San Francisco’s Most Inspirational Lunch Hour
The Strictly Business Awards Luncheon celebrates the life-changing power of work. We honor the achievements of our hard-working job seekers who have built in-demand skills and found work through JVS.
Jewish Vocational Service is rooted in core values to repair the world (in Hebrew, “tikkun olam”) — starting with our Bay Area community. We believe that work has the power to transform lives and we’re committed to helping people to help themselves. The links below reflect the many lives we’re transforming, including youth, Jewish college students and adults of all backgrounds and skill levels.
Summer internship for Jewish college students
Learn about our work with San Francisco youth
The Future of (Water) Work
Is California headed back into a drought? Did we ever come out? Californians spend a lot of time worrying about having enough water, but there’s another question we can’t ignore. How can we build the pipeline of workers to ensure our water supply is reliable and safe?...
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Transitions at JVS
A Message From JVS Board President, Michael Walker Together with the JVS Board of Directors, I’m writing to share some important news. After working at JVS since 1975 and serving as Executive Director and CEO since 1984, Abby Snay has decided to step down from her...
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Peter, Dayspring Technologies
"For many tech companies, hiring [older] workers is not on their diversity radar. JVS, in a very polite, but very persistent way, puts older, well-prepared candidates right in front of these companies so that they can't be ignored or dismissed." - Peter, Dayspring...
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Kaiser Permanente, Medical Assistant Training Partner
“Once people started working for us, they often transferred to one of our facilities in an area with lower housing costs. JVS produced a customized program that delivered top candidates who were already committed to working in San Francisco. We are thrilled to hire...
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Carlos, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
"JVS and my teacher at John O'Connell High School ignited a passion I never knew I had. With this job, and this career, I can make good money, and live in the Bay Area. I’m excited to be a role model for more people, like me, in the water and wastewater trades." --...
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Erica, UCSF
"This award means the world to me. I worked really hard for myself, and for my brother and for my sister, to get where I am today. I'm right here, where I want to be - in a career at UCSF." -- Erica, UCSF, 2018 Strictly Business Awards Luncheon Erica is a natural,...
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Rosalind, SFRAW
For Rosalind school had always been a challenge and she felt like an outsider. As a child of immigrants, English was not her first language and she struggled with reading and writing, which led to low confidence. She dreamed of being able to contribute to her family...
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Luisanna, John Muir Health
Luisanna had a difficult childhood – she never knew her father and spent most of her youth dealing with her mentally ill mother. Despite these obstacles, she graduated high school and found a job as an administrative assistant, where she worked for six years. Suddenly...
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John, MDLIVE
John had a successful career in financial services and technology, until a horrific accident nearly killed him. After seven years of recovery, he was medically cleared to go back to work, but his entire industry had changed. John quickly realized that he needed to...
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Bank of the West, Financial Services Training Partner
“It is wonderful to know that while we are meeting our own hiring needs, we are also helping JVS get community members back to work.” – Jenny Flores, Head of Community Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility, Bank of the...
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