On Thursday, September 29 at 5:30 P.M., the community is invited to gather in the Memphis Jewish Community Center’s Herbert and Mary Shainberg Lobby to celebrate a community-wide effort over a span of three years to support a vital agency that is Caring for Generations in Jewish Memphis.

A community celebration of the Wendy & Avron B. Fogelman Jewish Family Service, Caring for Generations is free and open to the public. It’s a chance to come together to celebrate life-changing programs like Judy and Larry Moss Senior Services, Finestone Home Delivered Meals, the Kay and Allen Iskiwitz Shalom Shuttle, and the Peggy E. & L.R. Jalenak, Jr. Food and Baby Pantry, as well as the leaders and donors who collaborated to realize this monumental achievement. To learn more and register, visit jcpmemphis.org/caringforgenerations.

In 2014, leaders of the Memphis Jewish community joined together to create a new vision for serving the evolving social service needs of its members. The changing demographics and needs of our Jewish community required a reimagining of our Jewish Family Service. After months of research and planning, a new model of delivering social services was created under the auspices of the Memphis Jewish Community Center, with the fundraising might of Jewish Foundation of Memphis and Memphis Jewish Federation behind it.

Fast forward to September 2022, and Fogelman JFS is an integral community organization serving hundreds of community members annually. With the support of generous donors and steered by the partnership between the MJCC and Federation/Foundation, this forward-thinking organization has honed its focus on the most important areas of work in caring for our community’s members on our growing senior population, families in crisis, special needs support, and information and referral.

“68 donors contributed more than $7.6 million to ensure that our community will always be a place that is able to Care for Generations,” said Laura Linder, President and CEO of Jewish Community Partners, which manages Federation and Foundation. “Kicked-off in fall, 2019 with a transformational lead gift from Wendy and Avron B. Fogelman and quickly followed by the generosity of Judy and Larry Moss, this historic campaign was off and running. In usual Memphis fashion, our community didn’t hesitate to stand up and be counted. This event is an opportunity to celebrate what we’ve achieved, together.”

Caring for Generations will begin with a wine and dairy dessert reception. Dietary laws will be observed. Fogelman JFS Past President Betsy Saslawsky will welcome guests from the podium, followed by remarks from Linder and MJCC President/CEO Larry Skolnick. The MJCC’s Rabbi Abe Schacter-Gampel will offer a Blessing of Giving, and Fogelman JFS Past Chair and MJCC President-elect Judy Bookman will close the program with a look ahead.