History of JFCS

"Although social needs have changed over the decades, the central mission of JFCS has always been to help others. The time-honored Jewish values... infuse the agency with energy, integrity, and a devotion to helping others in need."

Michael R. Zent, Ph.D.
President and CEO (2008 - present)

The Year 1935 represented a frightening, uncertain time -- six years into the Great Depression....

But it was at this precise, uncertain moment, that a courageous group of Jewish women in Phoenix decided to reach outward - to create a social service agency to help those in need. These dedicated women pledged themselves to share what little they had to help other families survive.

They laid the bedrock for Jewish Family & Children's Service in Phoenix, a social service agency that over the years, would change the face of child welfare in Arizona; lead the fight against child sexual abuse; distiguish itself in adoptions, including the adoption of Native American children; create the first nursing home for elderly Jews in Arizona; be a major force in the resettlement of Russian Jews; create the award-winning Helping Hands program for temporary financial assistance to families in trouble; and receive national recognition for its outstanding record of community service..."

EXCERPT TAKEN FROM THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE BOOK:
JFCS: 75 YEARS HELPING AND HEALING
Written by Stephanie McBride-Schreiner
Introduction and Editing by Jana Bommersbach

TO REQUEST A COPY OF THE FULL BOOK, EMAIL US TODAY.

We invite you to become a part of this rich legacy by giving or volunteering.

Cutler*Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center, Phoenix

Cutler*Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center, 1931; the first synagogue in Phoenix where JFCS has its roots.

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75 Years Helping and Healing

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