Skirball exhibit salutes Jewish Family Service

“Still Listening: 150 Years of Jewish Family Service,” a free exhibition of historical documents, artifacts, photographs, and original artworks celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first and largest social service agency in Los Angeles, will be on view in the Ruby Gallery at the Skirball Cultural Center through Feb. 28.

The exhibition communicates the scope of the agency’s humanitarian work and its profound relationship with Los Angeles.

It also reveals the inspiring details of how, every year, Jewish Family Service (JFS) helps tens of thousands of Angelenos of all cultures, ethnicities and religions to survive life’s challenges.

In 1854, Los Angeles had been an American settlement for four years and was a dusty and often lawless town of 1,610 residents. Amid the frontier chaos a tiny Jewish community established the Hebrew Benevolent Society to provide charity to all who were in need. These pioneer Jews did not know that their modest society would grow along with their diverse city, providing for its needs and meeting its challenges.

Today the society is the Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles and offers more than 50 programs and provides services at more than 20 locations across Los Angeles County.

Docent-led tours of the Skirball’s core exhibition, “Visions and Values: Jewish Life from Antiquity to America,” will be presented in association with this exhibition on Thursdays, Jan. 22 and Feb.12 and 26 at 12:30 p.m. These 30-minute tours will examine the many facets of Jewish history and culture that exemplify the concept of tzedakah (charity).

Skirball Cultural Center is at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday noon to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information, call (310) 440-4500 or visit www.skirball.org.