News & Impact

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

The Rabin Family Memorial Endowment Fund helps wherever the community’s needs are the greatest, today and in years to come. The Rabin family originally established their named endowment fund in 2004 in loving memory of their mother, Anne Simon Rabin. When Anne’s daughter Cathy died in 2007, the fund’s name and description were modified to memorialize her as well. Anne Simon was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, in 1919. Her first husband, Murray Weiss, died during World War II, leaving Anne with an infant daughter. Showing remarkable courage, Anne took her daughter cross-country to California and started anew. Several… Read More

Annual distributions from the fund are used to provide practical and spiritual support for people with HIV/AIDS and their family members, thereby celebrating the legacy of generosity which Robert Block z”l consistently demonstrated throughout his own lifetime. Richard Boyle established the Robert Block Memorial Endowment Fund in loving memory of his life partner, who served as JFCS’ Assistant Controller from 1988 until his death in 1998. Richard and Robert first met in 1970 and began a 28-year partnership filled with travel to far-flung locales. They enjoyed the company of friends and family and supported the arts and the political and… Read More

The Isaiah Buffett-Davis Memorial Fund, created and named in loving memory of Shelley Davis’ z”l stillborn grandson, provides assistance—both financial and practical—to at-risk pregnant women and their families. This support may include services such as counseling and help with household tasks, including cooking, cleaning, and shopping, and childcare. Shelley used the occasion of her birthday in 1999 to establish a Named Endowment Fund in memory of her beloved grandson, Isaiah Buffett-Davis, who had recently been stillborn. Noting that the Chinese character for “crisis” is also the character for “opportunity,” Shelley observed that the greatest sorrows of our lives can have… Read More