June 2024
Becoming a dad is a life-changing event, but still many new dads don’t have the support needed to help transition into fatherhood. In response, support groups like New Dads Connect at Jewish Family Services LA have filled in this gap.
May 2024
May is Jewish American Heritage Month, and a unique weekly gathering spreads joy among a vulnerable community of Jews in Los Angeles. Music fills the air in a room high above the Fairfax district, and the crowd dances to the beat.
May marks Mental Health Awareness Month across the nation, which has been observed since 1949 and offers an opportunity for local groups and stakeholders to raise awareness about the causes of mental instability and tools for a better well-being.
On April 12, the Jewish Family Service LA Young Leaders, in partnership with Leora in Beverly Hills and Gourmet Gatherings, hosted a memorable fundraiser that not only celebrated community but also supported a cause close to many hearts—the JFSLA’s Tools for School program. This program plays a crucial role in providing school supplies to students who are most in need within the Los Angeles area.
The Friday night event, a sold-out dinner held at Beverly Hills café Leora, raised funds for Jewish Family Service L.A.’s Tools for School program, which provides school supplies and other essentials to students in need.
The lessons and traditions of Purim seem especially meaningful this year. As we navigate a post-October 7 world, there is profound wisdom to be found in the ancient Scroll of Esther.
Every Tuesday at lunchtime, 106-year-old Holocaust survivor Risa Igelfeld saves a seat for her friend, 92-year-old, Maria Ross. Igelfeld met Ross the first day she came to Jewish Family Service LA’s Café Europa, a weekly program where Holocaust survivors congregate and socialize.
When Elizabeth Shayne had a hip replaced and her husband, Harry Shayne, had the same done to both of his knees in 2016, they became homebound. Simple tasks such as getting groceries and cooking meals became nearly impossible for the couple, who are now 78 and 79, respectively.
As Jewish people around the world sat down to celebrate Passover, the holiday celebrating the Jewish people’s transition from slavery to freedom in ancient Egypt, one organization is making sure that Holocaust survivors in Los Angeles are well fed.
Walking into the Jona Goldrich Multipurpose Center at the JFS Gunther-Hirsh Family Center, you are likely to see Leonard and Shari Shapiro. In fact, you’re so likely to see them that you might begin to wonder if they run the place. But Leonard and Shari are volunteers committed to helping Jewish Family Service LA welcome seniors and other community members to the warmth of our centers.
If you need fire related assistance, please visit jfsla.org/fire-assistance
