Beachwood Buzz – April 2025 This is the first in a series of articles highlighting JFSA Cleveland’s 150 year history.
Established in 1875, the sole purpose of the Hebrew Relief Society (as JFSA was known) was to resettle Jewish immigrants in Cleveland. Today, JFSA is a contemporary health and social service organization. Influenced by local and world events, JFSA consistently responds to our community needs with progressive, high-quality programming.
JFSA Cleveland was here when …
– Immigrants came to Cleveland due to political unrest or as a result of post-war conditions and needed assistance and resources to start a new life in a new country.
– Food insecurity, experienced during the Great Depression of the 1930s or in response to the rising incidence today, created the need for nutritious food.
– Individuals with serious mental illness were released from institutions into the community during the 1970s and needed housing and quality-of-life supports.
– Holocaust survivors began facing the extra demands associated with aging and sought assistance to meet their physical, emotional, and social needs.
– Parents of adults with developmental disabilities sought independent living and a path forward to ensure their children would be taken care of when they were no longer able to.
– The high cost of a college education deprived students of their educational goals and dreams.
These historic milestones lay the foundation for JFSA today and our commitment to provide individuals and families with solutions to face life’s challenges with confidence. Without these roots, we would not be an organization today with over 600 staff touching thousands of lives every year, 55 residential sites in three counties, a medical clinic, a shelter for women and children facing domestic violence or homelessness, a kosher food pantry, a home care agency, or providing social services to families living in Summit County through JFS Akron.
JFSA helps individuals and families with solutions to face life's challenges with confidence.