News & Impact

There is overwhelming evidence that today’s youth are facing a mental health crisis. A recent ACLU survey found that 45% of California students feel depressed, while CDC data shows that mental health-related emergency room visits are up 31% for people aged 12 – 17. It is clear why the American Academy of Pediatrics has declared children’s mental health a national emergency and clear too that action needs to be taken. As a leading provider of mental health services, JFCS’ Center for Children and Youth (CCY) is witnessing this crisis firsthand. The obvious need for action inspired CCY’s experienced advocacy team… Read More

Over the last year, JFCS’ Koret Fellows empowered Bay Area teens to bring about change while supporting communities in need. Thanks to their efforts, local youth learned about issues affecting seniors, children, families, and our society as a whole and applied what they learned to design and implement a wide variety of impactful service projects. As their fellowships draw to a close, we are celebrating the contributions of these talented emerging leaders, whose creativity, skills, and dedication inspired youth and helped our community. Meet the 2021 – 2022 JFCS Koret Fellows Carla Naylor What does it mean to you to… Read More

“Everyone I met was traumatized. When children were given art supplies, they drew tanks, machine guns, rockets. And homes, right alongside,” says Anna Lushtak, a longtime friend of Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS) and member of our Emigre Committee, who recently spent two weeks volunteering in Poland with Ukrainian refugees. For Anna, who emigrated to the US from the former Soviet Union decades ago and received resettlement assistance from JFCS, the plight of the refugees felt deeply personal. Describing what motivated her to share her time and skills, Anna says, “I was watching what was going on in desperation.… Read More

  “I love Passover because for me it is a cry against indifference, a cry for compassion.” ⁠—Elie Wiesel With this extraordinary humanitarian effort continuing into a second month, you are taking action to provide lifesaving help for Ukraine. Thank you. We are overwhelmed by and grateful for the generosity of our JFCS community. Update on JFCS’ Ukraine Relief Efforts Locally, JFCS’ Emigre Services professionals are providing essential legal aid, information, referrals, and counseling to the large number of families in our community with close relatives in Ukraine and overseas. JFCS is deeply engaged in refugee resettlement and efforts to… Read More

Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS) Holocaust Center has established the California Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education, with support from a $1.9 Million grant from the Marin County Office of Education and the State of California. The California Collaborative, a first-of-its-kind statewide network, will connect educators, genocide survivors, and community leaders in order to support California teachers to effectively teach Holocaust and genocide education in their classrooms and address the surge of antisemitism and hate in California school communities. Members of the new statewide collaborative network include the University of Southern California’s Shoah Foundation; the Museum of Tolerance; the… Read More

  “Anxiety in the heart of a person causes dejection, but a good word will turn it into joy.” – King Solomon Anxiety has been on the rise for people of all ages in recent years. Difficult events, like the war in Ukraine, are intensifying these feelings. Parents, grandparents, families, and educators are reaching out to Jewish Family and Children’s Services for guidance on how to help children and youth.   US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has observed: “The future wellbeing of our country depends on how we support and invest in the next generation.”  “It’s natural to want to… Read More