Tonight begins the holiday of Chanukah, the Jewish festival of lights. Over the next eight nights, families and communities will gather to eat food cooked in oil and will light the traditional candelabra called a menorah. In recent years, a movement has begun to make this a time to rededicate ourselves to the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam – working to …
Anita Jarboe, usually the first smile people receive when they walk in the building, has been working at JFCS for almost 19 years. Anita describes herself as funny, kind, and spontaneous. Anita lives 5 minutes from JFCS, which makes working at JFCS convenient and fun. Her husband, Jeffrey, is a professional drummer and they dated for 13 years before they …
As we move from Thanksgiving into the winter holiday season, many families face the December Dilemma: which holiday(s) to emphasize. While more common for interfaith families, many families face a similar struggle as Christmas pervades the holiday scene, leaving Chanukah, Kwanza, Yule, and others as minor afterthoughts. Many parents struggle with school /holiday observances, as well as questions young children …
“JFCS is a wonderful agency that serves and helps so many people in our community. It is so rewarding to see the clients smile when we have been able to touch their lives in some way.” Jessica Holloway, the Family Services Administrative Manager, has been working at JFCS for almost a year. She’s loved meeting and working with all the …
Oral histories provide a fuller, more accurate picture of the past with eyewitnesses and various viewpoints and perspectives that fill in the gaps in documented history. Interviewers can ask questions left out of other records and to interview people whose stories have been untold or forgotten. At times, an interview may serve as the only source of information available about …
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza and New Year’s Day are annual holidays that can be a tough time for people who have experienced the death of someone loved. Family and togetherness are critical themes for the holidays and can bring up deep emotions whether the loss in new or from years ago. Grief is not a tidy, orderly process, and there is no …
Most kids count down the days till they go trick or treating on Halloween. However, for kids like Jared T, who have food allergies, “Halloween can be a very hard time.” Many traditional Halloween treats aren’t safe for children with life-threatening food allergies. For his Pledge 13 project, Jared wanted to do something “to help other kids with food allergies. …
For the past 20 years, JFCS has partnered with the Women of Temple Shalom (WOTS) to ensure that vulnerable Jewish children in the Louisville area will have a happy Hanukkah. This year Hannukah Helpers will provide clothing and other essential items to 24 boys and girls. Community members are asked to participate in this annual mitzvah project by picking up …
“I work at JFCS because I get to live my personal values, which are influenced by Tikkun Olam (each of us has a responsibility to make the world a better place for everyone).” Erin Heakin has been working as a Career Counselor at JFCS for almost four years. When asked what the word “career” means to Erin, she replied, “I …
Louisville’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNPE) celebrated the winners of their 2018 Pyramid Awards and Lifetime Achievement Award on October 9, 2018. Retiring JFCS Executive Director Judy Freundlich Tiell was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Fifth Third Bank, for a lifetime of service that has benefited the nonprofit sector. Watch this video about Judy’s story:
