AJW Staff Report
In October, Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis (JFCS) announced that it will acquire Jewish Family Service of St. Paul (JFS) and become Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minnesota (JFCSMN) beginning Jan. 1.
This unification of social services organizations has been in the works since 2024 and follows the 2021 merger of the Minneapolis and St. Paul Jewish Community Centers into the Minnesota JCC. Like the unified JCC, JFCSMN will continue to maintain its current locations: JFCS in Golden Valley and downtown Minneapolis and JFS in St. Paul.
JFS had already brought the idea of a merger — to be stronger together — to JFCS when it lost a contract with UCare health insurance to manage certain care services, further challenging JFS to evolve for long-term sustainability.
As one holistic organization, JFCSMN will move forward with the goal to expand its impact. It will provide social services across the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota, to the Jewish and broader communities. JFCSMN promises to provide more than 30 programs, continuing, evolving or merging most of the two organizations’ current programs.
Only two programs are set to close, but their services won’t end: The St. Paul Jewish Federation will take over JFS’s Community Chaplaincy Program, with Rabbi Lynn Liberman continuing as the community chaplain. And a grant for a Russian-speaking elders program was set to end in March 2026, so it will end a few months early; however, Russian-speaking services will remain available in other JFCSMN programs.
In its first year, JFCSMN will be guided by a transitional board comprising the JFCS board and an additional 10 members of the JFS board.
JFCS Immediate Past President Natalie Zamansky said in a press release: “This unification represents a thoughtful and deliberate step forward, grounded in stability and mutual trust. Both boards worked in close partnership, guided by our shared values of compassion, inclusion, professionalism, and our enduring commitment to tikkun olam. We are confident this unified path allows us to serve our communities with even greater purpose and impact.”
JFCS was established in 1910, and JFS in 1911, to help resettle Jewish immigrants as they fled oppression in European countries with few belongings and resources. At that time, the organizations were run by volunteers. Today, they have paid staffs. The majority of JFS staff will stay on, but a handful were let go.
Neither of the institutions’ current CEOs will continue in their executive roles — JFCS Chief Program Officer Amy Weiss will step into the new overarching role, while JFCS CEO Judy Halper is set to retire and JFS CEO Ruth Hampton Olkon will step down.
“For more than a century, JFS has been part of the fabric of St. Paul, providing critical services while honoring our historic cultural roots,” Olkon said in a prepared statement. “I am deeply proud of our staff and the generous community that sustains us. As we take this important step with JFCS, I want to assure our clients, donors, and partners that JFS’ legacy will be honored and carried forward.”
Weiss added, “JFCSMN is the best of both communities. By combining our strengths, we expand our reach and deepen our impact so individuals and families receive the care and support they need to thrive. Together, we are building a stronger, more connected community, rooted in Jewish values and responsive to evolving needs.”
(American Jewish World, November 2025)
