C omm u nit y

WITH LOVE from page 47

Top: Washtenaw JFS director Anya Abramson confers with co-workers David Cohen
and Cindy Frey.
Above: ESL teacher Barbara Schrier works with students.

address their various needs."
Abramzon, 33, said program
development, reflected in a budget
expansion from $35,000 to almost
$400,000 since 1997, allows JFS to
better serve the community, with
staff developing and implementing a
variety of needed programs.
"We like to describe JFS as a safe-
ty net for this community, and we
see our role in being here for every-
body who might need any help," she
said.
"Anya Abramzon is a superstar,"
said Jeff Levin, executive director of
the Jewish Federation of Washtenaw
County. JFS is under the Federation
umbrella. "She has a terrific way
with people; she has grown that
agency tenfold in a very, very short
time. She is community player extra-
ordinaire. She just gets it.
"Anya has turned JFS into a full-
fledged Jewish social service agency,

12/12
2003

48

and she's done so obviously with the
help of many, many volunteers."
Barbara Stark-Nemon, a JFS advi-
sory board member, said watching
the agency "take its place among the
other agencies of the Federation in a
really strong way" has been very
rewarding.

Growth And Stability

The Ann Arbor volunteer said she
considers the agency's ability to offer
more services to the community at a
time when social service as a whole
is seeing reductions is representative
of the growth and stabilization of
the Jewish community of
Washtenaw County.
"I think there is just this very deep
commitment to doing twice as much
with the resources as you would
think possible," she said. "There's an
excitement and a cooperative spirit

Top: Washtenaw JFS staffer Sheri Eisenbeiser explains paperwork to Russian couple
Vadim and Natalia Mozhelivk.
Above: Peter from Belarus goes over exercises in his ESL course.

within the relationship between the
staff and the board that to me is just
very exciting. It's not true in all
agencies, and you can feel it when
you're there and you see all the work
that's being done."
Abramzon believes the organiza-
tion's work is very closely tied to the
Jewish emphasis on tikkun olam
(repairing the world) and sends an
important message to the greater
area population.
"I think that by providing quality

In celebration of its 10th anniver-
sary, Jewish Family Services of
Washtenaw County is hosting 10
events, each representing a service
JFS offers to the community. The
next is a resettlement benefit Jan.
10, where the agency will honor
McKinley Associates for its work
with JFS in providing reduced-cost

services to this community — not
only the Jewish community blit the
community at large — we get our
message out. We're not only for our-
selves, but also we care about the
community around us," Abramzon
said.
"Repairing the world starts right
here, and we try to make sure that
every individual who comes to us
for help, that they will never be
turned away, and that everything we
can do we do." ❑

housing to more than 300 new
Americans over the last 13 years.
The event will include the presenta-
tion of the new Claire and Izadore
Bernstein Award for McKinley
Associates as well as hors d'oeuvres,
dessert and entertainment. For
information, call (734) 769-0209.