Exhibit explores Jewish Family Service

JFS helps tens of thousands of Angelenos of all kinds




"Still Listening: 150 Years of Jewish Family Service," an exhibition of historical documents, artifacts, photographs and original artworks celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first and largest social service agency in Los Angeles, will be on view at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, from Jan. 7 through Feb. 29.


The exhibition communicates "the extraordinary scope of the agency’s humanitarian work and its profound relationship" with the city of Los Angeles and the entire Southern California region. It also reveals "the intimate, 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 and find the hope of a brighter future."


The exhibition will be on view in the Skirball’s Ruby Gallery. Ruby Gallery shows are always free to the public.


In 1854, Los Angeles had been an American settlement for only four years and was a dusty and often lawless town of 1,610 residents. Amidst the frontier chaos, a tiny Jewish community established the Hebrew Benevolent Society to provide charity to all who were in need, whether Jew or not.


Today the society is known as Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles and offers more than 50 programs covering every phase of life and provides services at more than 20 locations across L.A. County.


"The work of Jewish Family Service is rooted in traditional Jewish values related to tzedakah (charity), tikkun olam (repairing the world), welcoming the stranger, and the premise that ‘to save one life is like saving the world.’ The Skirball’s mission is to share these values through our wide range of exhibitions and public and educational programs. Together with institutions like JFS, we aspire to build a society in which everyone can feel at home," said Lori Starr, director of the Skirball Museum and senior vice president of the Skirball Cultural Center.


The multimedia exhibition is comprised of several clusters that use archival and contemporary materials to present a display that’s historical and provokes emotions. The clusters include a floor-to-ceiling exhibit of historical and contemporary photographs that summarize the development of JFS.


Another section of the exhibition offers a wall of text drawn from caseworkers’ reports and historical anecdotes that describe how JFS "worked its miracles" day-by-day and decade-by-decade.


A "response board" will provide visitors with the option of sharing their own stories about JFS by posting them. "It’s a unique way for the public to augment the exhibition, and to preserve more stories for future generations," said Shari Davis, who along with Benny Ferdman of Creative Ways, organized and designed the exhibition.


The Skirball is open noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. For general information, please call (310) 440-4500 or visit www.skirball.org.



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