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The Name Has Changed; the Commitment Never Will.
The Greater Seattle community has witnessed the evolution of Jewish Family Service dating back to 1892. One way to track our growth is to visit the changes in the Agency’s name over time. Each new moniker came about as the Agency either expanded or redefined its role in the community. All told, five different names have been filed with the State of Washington over the past 115 years:
- Ladies’ Hebrew Benevolent Society (1892 – 1917)
- Hebrew Benevolent Society (1917 – 1929)
- Jewish Welfare Society (1929 – 1947)
- Jewish Family & Child Service (1947 – 1978)
- Jewish Family Service (1978 – present)
For over 115 years, Jewish Family Service of Seattle has been a thread of continuity in our ever-changing community. Starting with the vision of 37 local volunteers (headed by mother and daughter Esther Levy and Lizzie Cooper), JFS has grown to encompass a volunteer corps of over 800 and a staff of more than 200. Our CEO, Ken Weinberg, started at JFS as an MSW intern in 1975 and became Executive Director in 1984. During his 33-year tenure, the Agency has added Family Life Education, the Food Bank Program and the Seattle Association for Jews with Disabilities to the original roster of services for refugees, immigrants, low-income families and the aged.
JFS is one of about 140 member agencies, located throughout the United States and Canada, of the Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Services (AJFCA).
We started out serving Sephardic and Eastern European Jewish refugees. Today, a stunning variety of people walk through our doors year-round. The young and old, men and women, refugees from many different countries, people with disabilities, the poor and the privileged—all come to us in search of help for themselves or the chance to help others. The cycle of giving continues, with Jewish Family Service at its center.