Raised in Johannesburg, South Africa by European-Jewish immigrant parents who sent him to Hebrew School, Bernie Katzmann to this day keeps a kosher home with his partner of 32 years, Roland Trego. His father migrated from Germany to South Africa in 1937; his mother came from Latvia.  Growing up, Bernie learned the importance of philanthropy from his parents who gave to two local senior homes. After Bernie attended medical school, he immigrated to the United States and did his residency at Boston University. He moved to San Francisco in 1981 to practice medicine and saw how JFCS was at the… Read More

Norman Schlossberg attributes his success in the insurance industry to his empathetic ear for people in crisis.  He was no stranger to the devastating effects of illness on a family. “I have seen a lot of life people shouldn’t see,” says Norm of his Brooklyn childhood.  His older sister developed diabetes at 12 and died prematurely—at 47. Norm’s mother died of a stroke at 38, six months after his bar mitzvah. One of the bright spots for Norm during these times of loss was summer camp.  When Norm and his wife, Adrienne, decided to create a Named Fund at JFCS,… Read More

“JFCS is an organization that I have been fortunate to participate in with my children and grandchildren. Through our donor advised fund and our “Morris Family Endowment Fund” for children and seniors our family is confident that JFCS is providing important services for our community—one individual or family at a time.” —Natalie-Ann Morris, Marin County  … Read More

Bill z’l and Marilyn sat for this interview in 2012. May his memory be for a blessing. Marilyn and Bill Sugar have never forgotten the hardscrabble lives of their families, European Jews who escaped the anti-Semitism of the Old World and struggled to learn English and make ends meet in the United States.  From their parents’ and grandparents’ hardships emerged an important lesson for Marilyn and Bill: that coming together to help those in need makes for a stronger community. Following the path of their forebears—who supported their communities through Jewish benevolent societies in Seattle and Akron, Ohio, their respective… Read More

May her memory be for a blessing. For JFCS friend Phyllis Friedman, support of the agency and the community runs in her blood. Her mother, Eleanor Haas Koshland, was the inspiring first female president of the Jewish Family Service Agency (now JFCS), and her father, Daniel Koshland, was a founder of the San Francisco Foundation. Her late husband, Howard, an architect, designed the rebuilt Jewish Home in San Francisco and served as its board president. Looking back upon many decades of philanthropy and civic involvement, Phyllis, who established the Phyllis Friedman Endowment Fund for Children and Families at JFCS, attributes… Read More

“She only wanted to get out of the house.”  That simple declarative has become a mantra to JFCS donor and volunteer Nancy Epstein—and it clearly and succinctly explains why she has committed her time, energy, and resources to JFCS’ Palliative Care Program. Some years back Nancy regularly shuttled between the Bay Area and Los Angeles to care for her mother, Elaine Epstein, an advanced Alzheimer’s patient.  As Nancy was leaving her mother’s house one day to run an errand, her mother begged to go along for the ride. “I told her, ‘No, no, there’s no need for you to come.  … Read More