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
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 West
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Skills to Work in Healthcare – Yasmeen’s Story
At JVS we believe the best way out of poverty, is a job. Despite the remarkable growth of the tech industry, inequality is increasing in the Bay Area faster than in any other part of the country. Good jobs at living wages exist, but thousands of people remain...
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What We’re Reading
What’s on your fall reading list? Here’s a bit of what we’ve been reading in the world of work: On Age Discrimination We weren’t shocked to read The New York Time’s piece about how job searching gets more difficult with age. Age discrimination is real, and we work...
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Patricia, UCSF
Patricia, a native San Franciscan and mother of three, had a solid job until the recession hit. She witnessed her office shut down piece by piece when operations – and her job – moved overseas. Initially, she was not worried; she was a Navy veteran with over 25 years...
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Sean, Carpenters Local 22
Sean knew from a young age that he wanted to work with his hands. He had spent countless hours learning from his father and helping his family’s curtain installation business in San Francisco. School didn’t interest him much, and skipping classes were the norm during...
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What your unemployed friend actually needs
Do’s and Don’ts to support your friend who is in transition, between jobs or just plain unemployed A recently unemployed client shared, “Becoming unemployed is emotionally wrought, especially if you’re like me and your whole identity is wrapped up in your career.”...
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#AwesomeAdmins Featured at Dreamforce
As part of the massive Dreamforce conference, Salesforce gathered expert trainers, including JVS, to lead a session about innovative job training programs that are helping people transform their skills to become Salesforce professionals. JVS’s Skills to Work in...
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Cheyanne, Institute on Aging
At 18, Cheyanne was pregnant and working at a grocery store. Her family was leaving the Bay Area, leaving Cheyanne struggling to get into school and find a place to live. The odds were heavily stacked against her, and she knew something had to change. She liked the...
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Rosanna, UCSF
“I never thought it would be difficult to find another job. I was relieved to find JVS and others like me. We learned to face our challenges together.” – Rosanna With 20+ years of work experience, Rosanna never expected to be on the brink of homelessness. In 2007 she...
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Elisabeth, Department of Public Health
“I’m so glad I found JVS. They gave me and my family new life.” – Elisabeth In the Ivory Coast, Elisabeth’s future as a physician and a public health professional was bright. She had accomplished so much already as the Chief of the Hematology Unit and HIV Project...
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