News & Impact

Her Path to the JFCS Presidency Growing up in Ukraine when it was part of the USSR meant that Luba Troyanovsky grew up surrounded by rampant antisemitism. Because her great-grandfather was a rabbi, she grew up observing Jewish holidays and traditions—not so common among Soviet Jews at that time—but always secretly within the family and never publicly. When Luba arrived in San Francisco as part of the vast emigration of Jews from the Soviet Union in the 1970s, she and her family had to build a new life.  Comparing themselves to “blind kittens,” Luba warmly recalls that JFCS staff helped… Read More

As a successful entrepreneur and legendary business leader, Barney Mizel knows an effective enterprise when he sees one. Barney and his wife, Ann Mizel, have been providing significant support to JFCS and the community it serves through their family foundation. The Marin County resident has built three national insurance brokerage firms over the course of his long career and served on JFCS’ Program and Planning Committee. This year Barney joined the JFCS’ Endowment Committee, and is planning for the future by leaving a bequest to JFCS. He says, “I truly admire JFCS for the valuable work it does and I… Read More

Nancy Livingston z’l and Fred Levin sat for this interview in 2018. May her memory be for a blessing. The dynamic husband-and-wife duo, Fred Levin and Nancy Livingston, honor a family legacy to support the Jewish community. Well-loved patrons of the Bay Area’s arts scene and married nearly four decades, they are the type of couple who regularly complete each other’s sentences. Fred and Nancy have been steadfast and passionate supporters of JFCS for over fifteen years, having served on JFCS’ Special Events Committee and worked on the Annual Campaign. Nancy says, “The scope of JFCS’ work is truly amazing.”… Read More

Siesel Maibach may still have a slight Southern accent from her childhood in Louisiana, but don’t let that fool you—she’s been in the Bay Area for many years. A successful art consultant for two decades, you can view a sample of her work at JFCS’ affiliated assisted living community, Rhoda Goldman Plaza, where she placed 350 pieces of beautiful art. Siesel has served JFCS in a multitude of vital capacities over the past 40 years. As Board President in the 80s her leadership stewarded JFCS through challenging times. Currently a member of JFCS’ Endowment Committee, she has made an… Read More

Michael Janis has been active in Bay Area civic life for many years. He has also brought his business expertise and dedication to humanitarian service to his volunteer work on various JFCS committees for the past eight years. Most recently Michael has overseen JFCS’ Public Issues Committee of more than 100 volunteers, working with elected officials throughout the Bay Area, in Sacramento, and in Washington DC. Professionally Michael manages San Francisco’s historic SF Market, the critical wholesale produce marketplace connecting growers worldwide with Bay Area food businesses. The sun will soon be setting on his tenure on the Board,… Read More

In 1941 Eda Pell arrived in California from Germany with her sister, Henni Kuflik, and faced an uncertain future as a young immigrant. Both girls had miraculously received visas to the United States as “wartime orphans” after being smuggled out of Germany to France. When the sisters learned they were going to a place called San Francisco, Eda says, “Quite frankly, it sounded like Timbuktu and the end of the earth to us.” But they quickly learned to appreciate their new home. The sisters settled into life at Homewood Terrace, a new type of child-care campus, which mirrored a family… Read More