Schoke Jewish Family Service Celebrates 50 Years of Service.
Founded in 1975 to serve the Greater Stamford area, Schoke JFS quickly expanded in 1990 with an office in Westport, which allowed the agency to reach the towns of Westport, Weston, Wilton, and Norwalk. Since then, Schoke JFS has continued to grow, now providing services in 15 towns, including Bridgeport, Fairfield, Trumbull, Ridgefield, Redding, Easton, Monroe, and Stratford.
What began in the late 1970s with just one secretary, a part-time director, and a part-time social worker primarily focused on helping Russian immigrants resettle has grown into a robust and diverse service provider. Schoke JFS now offers a wide range of programs, including counseling, geriatric care services, emergency assistance, and initiatives to combat food insecurity. The agency is also home to the Freedberg Family Kosher Food Pantry and the Kosher Mobile Food Pantry, Connecticut’s only kosher food truck.
5 0 F O R 5 0 T E S T I M O N I A L S
We celebrate our 50th anniversary with powerful testimonials highlighting Schoke JFS’s impact over the past half-century.
SCHOKE JFS THROUGH THE YEARS
1 9 7 8

September 1978
Federation News
Greenspan Will Take Charge of Family Service
1 9 7 9

June 1979
Jewish Voice
Listing of Services
1 9 8 1

March 1981
Jewish Voice
JFS Russian Resettlement Committee Reorganizes for New Influx of Emigres
1 9 8 4

January 1984
The CT Jewish Ledger
JFS Series on Sexuality Planned Jan 24 and Jan 31 at Stamford JCC
1 9 8 6

November 1986
Jewish Voice
Women's Group Gets New Leaders
1 9 8 7

February 1987
Jewish Voice
First Graduating Class of JFS's Home Companion Program
1 9 8 7
May 1987
Jewish Voice
Russian Refugees Arrive
1 9 8 9

April 1989
Jewish Voice
JFS Day to Recognize Volunteers
1 9 9 1

December 1991
Jewish Voice
New Executive Committee for JFS
1 9 9 1

Summer 1991
JFS Reporter
JFS Plans Westport-Norwalk Office
1 9 9 3
July 1993
Jewish Voice
Federal Grants Help JFS Start New Job Program
1 9 9 4

June 1994
Jewish Voice
JFS Plans Move to Larger Quarters
1 9 9 5 - 2 0 0 4
1 9 9 5

February 1995
Stamford Jewish Ledger
JFS Looks to its Third Decade
1 9 9 9

October 1999
The New Jewish Voice
Matt Greenberg new JFS Exec. Director
1 9 9 9
January 1993
Joan and Ben Zinbarg Camp Scholarship Program Established
2 0 0 2
April 2002
The New Jewish Voice
JFS Establishes Kosher Food Pantry
2 0 0 3
June 2003
The New Jewish Voice
JFS Expands Services for the Elderly with Case Management
2 0 0 5 - 2 0 1 5
2 0 0 7
Spring 2007
JFS Reporter
Jewish Family Service Relocating to New Offices
2 0 1 0

2010
Jewish Twenties & Thirties (JTT) Established
2 0 1 3

November 2013
JFS Reporter
Coping with Bullying
2 0 1 4
March 2014
The New Jewish Voice
JFS Focus on K.I.D.S. For Separated/Divorced Parents in High Conflict
2 0 1 6 - 2 0 2 5
2 0 1 6
August 2016
Grecia and Ron Gross Jewish Family Life Education Program Established
2 0 1 6

Fall 2016
JFS Reporter
Jewish Family Service to be Named Elayne and James Schoke Jewish Family Service of Fairfield County
2 0 1 7
May 2017
JFS Reporter
Counseling Services Debut New Name - Kuriansky Family Counseling Program
2 0 1 9

Feburary 2019
JFS Reporter
Schoke JFS Moves to New Offices at 196 Greyrock Place
2 0 1 9
February 2019
JFS Reporter
Pamela and Michael Hirsch Kosher Home Delivered Meal Program Launches
2 0 1 9
Spring 2019
JFS Reporter
The Kosher Food Pantry has been renamed the Freedberg Family Kosher Food Pantry in recognition of their commitment to Schoke JFS
2 0 2 3
Spring 2023
JFS Reporter
Announcing The Japha Family Emergency Assistance Program
2 0 2 3

Spring 2023
JFS Reporter
Fighting Hunger and Feeding Home - New Kosher Mobile Food Pantry
2 0 2 3

Fall 2023
JFS Reporter
Schoke JFS Opens New Office in Fairfield