‘This was your town’—JFCS leader reclaims history in father’s Polish shtetl
J Weekly
By Sue Barnett
Gniewoszow, Poland—Twelve years ago, brought her family from San Francisco to Poland to visit the ancestral village of her father. It would be her first time in Gniewoszow, one of the many towns dotting the Polish countryside where Jews made up a majority of the population before the war—and none after.
More than 200 of her relatives had lived here. All were killed in the Holocaust in death camps like Treblinka and Auschwitz. Only her father made it out alive.
Friedman, executive director of S.F.-based Jewish Family and Children’s Services, wanted to share the… Read More
Meet A Fabulous Leader: Kerri Lehmann
Kerri Lehmann was a young working mother when she first walked into JFCS’ Parents Place. What she found was great parenting advice and connections with other parents while she was juggling the demands of career and family life. Fast forward two decades—Kerri is now an ardent and instrumental JFCS leader who is serving in her fourth year on the JFCS Board of Directors and she co-chaired this year’s Fammy Awards Gala along with her husband Mark. Her warmth and magnetic personality made this year’s event a wildly successful one. But it was Kerri’s drive and enthusiasm to do even… Read More
Peninsula Founders Luncheon
Your support ensures that no one is left alone, no matter the challenge.… Read More
Parenting a Highly Sensitive Child
Learn techniques to support your child’s intense reactions. For parents of preschool and elementary-aged children.… Read More
Choosing a Preschool: What Are Your Options and How Does It Work?
JFCS’ Center for Children and Youth helps you discover different programs and philosophies in early childhood education during this challenging time. For Parents of ages 0 – 5.… Read More
JFCS: Centuries of Pioneering
JFCS published the “Centuries of Pioneering” book in 2010. It tells the story of the Jewish people in the Bay Area and their work to help others since 1850.
The year 1850 is significant for the Bay Area. California became a state, San Francisco was incorporated, and one of the oldest social service agencies in the country—now known as Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and Sonoma Counties (JFCS)—was established by a group of Bavarian Jews who had immigrated to San Francisco at the time of the California Gold Rush.
This exciting time in history… Read More
