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Celebrating Sukkot with Holocaust Survivors, Families, and Caregivers

2026-09-30T11:40:48-04:00September 30th, 2026|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , , |

More than 50 Holocaust Survivors, along with their family members and caregivers, gathered at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale to celebrate Sukkot, a holiday that emphasizes community, gratitude, and resilience.  Hosted by WJCS and co-sponsored by UJA-Federation of New York and the Claims Conference, the luncheon brought together survivors, supporters, community leaders, and elected officials for an afternoon of connection and celebration. Attendees included Congressman George Latimer, County Legislator and Majority Leader Judah Holstein, and Gideon Taylor, CEO of the Claims Conference.  WJCS CEO Seth Diamond and Allison Danzig, Coordinator of WJCS Holocaust Survivor Services, reflected on the meaning ...

WJCS celebrates Direct Support Professional Recognition Week!

2026-09-17T14:21:36-04:00September 17th, 2026|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , |

September is Direct Support Professional Recognition Month, and this week we are especially proud to celebrate DSP Appreciation Week. Our Direct Support Professionals are at the heart of our work with individuals with developmental disabilities. Every day, they help the people we serve build skills, participate in their communities, pursue greater independence, and live lives of dignity and meaning. That work requires patience, compassion, flexibility, judgment, and an extraordinary commitment to the people who depend on us. Much of what DSPs do happens quietly in home and in the countless everyday moments that can make an enormous difference in ...

Congratulations to our WJCS 2026 First Quarter Staff Award Winners!

2026-07-30T11:49:02-04:00July 30th, 2026|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , |

WJCS is proud to celebrate employees who go above and beyond, demonstrating their dedication and commitment to WJCS’ mission and clients. We are so privileged to work with wonderful staff who have care, compassion, and expertise. Read below to learn about our 2026 First Quarter Staff Award Winners.

WJCS Honors Holocaust Survivors Through Powerful Survivors Among Us Exhibit

2026-08-05T15:16:25-04:00June 16th, 2026|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , |

On Monday, June 15, Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) proudly hosted a special reception at its Headquarters in White Plains, NY celebrating its newly launched Survivors Among Us exhibit, a photographic and storytelling project honoring Holocaust survivors living in Westchester County. Originally unveiled at the WJCS 2026 Gala this spring, Survivors Among Us features striking portraits and personal narratives that preserve the experiences, resilience, and legacies of Holocaust survivors served by WJCS. The exhibit offers viewers a powerful opportunity to connect with history through the voices and faces of individuals who have endured unimaginable hardship and gone on to ...

WJCS Hosted Its 6th Annual Holocaust Survivor Day Luncheon

2026-06-11T15:00:53-04:00June 10th, 2026|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal|Tags: , , |

On Thursday, June 4, Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) hosted its 6th Annual Holocaust Survivor Day Luncheon at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, NY. The event brought together nearly 50 Holocaust Survivors and 20 Second Generation Survivors living in the Westchester community, along with their family members and caregivers. Allison Danzig, Coordinator of Holocaust Survivor Services at WJCS, said, “Today is about honoring Holocaust Survivors—their lives, their courage, their resilience, their extraordinary strength, and, most of all, their legacy. What they have built is strong, enduring, and deeply meaningful.” The joy of being and celebrating together was evident to all ...

Caring for the Caregivers: Supporting Employee Mental Health & Well-being at WJCS

2026-05-21T15:07:27-04:00May 21st, 2026|Categories: Mental Health, Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , |

At WJCS, we know that caring for those who come to us for support starts with providing care and support for our team members. While mental health and human services work comes with a sense of pride, fulfillment, and altruistic achievement, this critical work can also come with stress and vicarious trauma. That’s why we take a trauma-informed holistic approach to employee self-care and well-being since as the old adage goes, “you cannot pour from an empty cup.” WJCS has made many strides over the past years to become a Trauma-Informed agency. This means that we prioritize physical and emotional ...

Shelanu: Transformation Begins Here

2026-05-08T14:54:19-04:00May 8th, 2026|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , |

by Nicholas Primavera, Coordinator of WJCS Shelanu & Supper Club Program This week, I had the opportunity to interview some of our members about the word “bullying” and how Shelanu has helped them grow. One member shared that before joining Shelanu, they were bullied and struggled with confidence. Since becoming part of the program, they have built friendships, worked toward goals, and even achieved impressive degrees. Another member explained that one of the best ways to handle bullying was to block out negativity and not engage with hurtful comments. Choosing peace over conflict helped them move forward. One inspiring ...

WJCS Early Childhood Programs Celebrate the Week of the Young Child & El Día de los Niños

2026-05-07T16:21:17-04:00May 7th, 2026|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , |

This April, WJCS Early Childhood Programs proudly celebrated the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)'s 2026 Week of the Young Child and El Día de los Niños with a series of joyful, family-centered events across Westchester County. These celebrations highlighted the importance of play, creativity, and community while bringing together children, parents, caregivers, and community partners in warm and welcoming spaces. In Mount Vernon, families gathered at the local library for a festive evening filled with connection and fun. Children shared pizza, participated in a lively story time, and enjoyed creating a hands-on craft. The event offered ...

Superhero Therapy: An Innovative Way to Get Kids to Open Up

2026-04-24T17:06:33-04:00April 24th, 2026|Categories: Mental Health, Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , |

Most children have favorite superheroes. For Geovany Martinez, Clinic Director for the Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) Clinic in Yonkers, those superheroes are the doorway into the thoughts and feelings of his young clients. In individual therapy as well as in the Superhero Play Therapy Groups he conducts, Martinez uses characters from pop culture to help young clients, usually between the ages of five to nine, talk about their distress, symptoms, and stories.  Martinez’s office is filled with superhero stickers on the wall and superhero figurines. It’s an environment which invites discussion about beloved superheroes and TV characters. "Hearing someone ...

It’s not too late to Give for Good!

2026-04-23T14:57:00-04:00April 23rd, 2026|Categories: Gala, Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

What a thrill it was to gather at last week's Gala to celebrate the life-changing work of WJCS! We're so grateful to our courageous clients who shared their powerful stories of struggle and resilience and to our attendees who gave so generously at our Give for Good Auction. If you missed our spectacular Gala, not to worry! You can hear the personal and inspiring stories shared by WJCS clients at the event by watching their videos below. At our Gala, we heard from people whose lives are immeasurably better because of WJCS. Meet Sonjaia, who has triumphed over mental ...

Volunteer Appreciation Week 2026

2026-04-22T15:42:14-04:00April 22nd, 2026|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal|Tags: , , , , , |

It’s Volunteer Appreciation Week! All of us at WJCS are so grateful to the 300+ incredible individuals who have given their time, energy, and hearts to WJCS in the past year. Volunteers play a vital role in helping us support, uplift, and empower individuals and families across Westchester. You are helping people in our community feel seen, supported, and less alone. That is a gift that cannot be measured. We are honored to have such dedicated partners in this work. Whether it is in hours spent sorting donations in our food pantry, packing care packages or hygiene kits, delivering ...

WJCS 2026 Gala: A Resounding Success!

2026-05-06T13:11:07-04:00April 22nd, 2026|Categories: Gala, Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , , |

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 ...

WJCS Announces 2026 Gala Honoring Community Leaders and Transformative Partnerships

2026-04-13T16:03:17-04:00March 11th, 2026|Categories: Gala, Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal|Tags: , , , , |

Westchester County, NY — Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) proudly announces its 2026 Gala, to be held on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase, NY at 6:30pm. The evening will celebrate visionary leaders and partners whose dedication and innovation have profoundly strengthened the Westchester community. At this year’s Gala, WJCS will honor: Marion Morgenthal, co-founder of POINT (Pursuing Our INdependence Together), an independent living community in White Plains that empowers young adults with developmental disabilities to live with dignity, purpose, and increasing independence. Joe Torre Safe At Home, WJCS’s partner in operating Margaret’s Place, a ...

Join Us at our WJCS 2026 Gala!

2026-04-13T13:41:19-04:00February 23rd, 2026|Categories: Gala, Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) is proud to announce that it will be hosting its 2026 Gala on Wednesday, April 15 at Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase, NY. The Gala will be honoring Marion Morgenthal, co-founder of POINT (Pursuing Our INdependence Together), an independent living community for young adults with developmental disabilities in White Plains, recognizing Joe Torre Safe at Home, with whom WJCS operates Margaret's Place, a program dedicated to ending the cycle of domestic violence and abuse through education, support, and empowerment, and presenting the Young Leadership Award to Yael Friedland who founded and leads Share ...

Meet Our WJCS 2026 Gala Honorees!

2026-04-13T16:13:08-04:00February 2nd, 2026|Categories: Gala, Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , |

WJCS is thrilled to honor at our 2026 Gala the remarkable contributions of individuals and agencies that have worked in partnership with WJCS to have a transformative impact on Westchester.   Honoring Marion Morgenthal Co-Founder of POINT Marion Morgenthal is the mother of two sons, one of whom has significant learning disabilities. In managing his education, Marion and her husband, Lance Lynford, navigated various special education programs, a boarding school for neurodiverse students, and a vocation-focused post-secondary program. It was when they were facing the end of formal education that Marion, Lance, and families they had met along the ...

Black History Month: A Note From Our CEO

2026-02-02T13:45:04-05:00February 2nd, 2026|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: |

As we start the beginning of Black History Month, we take time to recognize and honor the profound contributions of Black Americans to our nation’s history, culture, and ongoing pursuit of justice. It is also a moment for us at Westchester Jewish Community Services to acknowledge and appreciate our Black colleagues whose leadership, care, insight, and commitment strengthen our organization and deepen our impact every day. Your work matters, and we are grateful for it. Some of you may have seen the news recently of the death of Claudette Colvin at the age of 86. In March of 1955, ...

Annual 2026 New Year’s Staff Luncheon

2026-01-13T13:33:52-05:00January 13th, 2026|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal|Tags: , , , , |

Our Annual New Year's Luncheon at Mulino's at Lake Isle was a joyous celebration for all of our WJCS and Family Service Society of Yonkers (FSSY) staff, along with many of our Board members joining us. It was an afternoon of camaraderie, gratitude for all we've been able to achieve with our clients across Westchester during the last year, recognizing our 2025 Staff Award recipients, fabulous food, and even a fun game of trivia with prizes distributed. Thank you to Steven Schnur Photography for capturing our staff members' smiling faces!

Family Volunteer Day Event: Personal Care Kit Drive 2025

2025-11-19T13:19:57-05:00November 18th, 2025|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , |

Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) was proud to host its first Family Volunteer Day Event on Veteran's Day, November 11, 2025, at Headquarters in White Plains, NY. Approximately 60 children, parents, families, and local community groups, including Girl Scouts Troops #2190 and #2775, and members of the Young Men’s Service League of Westchester gathered at WJCS to volunteer their time. Donors contributed nearly $3,000 in much-needed supplies for hygiene kits that will be distributed to WJCS Satellite School-based Clinics in 11 different schools located in Peekskill, Elmsford, Rye, Eastchester, and Yonkers. Volunteers packed 206 Personal Care Kits filled with ...

WJCS is Named Top Place to Work by City and State NY Magazine

2025-10-21T14:27:04-04:00October 21st, 2025|Categories: Featured Homepage, Featured Internal|Tags: , , , , |

Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS), one of the largest human services agencies in Westchester County, is proud to have been selected as a Top Place to Work in New York by City and State NY Magazine. It is one of only 51 organizations to earn this accolade. “We are honored to be recognized by City and State NY,” said WJCS Chief Executive Officer Seth Diamond. “At WJCS, we strive to create a culture that promotes employee satisfaction, generous staff benefits, wellness programs, and growth opportunities. We are dedicated to developing a trauma-informed culture where all staff feel they belong.” WJCS is a nonsectarian, not-for-profit agency, founded in ...

Congratulations to our WJCS 2025 Third Quarter Staff Award Winners!

2026-03-18T17:30:07-04:00February 12th, 2026|Categories: Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: |

Each quarter, WJCS celebrates employees who go above and beyond, demonstrating their dedication and commitment to WJCS’ mission and clients. We feel so privileged to work with wonderful staff who have care, compassion, and expertise. Read below to learn about our 2025 Third Quarter Staff Award Winners.

Congratulations to our WJCS 2025 Second Quarter Staff Award Winners!

2025-10-17T14:52:10-04:00October 17th, 2025|Categories: Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: |

Each quarter, WJCS celebrates employees who go above and beyond, demonstrating their dedication and commitment to WJCS’ mission and clients. We feel so privileged to work with wonderful staff who have care, compassion, and expertise. Read below to learn about our most recent Quarterly Staff Award Winners.

WJCS Annual 2025 Sukkot Luncheon for Holocaust Survivors

2025-10-20T13:20:15-04:00October 10th, 2025|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

More than 50 Holocaust Survivors, along with their relatives and caregivers, gathered on Thursday, October 9th to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale. The luncheon, hosted by Westchester Jewish Community Services, was attended by Congressman George Latimer, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, State Senator Shelley B. Mayer, and Michael Elkin, CFO of the Claims Conference (Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany). WJCS CEO Seth Diamond, and Allison Danzig, Coordinator of WJCS Holocaust Survivor Services, spoke to the guests, which also included many WJCS Board members, about the ...

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