News and Events

An Update from the JFS Volunteer CoordinatorJennifer Oxfeld JFS Volunteers play a key role in carrying out our vision that no one in our community should suffer hunger, isolation, abandonment, emotional or physical distress, or lack of community supportand caring. Collectively, volunteers bring joy and sunshine to everything they do, and it is because of […]

JFS Prepares Road Map for Growthby Allen Abbott, JFS Board Member If the words “strategic planning” cause you to yawn and run for the coffee machine, I wish you could have attended the Jewish Family Service strategic planning kickoff meeting on January 21st. JFS board members and senior staff went through a lively, three-hour back-and-forth

February is Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance & Inclusion Month (JDAIM), a unified effort among Jewish organizations to raise awareness and foster acceptance and inclusion of people with disabilities. This year, Jewish Family Service of the Lehigh Valley (JFS) partnered with PJ Library and Parkland High School’s American Sign Language Club to educate young Jewish children

With the holidays behind us, people are spending more time in their homes which can feel isolating. I truly understand why those who are able may gravitate to a warmer climate for the winter. For most of us who don’t have this luxury, we have to be creative in order to find ways to help

Connecting to neighbors, family members, and friends can be the inspiration that helps us feel alive and relevant. When we are isolated, we may focus on negative thoughts that lead us to a darker place. A meaningful conversation can redirect our negative thoughts and keep us from heading to a darker place or challenge us

Lafayette HillelBy Jenna Herzog, 2024 Lafayette Hillel PresidentLafayette Hillel is a local school-centered organization that recognizes the importance of engaging with the greater Jewish community. Tikkun Olam is a value we regard highly, and Lafayette Hillel has been pleased to work with Jewish Family Service throughout the years. We have supported JFS with letter-writing events

The annual Phyllis Ringel Memorial Lecture took place on September 10 with guest speaker Barbara Yudis, LSW discussing Adolescents & Social Media: The Parenting Dilemma. Yudis began by noting some of the benefits social media offered during the pandemic such as allowing people to maintain longterm relationships, connecting them with other like-minded individuals, helping shy

Social media can be used for good, but it will take education and perseverance to help our children navigate the online world. Educating our children about the risks can lead to better adjusted and well-rounded children who feel confident in their ability to use social media for good. Watch our Phyllis Ringel Memorial Lecture below

Laura Garber, LSW, joins Jewish Family Service as an outpatient counselor to address expanding counseling needs in the Lehigh Valley. Garber received a Bachelor of Arts in political science at Penn State University and earned a Master of Social Science at Bryn Mawr College. What brought you to JFS? While I have lived in the

I am celebrating 18 years of being a Jewish Family Service Executive Director – the first eight at JFS of Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina and the past 10 as your JFSLV Executive Director. Wendy Rapoport, MSW, LCSW, and Marcia Schechter, MS, RN, are the only current staff members who were at the agency before I