(Courtesy of JFCS) On Wednesday, June 22, Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Northern NJ (JFCS) held its annual meeting to mark the end of the 2021-2022 fiscal year at Temple Emanu-El in Closter.

The meeting opened with remarks from the president of the board of directors, Rachel Scheff, followed by the uplifting and inspirational words of Rabbi Jeremy Ruberg from Temple Emanu-El. Rabbi Ruberg oversees all of the educational programming at the synagogue. JFCS was grateful to have him speak at the annual meeting.

There were two highlights to this year’s meeting. The first was that JFCS honored its loyal and dedicated group of volunteers, who are the lifeblood of many of the programs that JFCS operates. Second, JFCS was presented with a $25,000 grant from State Farm as part of the State Farm Neighborhood Assist program. JFCS was initially part of a group of 200 national finalists, and through the votes cast by the diligent Northern NJ community, JFCS finished in the top 25 making them eligible for this grant. JFCS thanks everyone who voted for them and State Farm for letting them be a part of this wonderful opportunity.

The program concluded with a dedication to outgoing board members: Barbara Bender, Suzette Diamond, Sue Ann Levin, Jeffrey Rotenberg and Diane Seiden. The board of directors for the 2022-2023 year was installed, including four new board members—Ariel Bayewitz, Richard Feldman, Lindsay Forman and David Singer.

JFCS is excited for the upcoming year as it continues to provide much-needed mental health and social services to anyone who needs them. To learn more about JFCS visit www.jfcsnnj.org or call 201-837-9090.