News & Impact

J Weekly by Dan Pine  As California’budget impasse drags on, Jewish social service agencies warn of cuts that may devastate the clients they serve. Pushing back against the cuts are organizations such as Jewish Family and Children’s Services and the Jewish Community Relations Council. “We are trying to help the legislature cut with a scalpel and not an ax,” said JFCS executive director Anita Friedman. Read More from J Weekly… Read More

San Francisco Business Times by Sarah Duxbury The Jewish Community Federation has joined the ranks of foundations injecting serious capital to keep the social safety net intact. On June 11, the federation announced that it is distributing $1 million to five agencies, including Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Jewish Vocational Services, and the Hebrew Free Loan Association. Read More from the San Francisco Business Times… Read More

J Weekly by Amanda Pazornik Since the recession began in December 2007, roughly 5 million jobs have been lost, with nearly 3 million of those vanishing in the last five months, according  to the U.S. Department of Labor. As a result, many out-of-work individuals have taken up volunteering as a way to stay connected, maintain a routine, and feel needed. And for three Bay Area residents helping Jewish institutions, it’s working. Read More from J Weekly… Read More

San Francisco Chronicle by Justin Berton   At a time when CEOs of nonprofits are bracing for severe funding cuts, Anita Friedman, executive director of the Jewish Family and Children’s Services, managed to collect $600,000 in private donations at an annual fund-raiser last weekend. “We’ve been preparing for this moment for 30 years,” said Friedman inside her San Francisco office before the event. “A social service agency in the 21st century needs to be more entrepreneurial. It needs to operate in a more business-like way, and it needs to generate earned income, in order to support its social goals and… Read More