- Legacy Giving Stories
The Elsie Ezekiel Memorial Scholarship Fund provides direct grants to elementary and high school students who apply to Jewish Family and Children’s Services for financial assistance to attend a Jewish day or high school in the Bay Area.
Elsie Ezekiel’s nephews, Sol, Dan, and Ron Ezekiel, established this fund in 2004 in loving memory of their aunt. Other nephews and nieces, including Dianne, Evelyn, Dana, Mark, Renee, and Michelle, also participate.
Elsie Ezekiel was born in Shanghai, China, the eldest child of Iraqi-Jewish parents. In 1949, she moved to the United States. Although she never married, her nephews and nieces fondly recall that their Auntie Elsie “loved us as though we were her own children, showering us with love and support, birthday cards, gifts and ‘goodies,’ her word for the sweets she loved.” Her heart extended to countless other children of friends, neighbors, and rabbis.
Elsie believed in a Jewish education and observant lifestyle. Through this named continuity fund, she continues extending her support to young people, and her memory is kept alive in perpetuity.
If you would like to start a Named Endowment Fund at JFCS, please contact [email protected] or 415-449-3858.