First came the Holocaust survivors, obviously traumatized, but usually not knowing from whom to seek help. Then came the Russian emigres, with a different set of problems, but difficulties in acculturating all the same.
In that era, “it was a shanda to consider talking about problems that were psychological — you had to deal with your problems yourself,” said Burt Epstein, a former board member of what’s now called the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley. “Many were ashamed to seek help and ashamed to talk to their rabbi.”
Two Santa Clara County social workers, Gertrude Conrad and Areta Stadler, recognized the dilemma. Together with the support of Epstein and two other federation board members, they began seeing clients in the federation’s office.
“But it pretty quickly became obvious that this was not a good workable solution,” said Epstein.
They knew they needed their own office and a staff, but they had no money. So they asked for and received a subsidy from the federation.
In addition to the Holocaust survivors and Russian emigres, Epstein said, “it was also becoming apparent that there were more problems in the Jewish community that people didn’t want to talk about, like with battered wives and abused children.”
Jewish Family Service was incorporated in 1979 — though it’s now called Jewish Family Service Silicon Valley. To celebrate its upcoming 25th anniversary, the organization is holding its first-ever celebratory dinner, on Sunday, April 3, at which about 250 people are expected. Epstein, who served as its second president, will be honored.
Epstein recalled that the needs of Russian emigres became a high priority, as San Jose became a major relocation area for emigres.
“We needed to provide housing, find furniture and get people settled,” he said. Epstein recalled waiting at the airport for families to arrive and enlisting the help of a nearby Russian-speaking United Airlines agent to translate, so families could at least find out what would be happening next.
The agency has expanded greatly since then, but Mindy Berkowitz, its current executive director, compared it to “the little engine that could.”
With a staff of only 11, JFSSV’s annual budget is just over $700,000, compared with the $23 million budget of its S.F.-based counterpart.
Still, with the help of many volunteers, the agency is able to provide numerous services.
For example, Michelle Gabriel, who is chairing the event, has been teaching English classes as a volunteer for more than 15 years. She was so enthusiastic about her experience that she convinced her husband to volunteer as well; he now teaches citizenship classes.
Berkowitz said that with so much emphasis placed on the community’s high-tech profile, it’s easy to forget that there are many people in the area barely getting by: isolated elders who need help with household errands, and the working poor, those who don’t qualify for public assistance but may be underemployed and in need of help with such basics as food and/or medical care.
“There are at least several hundred people like this on our radar,” said Berkowitz. “And without us, no one would look in on them.”