News and Events

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Strategic Planning Update

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 […]

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JFS Focuses on Accessibility and Inclusion

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

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From Darkness to Light

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

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College Hillel students in kitchen

Local College Hillels

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

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Phyllis Ringel Memorial Lecture

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

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JFS Welcomes New Social Worker

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

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JFS Celebrates Our Volunteers

JFS hosted volunteers, staff, and board members at Jay’s Local on April 24, 2023 in honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month with food, drinks, and laughs. “Volunteers are the backbone of the agency, giving from their hearts and with smiles on their faces,” said Jennifer Oxfeld, Volunteer Coordinator.

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