personal experiences before and during World War II (1:30 pm) • The panel discussion “The Place of Holocaust in Jewish Memory, Identity, and Education: New Perspectives from Israel, North America, and the Next Generation” (3:00 pm)… Read More

For George Maisels and his wife, Lois, both of blessed memory, caring about others began at home in the Bay Area. George ran a liquor store in the Mission District of San Francisco for many years with his brother, Larry. When he and Lois decided they wanted to leave a legacy for the Jewish community, they chose Jewish Family and Children’s Services to receive a substantial part of their estate, dedicating it to establish the George and Lois Maisels Perpetual Endowment Fund. The couple thoughtfully designated the fund to support domestic violence survivor services; housing assistance for seniors; immigration legal… Read More

The S. Portia Steele Memorial Scholarship for Jewish Women provides an annual scholarship for qualified Jewish women pursuing an academic degree in creative writing, English, or journalism. When Portia Steele died in 2005 her husband, Dennis Steele, chose to memorialize his beloved friend and wife of 40 years by establishing a Named Endowment Fund at JFCS in her honor. During her writing career in Burlingame, California, Portia was the founder and instructor of Women on Writing©, a seminar for published writers sponsored by the Daly City Senior Center. Between 1992 and 2002, as the Center’s facilitator, she helped scores of… Read More