News & Impact

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

When the JFCS Holocaust Center first received an old and tattered school notebook written in Polish and pulled from the ashes of Auschwitz, JFCS Executive Director Dr. Anita Friedman suspected the power the mysterious volume contained as she turned each carefully penned page. Since the manuscript’s publication in 2014 Rywka’s Diary: The Writings of a Jewish Girl from the Lodz Ghetto has been an international sensation, sold alongside The Diary of Anne Frank and, at last count, translated into 15 languages worldwide. This summer Krakow’s Galicia Jewish Museum has a new exhibit titled, The Girl In The Diary, In Search… Read More

Jewish identity is changing in America, and that’s especially true for many Bay Area Jews in their 20s, 30s and early 40s, some of whom are recent transplants with busy careers. So how are these millennials finding meaning in being Jewish today? JFCS has four different programs that answer this very question. Young Professional Community Connection: Behind the Scenes Amanda Merriweather, a technology company recruiter in her twenties, volunteers every month through JFCS’ Young Professional Community Connection. “For me, the community around the culture is how I connect with Judaism,” says Amanda. “The opportunity to give back with like-minded… Read More

As a dedicated Board member, Joe “Yossi” Alouf is a longtime friend and heartfelt advocate of JFCS. His warmth and enthusiasm for helping others is always palpable, and he never misses JFCS’ Fammy Awards Gala and Emigre Community Gala. Currently a partner at Eaglepoint Advisors, Yossi advises corporate clients on business model scaling, reinvention, and operational or financial restructuring. He brings his extraordinary expertise and talent to his work on JFCS’ Finance Committee. He also serves on the Special Events Subcommittee. For him, “JFCS is such a generous and impressive organization and I’m honored to help make sure it will… Read More

Since 2013 the Parasol Foundation Trust has partnered with JFCS, making substantial investments in our YouthFirst and Seniors At Home programs to help teens realize their potential and low-income elderly to receive the comprehensive services they need to live as safely and independently as possible. The trust was founded by online gaming entrepreneur Ruth Parasol, originally of Mill Valley and the eldest daughter of Richard Parasol, a Holocaust survivor and real estate developer. Ruth grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and she and her family are committed to adding their philanthropic support to JFCS and our mutual interest… Read More

Many of us get to know Jewish Family and Children’s Services when a crisis strikes. Whether it’s a child struggling with a disability, job loss, divorce, or a sick parent, one bad thing can really knock you down. JFCS gets us back up. It happened to me when my sister’s dementia rapidly progressed. JFCS brought in trained professionals who knew how to manage her condition; her situation improved, and I was beyond relieved. When I heard about another JFCS client who is suffering from dementia and is all on her own, I was moved to share her story with you:… Read More