News & Impact

Alex Ingersoll and Martin Tannenbaum are wonderful friends of JFCS who exemplify what it means to be dedicated supporters. Most recently, they chose to invest in future generations by making a generous three-year financial commitment to JFCS’ Center for Children and Youth. Alex and Martin were each inspired to become involved with JFCS because of the agency’s breadth of programming and effective and creative responses to community needs. JFCS also provides Alex, a convert to Judaism, and Martin, a Jew from Utah, with the opportunity to live their Jewish values of tzedakah and chesed, which also inform their philanthropic giving.… Read More

For Lydia Shorenstein, helping those in need is a way to honor the lessons of the past. Though she originally came to JFCS because of our Holocaust education programs, she is now helping lead the agency’s efforts to assist those in crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lydia’s father, Simon Preisler, was an Auschwitz survivor who resettled with his wife Etelka in Germany after the war. Lydia, who was born and raised in Frankfurt, learned the importance of giving back from her father. Undeterred by the atrocities in his past, Simon became a well-known philanthropist and a leader of the… Read More

Kathy and Garry were introduced to JFCS when they sought prenatal advice at JFCS’ Parents Place before the birth of their first son, starting a decades-long relationship with the organization. They are now dedicated board leaders and wonderful supporters. When the couple met in San Francisco 30 years ago, they instantly connected over shared goals and values. These values guide all their engagements with the causes they support. Coming from families with similar Jewish traditions, both are also long-time supporters of the US-Israel relationship through AIPAC, as well as Tel Aviv University. Through their sons’ and classmates’ struggles at school,… Read More

Jon Levinson is a pillar of our community. After attending U.C. Berkeley and serving in the Army, Jon met his future wife, Diane, while working for her cousin. The two were engaged a week after first meeting and have been happily married for 55 years. The couple settled in San Carlos and raised two sons and a daughter. Jon is a devoted member of his synagogue, Beth Jacob, where he has been a member for over 50 years. It is through his synagogue that Jon was initially introduced to JFCS. A friend suggested he get involved with our organization because… Read More

JFCS Board member Oded Hermoni has a very impressive background in the tech industry. However, in addition to his professional expertise as a start-up founder, board member, adviser, and venture capitalist, Oded is uniquely positioned to act as a bridge builder between the American Jewish community and the many thousands of Israelis who live and work in Silicon Valley, as he is now part of both groups. Jerusalem-born Oded began his career as a journalist covering the country’s flourishing technology sector. He soon took an active role in the technology sector himself by founding two start-up companies, one of which… Read More

For Claire Solot, Managing Director and Co-Founder of the Bigglesworth Family Foundation (BFF), serving on the JFCS Board of Directors seemed like a perfect fit in 2004. At the same time, her foundation was building and growing—and with JFCS’ broad range of services also expanding, Claire embraced the synergy that came from growing side-by-side. Remembering her grandparents’ involvement with JFCS (on the east coast) when she was a young girl, she felt a lasting connection to JFCS in the Bay Area. Claire served on the JFCS Board for ten years and chaired the JFCS Public Issues Committee. She enjoyed advocating… Read More