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The 29th annual Fammy Awards, Jewish Family and Children’s Services’ gala to honor those who have given back to the Jewish community, will take place Saturday, March 9 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco.

Pioneers of Holocaust commemoration and education in the Bay Area being recognized include Sen. Dianne Feinstein; community leader Roselyne “Cissie” Swig; journalist John Rothmann; Max R. Garcia; Earl Raab; Naomi Lauter; Allen, Norman and Tauba Weiss; and the late Lonny Darwin. All played major roles in local Holocaust education, including the creation of the JFCS Holocaust Center following the 1977 opening of a Nazi bookstore in San Francisco.

Dianne Feinstein

“It is an honor to be among this distinguished group recognized by Jewish Family and Children’s Services,” said Feinstein. “JFCS provides essential social services to an astounding 75,000 children, families and seniors in the Bay Area every year. I applaud them for their dedication to the Jewish community in San Francisco and for their relentless leadership in fighting anti-Semitism and promoting Holocaust awareness.”

Also being honored is Olga Barsky, who lost her husband to terminal illness and now works as a volunteer in JFCS’ palliative and end of life care program. Andjana Pachkova and Martin Herbst are being recognized for their commitment to JFCS’ Parents Place, which they joined after their young child was diagnosed with autism.

The gala will feature dancing, a cocktail reception and silent auction. For  information, visit www.jfcs.org/fammy-awards-gala.