Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) hosted its 2026 Gala on April 15th at Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase, New York. More than 330 attendees—Westchester business, community, and political leaders, including Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg, and Assemblyman Chris Burdick, turned out to support the agency’s major fundraising event of the year. WJCS, founded in 1943, is one of the largest human service organizations in Westchester, providing help to nearly 20,000 county residents of all ages and backgrounds each year.
WJCS honored Marion Morgenthal, co-founder of the WJCS POINT (Pursuing Our INdependence Together) community, Ali and Joe Torre’s Safe at Home, with whom WJCS has partnered for 20 years to provide the Margaret’s Place violence-prevention program to Westchester high school students, and Yael Friedland, who co-founded the WJCS Share Shabbat program and debuted a photo exhibit called “Survivors Among Us: Stories From Our Community” at the Gala.
“WJCS has often been referred to as the “safety net” for Westchester County,” said WJCS CEO Seth Diamond. “We have 80+ programs that address mental health, trauma, disability, youth, child, family, and aging problems, as well as supportive programming for the Jewish community. We could not accomplish what we do without the support of government and foundation grants and generous donors. Our annual Gala is an opportunity to celebrate those who have contribute to the strength of the Westchester community.”
The Gala’s Give for Give Auction featured client videos, highlighting five of WJCS’ programs: Mental Health, POINT (a community for adults with special needs); Margaret’s Place (a high school violence-prevention program offered in partnership with Ali and Joe Torre’s Safe at Home), Holocaust Survivor Services, and Volunteer and Support Services.
The WJCS Give for Good Auction is still going on and continuing to accept donations. Click here to participate in our Give for Good 2026 Auction to support WJCS and its life-changing programs.
