Dr. Anita Friedman has a distinguished record of public service, both as a professional and as a volunteer leader. Her roles in the Jewish and general communities extend from the Bay Area to the national and international arenas.
Professionally, Dr. Friedman heads Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS) in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the largest and oldest family service institutions in the United States.
As a speaker, lecturer, and author, Dr. Friedman’s expertise includes social policy and programming for diverse populations, from children and youth to families and the aged; the financing of health and human services; and the development of innovative business and social enterprise models. Dr. Friedman is also an expert on Holocaust and genocide education. She is the editor of the English-language edition of Rywka’s Diary (Harper), which has also been published in Polish and more than a dozen other languages. She has served as a consultant on the forthcoming (2019) documentary about the diary.
Dr. Friedman has served on various local, state, national, and international commissions, including as Commissioner of the San Francisco Human Services Commission. She has received numerous awards for her public service leadership.
As a policy consultant to the State of Israel Ministry of Social Affairs, she has advised on effective policy strategies for human service provision and immigrant absorption. She also serves as a trustee on the national boards for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the University of Southern California’s Shoah Foundation, and the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture.
