Signed by 46 members of the Finest Community Coalition, including Jewish Family Service of San Diego, this letter addresses the decision to disinvite Rabbi Hanan Leberman from the All Peoples Celebration.

The City of San Diego’s Rose Canyon Safe Parking Program, operated by Jewish Family Service of San Diego, today unveiled a newly renovated common space – created to bring comfort, connection, and a sense of home to the families staying at the site. Mayor Todd Gloria, JFS staff and community partners celebrated the transformation of this space into a warm, welcoming environment where children, youth, and parents can gather, share meals, study and simply be together as they work toward more stable housing.

SAN DIEGO – As the number of families experiencing homelessness and seeking a safe space to stay continues to rise, a proposal to launch a Safe Parking Program at the site of the former Central Elementary School in City Heights is moving forward. The San Diego Unified School District Board of Trustees voted Tuesday night to approve a license agreement with the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) to operate the proposed program at the site. On November 7, the SDHC Board of Commissioners (Board) will consider the contract with Jewish Family Service of San Diego to operate the program.

Note for Media: To maintain safety and dignity, the JFS campus is closed to media during these food distributions. If you are interested in doing

CEO Dana Toppel writes: As a community, we have the honor of standing with survivors and lifting up their lives, experiences, and voices. Let’s ensure that their remaining days are filled with love, light and dignity instead of hate, fear and pain.

Survivors are confronting urgent and increasingly complex needs shaped by aging and the lasting wounds of their past. We embrace our collective responsibility to ensure they receive compassionate care and support in their final years.

At Jewish Family Service of San Diego, we serve over 500 Holocaust survivors in Orange and San Diego Counties, including Helen, through our Supporting Our Survivors program. In the last three years, the number of recipients we assist has increased by 234.

This resilient population deserves and needs compassionate, trauma-informed and culturally competent care to live their remaining years in dignity.

Helen and all survivors deserve the chance to keep saying, “Today is the beginning of another good day in my long life.”

In this Op-Ed by CEO Dana Toppel, she addresses how we care for Survivors on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, designated by the United Nations General Assembly as a day to remember those who have passed and honor those who survived and carry lifelong invisible wounds of the past.

Yet the history books aren’t closed—there’s still an opportunity to uplift the lives of those who’ve suffered greatly in one of the world’s worst atrocities. On this day of remembrance, we honor survivors not only with our words, but with action.

As a community, we can help Holocaust survivors who endured history’s darkest chapter live their remaining years with dignity, care and compassion.

CEO Dana Toppel shares in this Op-Ed: “Because of what I went through, I had no teeth in my mouth. I never smiled with an open mouth,” said Ben, 89.

Ben survived the Holocaust. Today, he lives in San Diego as one of thousands of Holocaust survivors still with us. His story is a testament not only to unimaginable resilience, but also to the responsibility we share to ensure that those who endured history’s darkest chapter can age with dignity.

While the number of Holocaust survivors is steadily declining, their needs are growing more urgent. I see this every day in my role at Jewish Family Service of San Diego, which supports more than 500 Holocaust survivors in San Diego and Orange Counties. They range in age from 81 to more than 100 years old and speak English, Russian, Yiddish, Ukrainian, French, Hungarian and other native languages. Each survivor carries a lifetime of memories of loss, survival, rebuilding and perseverance.

These men and women endured unspeakable trauma during the Holocaust. Many lost parents, siblings, spouses and entire communities. They rebuilt their lives from nothing, often arriving in the United States with no resources and deep emotional scars. Today, as they age, many face new challenges, often alone and in poverty.

Over the past five years alone, rents in San Diego have surged by more than 40%. Nearly half of San Diego households are now considered “rent-burdened,” spending more than 30% of their income just to keep a roof over their heads. Low- and middle-income families—the people who power our economy and anchor our neighborhoods—are increasingly being pushed out of the region altogether. By combining the deep expertise and proven track record of reputable housing developers with the success of mission-driven nonprofits, this partnership offers a bold, practical path forward with real community benefit and financial efficiency—and establishing a replicable model for the region. Over the next five years, we hope to scale this approach, potentially bringing upwards of 2,000 low- and moderate-income, high-quality affordable homesto the San Diego region.