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History of Jewish Family Service of Greater Wilkes-Barre
The beginnings of Jewish Family Service stem from March 5,1888, when a group of Jewish women met in one of their homes and discussed the need of an invalid's chair for a destitute family. Collections were made among the Jewish people and subsequently this group was organized. The group became known as B'nai B'rith Sisterhood, now a part of Temple B'nai B'rith.

In 1902, a difficult situation arose around a father left with several motherless children with no means of support. Help was provided by several women, and that grew into a regular procedure by horse and buggy to all parts of Wyoming Valley. This led to the formation of the Charity Society on March 6,1902, and not long afterwards, a suggestion was made to change the name to Queen Esther Ladies Society. The membership was developed from many areas of the community with meetings held at Ohav Zedek.

The Hebrew Ladies Aid Society was organized in 1900. Many of these women were members of Temple Israel with the same purpose of helping the needy. Fundraisers were held by both groups, and dues were some-tiling on the order of 35 cents a month. Sometimes unmarked envelopes containing money would be left at Spitz's Delicatessen with instructions to give it to a certain person who was in need. It was Tzedakah in its highest form. Another organization established in 1906 in the community was The Organization for the Care of Jewish Orphans and Friendless Children, a group that continued until its termination in 1931.

Some women worked within these four organizations and some were independently active in helping the needy. As time went on, there was recognition that some duplication of effort was occurring, and in 1925, under the leadership of Mrs. Cosrnar P. Long, a joint monthly meeting was established known as the Central Conference. Meetings were held at the Y.M.H.A. on Washington Street. The Conference became the home for a major forum on social welfare, and in June, 1933, the Jewish Welfare Agency was incorporated as the direct descendent of Jewish Family Service today. Purpose of the organization was to restore to self-supporting and normal life, Jewish families and individuals in the City of Wilkes-Barre and its immediate vicinity. The remaining three above mentioned organizations and their members became members of the new agency.

As the organizations proceeded to find their mission, the Conference was called the Philanthropy Committee in 1927, and an annual report of that year showed the general desire for cooperation between and among all of them. In 1928, the Philanthropy Committee changed its name to the Jewish Case Conference. In 1932, the State Emergency Relief came into effect and the Conference referred cases to the Emergency Relief, asking for cooperative work, This led to the formation of the new incorporated body in June 1933 and members of each of the then three organizations became officers of the new entity with men added as an Advisory Committee.

In 1934, an office was secured at the Kirby Health Center, and Mrs. Long became the executive director. Volunteers assisted with the caseload during these depression years, and many Jewish people suffered severe financial losses. Two years later, a major event happened with the acceptance of Jewish Welfare Agency as a member of the Wyoming Valley Community Chest.

It is interesting to note that in the 1930s, interest free loans were given to small business persons during and following the depression. This was done through the Hebrew Loan Society.

As the 1930s extended, the rumblings of war in Europe became reality and concentration camps and Jewish extermination were horrific issues that affected the future of Jewish lives, families, relatives, and friends, and as the war ended in 1945, immigration opened even more to families, with quite a few to the Wilkes-Barre area, and the Jewish Welfare Agency carried out the resettlement program and assisted in the preparation of sponsorship affidavits. Entering the scene as a caseworker was Dorothy Schwartz, who later became the agency's executive director in 1952, eventually staying in that position for over 22 years. Subsequently, the Jewish Welfare Agency moved to new quarters at the Jewish Community Center. In 1956, the drums of oppression were heard in Hungary, and sponsorship of families from that nation to Wyoming Valley was effectively carried out by the Agency, a signal of later activity for massive resettlement functions from the former Soviet Union.

A new initiative arose in 1957 with the establishment of the Student Aid Loan Fund, administered by Jewish Welfare Agency, and guided and financially supported by the then merged Queen Esther and Ladies Aid Society organizations.

This new program was started by Mrs. Max (Rella) Roth. She donated a significant amount of money to start the loan program mat today has assisted over 150 students attending an undergraduate higher educational institution.. The original slogan or the Fund is as true today as it was then- "Help Pay Their Training Today, So They Can Pay Their Way Tomorrow."

Through the 1960s, the Agency blossomed through the integral partnership of the Queens Esther and Hebrew Ladies Aid Society and the volunteering of members to assist Dorothy Schwartz. Donations of food and clothing were kept in a special closet at the agency. Holidays were special times of the year to pass out gifts to needy families. In 1964, the two supporting organizations, Queen Esther and the Society formally merged, but their purpose remained the same.

In 1974, Dorothy Schwartz retired, but not before becoming involved with the major disaster of Tropical Storm Agnes in June 1972 which led to many more social workers volunteering to visit and work in the flood zone. One of whom subsequently became the new executive director for the agency, Murray Daninhirsch in 1975. At the same time, the name of the agency changed to Jewish Counseling Service. Many more refugees relocated to Wyoming Valley from the former Soviet Union, a new Kosher Home Delivered Meals program was started in 1976 and other services were added to help the agency perform its mission. The flood recovery work was art important milestone of the agency, as it moved to the forefront of Jewish communal rife, supported by the Jewish Federation and what subsequently became the United Way of Wyoming Valley. Murray Daninhirsch became a meaningful part of the agency when he established a counseling service to meet the new social welfare needs. The ravages of the flood were felt for many years after and the word "welfare" was thought not to be appropriate, so the new name Jewish Counseling Service was substituted. Other avenues pursued were a sliding scale fee system to encourage those who
could afford to pay for a service to actually do so. This system exists today.

In 1982, Sheldon Jeral was appointed the new executive director of Jewish Counseling Service. He helped to increase staffing of the agency, assisted in the development of new Board members, and provided strong social work leadership as the 1980s unfolded. As had been the case, program services such as emergency financial assistance, Sarah's Table, a warehouse for storage of furniture, Mitvah in Motion as a transportation service, and other services were either continued or launched. A mini-loan program was started to provide a way to loan funds to needy families, who over time, could pay back at least a portion of the loan. Jewish Family Life Education became an important program tool that helped, for example, Bar and Bat mitzvah students and their parents learn more about this exciting experience. Support groups were tried, tested, and implemented, as needed, for a variety of functions, whether they be food related, grieving related, or other purposes.

A newsletter was launched as a major tool for marketing the agency, new Board members were added, so that over time, mere was a rich blend of veteran and newer Board members, the by-laws were amended, more men were asked to participate, and services were provided to study places as the State Correctional Institution in Dallas and local nursing homes.

A new name became the nomenclature for the agency with the establishment of Jewish Family Service in 1983. Through the agency came staff who went on to other positions after their service at the agency such as Francie Handrnan, ACSW, Ann Smith, ACSW, Lois Gelb and others. Bernice Brandwene became an assistant in public relations.
The committee structure at JFS expanded, until today there are 12 active committees of the agency. In the early 1990s, the agency undertook a major function to create and implement its first strategic plan that served the organization until about the year 2000. Today, an updated version is underway, with the expected completion by December 31, 2003.

In 1988, the agency celebrated the 100th anniversary of its original volunteer days of 1888.

Today, the agency is celebrating its 70"1 corporate anniversary as a major social service organization within the Jewish community. In its current form, the agency continuously looks and seeks out ways it can be of maximum service to the community. It has partnered with other organizations to maximize dollar resources that have become scarcer in the trying days of the new Millennium.

As Sheldon Jeral took the reins of the agency, his role as a trained, professional social worker and as a member of a team of staff devoted to the needs of others, took hold. He stayed for fifteen years, departing for another position in 1997.

Taking on his position temporarily was a well known figure in the Jewish community, Dr. Robert S. Capin, former president of then Wilkes College. He was a transitional administrator who stayed for about six months until his successor, Dr. Peter Kaufman, was employed in 1998. His tenure ended as executive in 2001. Much of his work was devoted to the needs of children, that being his trained specialty. His tenure was marked with strong board involvement as a means to help implement the needs of the agency during a time of economic cutbacks.

As new ideas emerged as to what the agency might do in the earlv stages of the new Millennium, the Board decided to seek a new executive. The search led to the employment of Howard J. Grossman as Interim Administrator on October 29,2001, and his appointment as Executive Director on January 2, 2002.

In today's environment of a stalled economy, the agency is seeking to broaden its marketing, restarting a newsletter, publishing an annual report, speaking at various religious and civic functions, and growing new ways to provide counseling, resettlement, and other types of service.

The staff today consists of five individuals plus a part time aide from the Area Agency on Aging for Luzerne and Wyoming Counties, the list of whom is shown elsewhere in this document.

New initiatives such as Teens Do Care, which has now grown substantially as an intergenerational program, Kids Care Club as a method of service learning for kindergarten and early grade levels through high school, and others are being implemented, The agency has won two national Point of Light awards, one for Teens Do Care, and one for Volunteers as Clients.

In 2002, the agency employed a part time social worker supervisor consultant as a way to begin to expand its counseling role, continue its recognition of volunteers at an annual April event, and honor outstanding achievements by distinguished leaders such as, Richard Goldberg, Dr. Robert L. Capin, Max Bartikowsky and Pearl Kaufman, former JFS President.
The history of the agency is remarkable in light of a constant shortage of funds, an always willing volunteer corps, and a highly motivated and dedicated staff. The next 70 years will be a test of the ability of the agency to continue to meet the needs of children, adults, and families in the Wyoming Valley who require the breadth of support that only an agency such as JFS can provide.