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JFS marks 150 years of ‘nimble’ service to Jews in need BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
A key mission of JFS (Jewish Family Services) is to help seniors in the St. Louis Jewish community age with dignity. On the milestone of its 150th anniversary, JFS itself is aging quite gracefully. The organization continues to make a difference in the lives of many families by supporting seniors, alleviating hunger, promoting mental health and preventing child abuse. JFS has also adapted to new challenges without missing a beat. It began in 1871 in the aftermath of the great Chicago fire, said Brian Braunstein, chairman of the JFS board. “I’m not sure that a lot of people know how the organization started 150 years ago,” he said. “The United Hebrew Relief Association in St. Louis was formed and rallied around the Chicago community to offer support to victims of the fire. That was really the kickoff to JFS way back then. “In the late 1800s, there were a lot of immigrants coming over to the states, and we had a lot of Jewish immigrants coming to St. Louis. Jewish Family Services, as it was called then, provided a lot of support
MORE INSIDE WHO IS HARVEY KORNBLUM? Learn about the life of the namesake of the Jewish Family Services food pantry. STORY ON PAGE 11A
and assistance to Jewish immigrants. Reflecting back to the founders of the organization, I’m sure no one could have imagined what the organization would grow into today and how much it serves the community.” JFS provides services for more than 50,000 children, families and seniors annually
Timeline: How JFS grew As Braunstein noted, JFS in the 1890s helped resettle Jewish immigrants from Russia. In 1897, JFS helped create United Jewish Charities of St. Louis (now Jewish Federation of St. Louis) to help the Jewish poor. In 1957, the organization launched its first JFS homemaker services program to address the needs of Jewish elderly in St. Louis. That program remains one of JFS’ most popular senior services. JFS was incorporated as a Missouri nonprofit organization in 1964. In 1985, JFS received its first accreditation from the Council of Accreditation. In 1991, the food pantry was established, serving 40 families in its first year. JFS helped create the Child Abuse Prevention Program in 1992. It is now the only program providing sexual abuse prevention education to preschool and elementary school children in St. Louis. In 2002, JFS dedicated the Hoffman Building and moved into its home on Schuetz Road. Another significant elder care initiative began in 2009 when JFS and Jewish
JFS CEO, Miriam Seidenfeld, outside of the Allan R. Hoffman Building. PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN Federation of St. Louis launched Elderlink. In 2012, the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry outgrew its former space and moved to a stand-alone building to serve more clients.
Progress on key initiatives Two years ago, Miriam Seidenfeld, JFS CEO, told the Jewish Light that she saw three priorities for the organization to focus on. Those were to ensure that seniors are able to maintain their independence or maintain a sense of dignity as they age; food insecurity in St. Louis; and the alarming issue of despair in children who attempt suicide. As JFS enters its 151st year of service, Seidenfeld offered a progress report on those key initiatives. “COVID challenged all three of those
areas, and it also allowed us to shine,” Seidenfeld said. “We had fewer people in the Jewish homemaker program last year, but those who were getting the services, which ranged from 150 to 200 people, were being supported in their homes and maintaining their health, and they were in a safe space. “We also found that with seniors, we could make an increased number of phone calls because we weren’t going into people’s homes unless there was an urgent need to. They maintained their quality of life and their health and safety with regular check-ins. We learned that a combination of in-home visits and phone calls allowed us to stay in touch and address needs more quickly because we were talking to them more frequently. See JFS on page 10A
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