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Community Updates No One Should Go Hungry
Most of the nearly 5,000 clients JFS serves rely on SNAP food assistance and may not be able to feed their families next week because of the government shut down. JFS is here to ensure that none of our clients go hungry.
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CEO A Note of Thanks and Excitement from Our New CEO, Rebekah Shrestha
The community welcome has already been extraordinary. I’ve had the joy of meeting many of you and joining our programs to see JFS’s impact firsthand. Each conversation reinforces what makes this organization so special: the deep relationships that form the foundation of our work. Building those relationships, with you and across our community, is what I’m most excited about in the months ahead.
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Volunteer From Crisis to Community: How the Food Sort Makes a Difference
We’re grateful to everyone who donated and volunteered, and we extend a special thank you to the ACME Food Sales Team for providing a fantastic location for the event and critical storage space for the Polack Food Bank throughout the year.
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Values The Shofar: Cries and Action
At the end of Yom Kippur on Thursday night we will again hear the shofar, but we will not be listening to the cries as we did on Rosh Hashanah. After a day of introspection and reflection, this final shofar blast represents instead a call to action, our imperative to proclaim freedom throughout the land.
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Advocacy Creating a Shelter of Peace for Domestic Violence Survivors
This October, Sukkot once again coincides with Domestic Violence Awareness Month. As many in the Jewish community celebrate by spending time in the sukkah, a temporary dwelling shelter, we’re reminded that there are many in our community who are unsafe in their homes because of domestic violence.
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Community Updates Hunger Can’t Wait: Devastating Cuts to Food Assistance Programs
National Food Bank Day is a time to raise awareness of food insecurity and highlight the vital role of food banks in helping those in need. At JFS, we’re seeing skyrocketing demand for food assistance at the same time that food donations and funding are plummeting.
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Community Updates Everyone Leaves a Legacy: What’s Yours?
What if we made sure that those who come after us know what we stood for? What was important to us? What do we hope will be important to them? What if we built our legacy out loud?
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Community Updates Celebrating the Bravery, Resilience, and Strength of Holocaust Survivors
On June 11, we invited Holocaust survivors, their families, and friends to join Jewish Family Service and the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle for our fourth annual Holocaust Survivor Day celebration.
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CEO Announcing Our New CEO: Rebekah Shrestha
We are thrilled to announce we have hired a new CEO. Rebekah Shrestha will be joining JFS, beginning on October 1st.
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Community Updates The Cost of the Cuts: Protecting Our Community in Challenging Times
As a result of recent budget cuts, roughly 17 million people throughout the country will lose health coverage by 2034
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Community Updates Fighting Isolation, One Connection at A Time
One in three older adults experiences loneliness, and the toll it takes is more than emotional. Social isolation can shorten lives, increase the risk of cognitive decline, and chip away at the joy and dignity every person deserves.
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Community Updates Celebrating Many Heritages During Jewish American Heritage Month
May is Jewish American Heritage Month and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. We’d like to take this opportunity to honor and acknowledge how our Jewish heritage intersects with other heritages and identities.
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Client Stories One Accident Can Change Everything: Jeramick’s Story
A person's struggle is both complex and nuanced. In many cases, struggles like these are invisible to people who have never had to face such trauma. I write this letter because I’m not invisible and I am not without value.
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Community Updates A JFS Update: A Call to Action
Jewish Family Service (JFS) has been a lifeline for our community since 1892, providing critical support to Jewish individuals and families, refugees and immigrants, and the broader community as well. Today, that lifeline is at risk.
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Advocacy The Legacy of Esther: Honoring Our Identity
At any given time in history, there are people who are being targeted because of their identity. While the story of Purim tells of the persecution of the Jews of Persia, it reminds us to act with courage for those who are being targeted right now.
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Client Stories From Uncertainty to Hope: Araceli’s Journey
When Araceli* arrived in the U.S. from Honduras with her young children, she brought a cautious hope for a new life, but also a deep fear of an uncertain future. She had no English skills, no financial security, and no community ties.
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Community Updates Why Our Stories Matter: Standing Up for Refugees and Immigrants This Refugee Shabbat
How we tell our own stories—and how we listen to the stories of others—matters. Those in greatest need and greatest danger right now must have their stories heard.
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CEO When Fear Turns to Focus
in times of crisis, fear can either paralyze us or sharpen our focus. As a community, we are facing an extremely turbulent environment, and we must meet this moment with clarity, courage, and resolve.
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Community Updates Standing Together to Support Refugees and Immigrants
We are in a pivotal moment for refugees and immigrants who have been waiting for their chance to resettle and rebuild their lives in the United States, as well as for those who have newly arrived, including children.
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Community Updates Mitzvah Meals Brings Food, Warmth, and Connection to Medical Visitors
Over the last 25 years, more than 200 volunteers have brought meals to dozens of Jewish families from cities throughout the U.S. and several from Israel.
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CEO An Important JFS Leadership Update
JFS has thrived for 132 years, and this leadership transition marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter. Together, we will build on Will’s remarkable legacy to continue serving our mission with passion and purpose. We will keep you informed as this process unfolds, and we welcome your thoughts and encouragement as we take these important next steps.
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Values The Quiet Glow: Lessons from the Chanukah Candles
In this time of increasing distraction, we so quickly move from one activity to the next. Once the Chanukah candles are lit, we likely go on to whatever is next. What’s more, the Chanukah candles are explicitly not to be used for any function or purpose, which means that my teacher was simply sitting, observing, and appreciating the flames.
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Community Updates From Strangers to Neighbors: Building Dignity Through the JFS Winter Warmth Drive
As we pull out our waterproof winter coats and cozy socks, how can our understanding of the soul of the stranger motivate us to action? How can we ensure that those in need also have the right gear for the cold and rainy weather ahead?
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Community Updates JFS is Here
The work ahead of us will certainly be more challenging but we will not be deterred. We may not complete the task in our time, but we will not stop working for a better future. As long as we are willing to say, “We are here,” there is hope and purpose. As we move into these uncertain times, JFS is resolved to stand with those at greatest risk in our community.
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Community Updates Thank You for Supporting the JFS Community-Wide Food Drive & Food Sort!
The spirit of tzedakah (giving) and tikkun olam (repairing the world) was on full display as we sorted, boxed, and organized 900 bags (and counting) of food and toiletries!Kid on the shoulders of an adult while sorting food at the JFS Community-Wide Food Sort.
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CEO Seeking a Common Fire
As we approach the start of a new school year, with colleges and universities welcoming both new and returning students, there is an undercurrent of uncertainty. Will there be more protests? More division? More seemingly intractable issues which we all—whether on campuses or not—are having difficulty discussing with civility and compassion?