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Social media has become an integral part of young people’s lives, but behind the screens lie serious risks that could jeopardize their mental wellbeing. Through impactful advocacy, JFCS is helping lead the charge to create a safer digital environment for young minds. Social Media Risks According to the US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, social media presents a “profound risk of harm” to young users. Teens and adolescents who spend more than three hours on social media per day have double the risk of experiencing depression or anxiety—and the average teen user spends about 3.5 hours a day on… Read More

Natacha Kolb, who lives in Marin with her husband Marc and their two young children, continues a distinguished family history of dedication to JFCS’ work in the community. Natacha’s mother-in-law Susan Kolb is a dear friend of the organization, a highly respected community leader, and a notable former JFCS Board President. Marc’s grandmother Hannah Kolb was also deeply involved as a JFCS supporter and a leader of the Jewish community. Natacha, who grew up in Brussels and Paris, was introduced to the agency by her mother-in-law almost two decades ago, when she moved to the US. Having just completed law… Read More

Laura Robbin is passionate about leveling the playing field for all members of society. Inspired by her mother’s involvement with a variety of community organizations, Laura cares deeply about improving education for underserved children and solving homelessness and hunger. Putting her beliefs into action, Laura tutors students at Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto in algebra and reading comprehension. She was introduced to JFCS after the birth of her younger of two children when she sought out support at Parents Place (now part of JFCS’ Center for Children and Youth) on the Peninsula. Her good friend Alison… Read More

“I’m excited to be an ambassador to younger professionals,” says Robert (Robby) Kaufman, one of the newly elected and youngest members of the JFCS Board of Directors. “There are so many opportunities to participate as volunteers and so many ways to access help.” Robby, the vice president of investor relations at FTV Capital in San Francisco, became involved with JFCS when researching his family’s history. Inspired by a summer 2017 trip to Poland, Robby began to piece together the experiences of his maternal grandparents, both Holocaust survivors, who had passed away. His research led him to the JFCS Holocaust Center… Read More

While the road to equality for those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+) has been a long one, for over 30 years JFCS has been breaking ground by supporting families of all kinds to grow their families by adoption. JFCS continues to work and advocate for LGBTQ+ adoptive families’ legal rights—both in the United States and in Israel. JFCS’ Adoption Connection Receives Prestigious Award from Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Back in the 80s, while the public and elected officials were busy debating the merits of adoptions by queer families, JFCS’ Executive Director Dr. Anita Friedman began… Read More

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