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History of JFCS

85+ Years of Quality Family Counseling in Maricopa County

Jewish Family & Children’s Service was founded in 1935 by a group of courageous Jewish women looking to help people of the community during the Great Depression. The aid and support they provided their friends and neighbors grew overtime to become a comprehensive social services agency in Phoenix that continues to heal lives every day.

EXCERPT FROM THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE BOOK:

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

book cover 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; distinguish 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..."

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.

  • Check out some resources to help you get the guidance and support you need.
  • Learn more about the lives that have been impacted by the programs and people at JFCS.