History Of Jewish Vocational Service

1939: About 20 members of the Jewish community begin meeting as the Committee on a Vocational Bureau. The committee includes representatives of the United Jewish Social Agencies, the Jewish Community Center, B’nai B’rith, the American Jewish Congress and the German Refugee Employment Committee.

May 7, 1940: The committee creates Jewish Vocational Service to provide vocational guidance and job placement and to combat religious workplace discrimination. JVS originally serves Jewish refugees and others members of the Jewish community. George Newburger becomes the first JVS executive director. With one other staff member, JVS initially serves six people, operating from the Keith Building at 4^th and Vine Streets in Downtown Cincinnati. The initial budget is $7,200.

1940s: JVS serves a growing stream of European immigrants. After World War II, veterans also need job placement help.

1950s: JVS creates a sheltered workshop, currently known as the Work Center, to provide long-term employment to elderly Jews and people with severe disabilities.

1958: JVS starts a community-wide rehabilitation program, funded by a federal grant. This program initially includes work evaluation, work adjustment and job placement for people with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities.

1960s: Bernard S. Rosenthal succeeds George Newburger as executive director. Rosenthal’s title later becomes president.

1964: JVS moves to Sternblock Lane in Roselawn.

1975: JVS becomes accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. (JVS remains accredited by CARF to the present day.)

1976: JVS doubles the size of its Roselawn facility to 30,000 square feet, using a state grant.

Early 1990s: JVS develops special evaluation programs for people who are deaf and hearing impaired, and targets people with traumatic brain injuries as a special focus of its programming.

1998: JVS moves to a renovated 54,000-square-foot facility in Blue Ash. That same year, Peter Bloch is named president and chief executive officer, becoming only the third person to hold that job in the history of JVS. JVS establishes an Adult Day Service program to provide social and recreational activities for older individuals with disabilities. 

2001: Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities contracts with JVS to provide career exploration, job placement, job coaching and job retention services.

2002: JVS opens an office in Hamilton to serve Butler County. JVS adds a site in Cheviot to house a therapeutic social and recreational program for individuals with severe disabilities.

2006: Employer’s Choice, the JVS career-oriented program begun in the 1940s, is renamed the Cincinnati Career Network, marking an expansion of JVS career services provided to the community.

May 2007: JVS takes over employment and vocational services, including two work centers, formerly operated by the Connex Group Inc. in Butler County. This represents a 40 percent increase in revenue and consumers for JVS.

Late 2009: JVS renovates its center on Rossplain Road, Blue Ash to accommodate an increasing number of consumers, the changing demographics of those consumers and the need for more restrooms.

2010: JVS celebrates its 70^th anniversary.