Honoring the Legacy of Myrna Epstein Winter
A Lifelong Champion of Refugees and Immigrants
On the first anniversary (yahrzeit) of Myrna Epstein Winter’s passing, Jewish Family Service of Metrowest honors her extraordinary life through the proposed JFS Myrna Winter Immigrant Assistance Fund.
For decades, Myrna served JFS as a devoted case manager and volunteer, helping refugees and immigrants find safety, dignity, and belonging. Beginning with Jewish families fleeing persecution and systemic antisemitism in the former Soviet Union, she helped newcomers secure housing, access healthcare, find employment, learn English, enroll children in school, and reconnect with Jewish life.
But Myrna’s care extended far beyond initial resettlement. The families she supported became her extended family. She celebrated their births, bar and bat mitzvahs, graduations, marriages, and citizenship—remaining a trusted advisor and friend for decades.
Rooted in her profound love for family and Jewish community, Myrna embodied hachnasat orchim—welcoming the stranger—and arevut—mutual responsibility. Her compassion reached across backgrounds and communities. Even throughout her long battle with cancer, she continued to give of herself with quiet strength, humility, and dignity.
The outpouring of love following her passing—from former immigrants, lifelong friends, colleagues, volunteers, and community partners—testified to the generations she touched.
Carrying Her Legacy Forward
The JFS Myrna Winter Immigrant Assistance Fund will sustain the work that defined her life, providing resources for immigrant family stabilization, mentorship, and advocacy. It will help families meet urgent needs and build lasting stability, connection, and hope.
We invite family, friends, colleagues, and community members to honor Myrna legacy through a gift:
- Online: Click here to complete the donation form and specify that the gift should be restricted to the “Myrna Winter Immigrant Assistance Fund”.
- By mail: Send a gift to JFS of Metrowest, noting that the gift is to be restricted to the Myrna Winter Immigrant Assistance Fund.
- Recommending a grant through a Donor Advised Fund (DAF): Search for JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE OF METROWEST INC (EIN: 04-2730898).
- Through tribute giving: Share the fund through family notices, synagogues, and community networks.
Every gift carries her compassion forward.
Her life changed lives. Your gift will help her legacy live on in action.
Click here and donate today.