Giving & Volunteering · June 04, 2026

On April 20, Jewish Family Service learned that it had earned a three-year accreditation from CARF International. “CARF International accreditation is the gold standard of approval for organizations like ours,” said Liz Vogel, JFS’s CEO. CARF, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, is an internationally recognized nonprofit organization that provides accreditation for health and human services....

Giving & Volunteering · May 28, 2026

Some good can come from even deep loss. In March of this year, Cindy Jarnicki coordinated with her sons and grandsons to deliver Passover meals and items for the seder together, as part of Jewish Family Service’s Passover Delivery Project. The Project’s volunteers deliver meals and seder items to those homebound or unable to afford the special foods needed to celebrate Passover.

Counseling & Mental Health · May 15, 2026

Asked for her five best parenting tips, Leah Marcus, Director of Youth Mental Health Services at Jewish Family Service, immediately said, “Be patient. And after that, pause, pause, pause, pause.” She smiled. “Parenting through big emotions is hard. One thing that really helps is staying calm instead of matching a child’s intensity. That’s a skill parents can learn and build over time alongside their children.”

Giving & Volunteering · April 16, 2026

This year was all about the volunteers. Jewish Family Service’s 2026 Annual Meeting was held on March 24, 2026 at the Mayerson JCC, to a full house and, for the first time, captions in Russian as well as English. It featured Jewish Family Service CEO Liz Vogel and Board President Ellen Feld, MD. But at its core, Jewish Family Service went out of its way to appreciate its donors and its volunteers...

Giving & Volunteering · February 25, 2026

Asked recently why he gave a legacy gift to JFS, Henry Fenichel, member of our Center for Holocaust Survivors, said, "Well, you know something about my background; the only reason I'm around and alive is because support of organizations such as this one. It started way back in the Holy Land, Palestine, before the state was established there, and when we came to the United States, as new immigrants. And so I appreciate what organizations like that do....

Crisis Intervention · February 12, 2026

Hannah and her daughter and brother were almost evicted, till Jewish Family Service helped. When Hannah lost her Section 8 housing voucher due to paperwork delays, her rent jumped overnight to market rate: $1,180 a month.

Older Adult Services · January 16, 2026

Niki Eschen, at 86, has had an abundantly rich work and family life. Yet it is the story of her inner Jewish journey that is most striking. Niki’s apartment boils over with the colorful gifts of her children, her grand- and great-grandchildren...

Caregiver Support · November 26, 2025

“I would do it all over again,” said Kenny Tessel, talking about caring for his father at the end of his life. Jewish Family Service talked with Kenny about caring for his father, Eddie Tessel, who passed in October of 2024.

Counseling & Mental Health · September 09, 2025

“Youth Mental Health First Aid is really about giving adults tools for how to listen and respond when a young person is having a hard time,” says Leah Marcus, who directs Youth Mental Health Services at Jewish Family Service.

Counseling & Mental Health · May 22, 2025

“I felt unanchored and lost. It became too much to carry my own laundry,” said Frances [a pseudonym to protect privacy], remembering. It was an awful time in her life: first, her husband had passed after a long illness, with Frances nursing him for the final two years. Then she had left her Indianapolis home and moved to Cincinnati to live with her son, since he wanted to help her—however within a month of her arrival, her son was diagnosed with terminal cancer....