From the Desk of CEO Judy Halper: July 2025

So much has been said and written about the amount of turmoil, confusion, and disruption occurring on a regular basis in our lives, our communities, and in our country. So it’s nice to share, for a change of pace, the wonderful news about new leadership coming to Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis – that actually isn’t new at all!

JFCS’ CEO Search Committee recently announced the conclusion of its thoughtful and thorough process in selecting a new Chief Executive Officer to take my place in January 2026, following my retirement at the end of this year. The “new” leadership is actually a ready-to-begin-on-day-one, extremely qualified choice – Amy Weiss, who currently serves as Chief Program Officer!

Amy’s extensive experience in non-profit management and her deep passion for the service JFCS provides makes her a great choice. In a world where everything seems a bit wobbly, she will bring continuity, familiarity, and strategy to continue and further the important role JFCS plays in building a strong community, one person at a time. Speaking for the Board and staff, we are all so excited for Amy and eager to support her!

Speaking of continuity and moving forward, this summer has been anything but slow and meandering at JFCS. More individuals than ever participated in our Shabbat services at Loring Park as part of Twin Cities Pride weekend and more folks marched in the parade too. Our Addiction and Recovery Services offered new learning opportunities on topics such as gambling and other forms of addiction. To meet the needs of those with food insecurity, we have been endeavoring to keep up with the increased need for shelf-stable emergency food boxes, which are going out the door at a much higher pace than last year.

We are experiencing increased requests for transportation and shopping services. We also carefully administered scholarship assistance to many children wishing to attend overnight summer camp, as well as college-bound students seeking tuition assistance. And that’s not all!

There will be lots of transition and change to manage in the coming months, as well as more disruption and challenges. We pledge a seamless transition to all those who count on us to deliver essential care, as we do to all our supporters, volunteers, staff and donors who ensure JFCS is Here for all. Always.