Franklin & Alison Dance Band to Perform At JFCS Diamond Jubilee Gala - February 25th
February 10, 2012

Princeton, NJ, February 10, 2012 — The Franklin & Alison Dance Band will be performing at the Jewish Family & Children's Service of Greater Mercer County (JFCS) Diamond Jubilee Gala on February 25, 2012. Proceeds will benefit children, adults and seniors in our community. The band has performed at popular hot spots such as The Rainbow Room, The Supper Club and Sardi’s in New York City, The Philadelphia Ritz Carlton, The Four Seasons, The Rittenhouse Hotels, The Philadelphia Marriott, The Nassau Inn and The Holly Hedge Estate and many prominent country clubs and night clubs. To order event tickets or make a donation to JFCS, contact Regie Roth, Special Events Coordinator, at 609-987-8100 or regier@jfcsonline.org.

As Jews intermarry, synagogues work to maintain traditions
February 4, 2012 - NJ.com

Karen Jimenez wasn't a "terribly serious observing Jew" before her children were born, and never pressured her Colombian, Catholic husband Freddy to convert, despite the advice her rabbi gave her before their marriage, she said.

The couple married in a civil ceremony with no clergy from either religion present. But 14 years later, their four children have all had a ritual circumcision or naming ceremony, go to temple regularly and are expected to be bar- or bat mitzvahed.

Raising their kids Jewish was a "non-negotiable," said Jimenez, a member of Har Sinai temple in Hopewell Township.

"It’s hard to articulate," she said. "It just gets internalized, and it was important to me. I feel that, to me, the chance to raise my kids Jewish is a gift."

A growing number of couples face similar choices and adjustments as interfaith marriages have become much more common in recent decades. As Har Sinai sees more such marriages among its members, the Reform temple has put on a number of interfaith events, including a discussion last month of how well Hollywood portrays the marriages in movies such as “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Meet the Fockers.”...(Read the whole article here)

JFCS and Congregation Beth Chaim to Host College Application Essay Workshop for High School Juniors
January 19, 2012 - Princeton Online

Princeton, NJ, January 18, 2012 — On April 29, 2012, from 2-5pm, Jewish Family & Children's Services of Greater Mercer County and Congregation Beth Chaim will host a Story To College application essay workshop for high school juniors at Congregation Beth Chaim in Princeton.

"Following the model of other leading communities in the New York area," JFCS Executive Director Linda Meisel explained, "our goal is to give high school juniors the tools to start early and complete successful college application essays that reveal their character and personal aspirations."

Meisel added, "There was a natural fit with Story To College, which has worked with students from Alexander Muss High School in Israel, helping young Jewish leaders craft powerful essays from their personal journeys."

Story To College (www.storytocollege.com) was founded in 2010 by Princeton graduate alumna Carol Barash, PhD. Barash taught at Princeton, The University of Michigan and Rutgers, where she won awards for innovative teaching and served on the Douglass College admissions committee. "When you are reading dozens of applications a day...(Read the whole article here)

Family agency celebrates 75 years as local 'lifeline'
January 13, 2012 - New Jersey Jewish News

Princeton, New Jersey, January 13, 2012 — In the last few years of her life, Helen Offner found herself lonely and struggling and without any family to provide support.

"After she contacted Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County," said Regie Roth, the agency's special events coordinator, "Offner got much more than the counseling sessions she signed up for. The social workers at JFCS became her family and often undertook duties that went well beyond what was required of them."

"I first met Helen in January of 2003," said JFCS clinical director Wendy Cacacie. "She was an elderly woman, wheelchair-bound as a result of physical disabilities. She had no family, no children, never married. This agency was her emergency contact, her extended family."

Offner lived in a tiny row house in Trenton, which her parents had purchased in the 1930s through money from the Hebrew Free Loan Society.

"During the five years we knew Helen, we helped her to live independently and stay in her own home. This was her precious wish," said Cacacie.

"Throughout the years, JFCS helped Helen by providing meals-on-wheels, counseling, and, most importantly, ongoing, reassuring visits. Helen was alone and we were her family," said Cacacie. "I would call her in between visits and we were always there to provide reassurance, support, and hope so she could hold on a little longer."

In her earlier years Offner was a capable secretary for the State of New Jersey, said Cacacie. When she turned to JFCS, "she was feisty and fiercely wanted to be independent. She would position her wheelchair between two tables that contained her files and phone... (Read the whole article here)

Jewish Family & Children's Service at Princeton Chamber Luncheon 2012
January 11, 2012 - Princeton Online

Princeton, New Jersey, January 11, 2012 — Staff and volunteers from Jewish Family & Children's Service of Greater Mercer County(JFCS) promoted their life-changing community services during a recent Princeton Chamber of Commerce Luncheon. JFCS provides mental health counseling, senior services, family education and youth programs and they feed the hungry. Last year 5,000 community people of all ethnicities were assisted by JFCS. More information can be found at www.jfcsonline.org.

Celebrating 75 Years of 'Families Helping Families'
November 14, 2011 - New Jersey Jewish News

Princeton, New Jersey, November 14, 2011 — For 75 years, Jewish Family and Children's Service of Greater Mercer County has been toiling to live the promise of its motto "Families Helping Families."

Founded in 1937 as the Jewish Welfare Board, the organization helped waves of immigrants and displaced persons resettle in the Princeton Mercer Bucks area. In the early '50s, a wave of Egyptian-Jewish immigrants arrived, followed by a group from Hungary in 1956.

In the '90s JF&CS resettled about 50 families from the former Soviet Union, said the agency's executive director, Linda Meisel.

Today, JF&CS provides extensive services to young and old. Its kosher lunch program, the only one in the county, served about 7,500 meals last year to senior citizens at three Kosher Cafes, in Ewing, East Windsor, and West Windsor. The agency helps provide transportation through a donor-funded program called Carolann's Cars.

The nonprofit social service agency is now planning a year of anniversary celebrations...(Read the whole article here)

JFCS Has Been Reaccredited by the Council on Accreditation
October 26, 2011 - Princeton Online

Princeton, NJ, October 26, 2011 — The Council on Accreditation (COA) has announced that Jewish Family & Children's Service of Greater Mercer County has been reaccredited.

COA reaccreditation is an objective and reliable verification that provides confidence and support to an organization’s service recipients, board members, staff and community partners. The COA reaccreditation process involves a detailed review and analysis of both an organization’s administrative operations and its service delivery practices. All are “measured” against national standards of best practice. These standards emphasize services that are accessible, appropriate, culturally responsive, evidence based, and outcomes-oriented, in addition, they confirm that the services are provided by a skilled and supported workforce and that all individuals are treated with dignity and respect.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors of JFCS, I would like to express our appreciation...(Read the whole article here)

Back By Popular Demand - Sarah Ward Presents Dynamic Professional Workshop on Executive Function

Princeton, NJ, September 9, 2011 — Sarah Ward, M.S., CCC/SLP will be returning to the Princeton area on October 27, 2011 to present her professional workshop, Executive Function Skills: Cutting Edge Approached to Practical Interventions Working with Children and Adolescents. Sponsored by Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County and the Princeton Speech-Language & Learning Center, Ward will be presenting at Rider University from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

What are Executive Function skills? According to Ward’s website, www.executivefunctiontherapy.com, they are “…the core set of cognitive skills required for planning, completing and evaluating the completion of tasks, as well as overseeing our communication exchanges.” The workshop is geared towards a wide variety of professionals in the education and mental health fields, as well as interested parents. Continuing education credits are offered through NASW, ASHA and NJEA.

Sarah Ward has over 14 years of experience in...(more)

Advocates fear impact of food program cuts
September 6, 2011 - NJ Jewish News

Heeding a national call, New Jersey Jewish federation leaders are campaigning to overturn cuts in federal funds for food and shelter programs.

Their efforts are being spearheaded by the Jewish Federations of North America, which is urging restoration of $200 million in cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program.

JFNA hopes to overturn a proposed 40 percent cut in funding to the program, which “regularly comes under attack” in presidential budget proposals and congressional appropriations committees, according to Robert Goldberg, JFNA’s senior director of legislative affairs.

Jewish agencies throughout the state run kosher and nonsectarian food banks and pantries.

In 2009 and 2010, the EFSP allocation grew by nearly $200 million. As the effects of the 2007 recession eased, a cost-cutting Congress reduced the EFSP allocation from $200 million to less than $120 million. “The funding level is expected to remain flat or worse in FY 2012,” Goldberg wrote in a letter to colleagues.

“Right now, Congress is in a mood to cut discretionary spending...(Read the whole article here)

Community Kosher Food Pantry Goes Green Thanks to McCaffrey’s
August 22 - Princeton Online
August 25 - Pennington Post

Princeton, New Jersey, August 22, 2011 — It is estimated that the United States uses 10 billion paper grocery bags each year. Last year alone, our community Ohel Avraham Kosher Food Pantry used over 54,000 brown bags. That is a lot of bags and in the heated debate on whether to use paper or plastic, studies agree that the use of reusable bags is most beneficial to the environment. Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS) runs the community kosher food pantry and with the help of McCaffrey’s in Princeton, is now able to offer food pantry clients reusable bags. Patrons are encouraged to keep the bags and use them each time they visit the pantry.

“We were thinking of ways to improve the Kosher Food Pantry and one of our volunteers suggested we use recyclable bags,” explains Emily Pressman, food pantry coordinator. “We spoke to McCaffrey’s and they were on board with our goals and generously donated their signature re-usable bags, allowing our pantry clients to do their part in being environmentally friendly. Our clients will no longer be wasting multiple brown bags each month and the new bags are easier for clients to carry their food in, as most of the paper bags did not have handles.”

"We applaud the Jewish Family & Children's Service for helping those less fortunate in our community and are proud to be a partner in their efforts to protect our environment," commented Mr. Jim McCaffrey...(more)

Jewish Community Youth Foundation Continues to Empower Jewish Teens to Make a Difference
August 15 - Mercerspace.com

Princeton, New Jersey, August 11, 2011 — The Jewish Community Youth Foundation (JCYF) is starting its ninth year, with over 160 teens from 8th-12th grades participating in the project. Administered by a unique partnership consisting of the Ricky and Andrew J. Shechtel Philanthropic Fund, Jewish Family & Children’s Service, and the Jewish Federation of Princeton Mercer Bucks, the program is designed to develop the next generation of philanthropists.

This summer, JCYF alumna Alison Berg from Princeton Junction, NJ, a University of Michigan Sophomore returned from a Birthright trip to Israel with a very different perspective than most participants. During her ninth grade year in the JCYF program, Alison’s group made a $3,300 donation to the Jewish National Fund “Let Us Play” campaign to fund an indoor playground bomb shelter in Sderot to give children a place they could play safely. Sderot has been a frequent target of attacks, making outdoor play impossible. On Alison’s trip to Israel, she found herself standing in the very playground she had helped fund. Alison told the playground artist about the JCYF donation and she cried, hugged and thanked Alison for giving her children and their friends a chance at happiness again. “I’ve never experienced such a powerful moment in my life,” related Alison. She also extended her thanks to the JCYF founder Ricky Shechtel, “for giving me and other teens in the area the opportunity to help make an impact.”

Each year, the participants are required to contribute $120, which is then matched by the Shechtel Philanthropic Fund and the Federation. The dollars are pooled together, so that each grade has $7,200 for...(more)

RWJ Hamilton Receives $300K Grant to Reduce Hospital Readmission Rates
Partnership with Jewish Family & Children’s Services Creates Mercer Care Transition Program
August 3, 2011 - RWJ Hamilton
August 4, 2011 - Mercerspace.com
August 8, 2011 - phillyBurbs.com
August 8, 2011 - nj.com
August 9, 2011 - The Times of Trenton
August 16, 2011 - LawrencevillePatch.com
August 16, 2011 - The Princeton Packet
August 23, 2011 - The Trentonian

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, a leader in community healthcare, has partnered with Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Greater Mercer County (JFCS) to launch a program aimed at reducing the number of patients who return to the hospital due to difficulty managing chronic conditions.

The Mercer Care Transition Program (MCT) will focus on 350 patients who are at least 60 years old and suffer from congestive heart failure and/or diabetes and at least one other chronic condition, according to Joyce Schwarz, vice president of Quality at RWJ Hamilton and the project director.

The program, which will include patients who have been hospitalized two or more times, is part of a statewide initiative funded through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (no relation to the hospital) through its New Jersey Health Initiatives Program. The two-year, $300,000 grant to RWJ Hamilton for its MCT program is one of nine projects funded under the NJHI 2011: Transitions in Care program, all of which present innovative strategies and collaborations...(Read the whole article here)

75th Anniversary Celebration Begins for JFCS
July 25, 2011 - Princeton Online
July 27, 2011 - Pennington Post
August, 2011 - New Jersey Jewish News
August 5, 2011 - The Princeton Packet

Princeton, New Jersey, July 25, 2011 — In 1937 the average cost of a new house was $4,100, a gallon of gasoline cost ten cents, a new car was $760 and unemployment was 14.3%. Howard Hughes set a record for transcontinental air flight, making the trip from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes; the world’s first full-length animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs debuted; Amelia Earhart disappeared attempting to become the first woman to fly around the world; the Hindenburg exploded and Joe DiMaggio hit his first grand slammer. It was also the year that the first concentration camp, Buchenwald opened in Germany with 300 prisoners, soon to grow to 80,000. Amidst all of the trials and tribulations of that year, Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County (JFCS) opened its doors and today marks its 75th year of community service.

“Our 75th anniversary celebration will honor our founders, who in the middle of the worst depression in American history...(more)

Sending Kids to Summer Camp - One Note Card at a Time

Princeton, New Jersey, July 18, 2011 — Many families in our community would like to send their children to summer camp, but are just not able to afford the cost. In order to help, Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County (JFCS), has initiated the Kreative Kids Project, an easy way for children and adults of all ages to create a unique, one of a kind note card to use as Jewish New Year cards, birthday cards, thank you notes, Hanukkah cards, birth announcements and family note cards, at a fraction of the cost of store bought cards. All proceeds will go towards summer camp scholarships, support groups for siblings of special needs children and funding social skills programs for children.

“The Kreative Kids Project is a fun approach to teaching children about Tzedakah and helping others,” explains Regie Roth, Special Events Coordinator at Jewish Family & Children’s Service. “Children will be busy and entertained...(more)

JFCS Announces New Board President and Officers
August 2, 2011 - The Princeton Packet

Princeton, NJ — June 28, 2011 — Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County (JFCS) welcomed new Board President, Mrs. Joyce Kalstein during their 74th Annual Meeting held at the Beth Chaim Synagogue. Mrs. Kalstein replaces Norma Susswein Saks who will stay on as Immediate Past President. Mrs. Saks was honored for her dedication and commitment to JFCS and its programs.

Mrs. Kalstein is the Controller of The Mercadien Group and has previously served as JFCS treasurer and Board of Directors member at Congregation Beth Chaim and the Princeton YWCA. She delivered her acceptance speech to a large gathering of supporters and volunteers. “I am honored and humbled to serve on the Board of JFCS as they enter this milestone, a celebration of their 75th year of families helping families. JFCS provides... (more)

Page Updated 2/16/2012