Blended Family

When you first meet Philip Flynn, III, be prepared for a warm smile and handshake that gives you the feeling that the two of you have known each other for years. As the new executive director of Jewish Family Services (JFS), Phil’s mission is to bring aid and comfort to the Jewish community he loves, but it’s not that tight-knit community to which Phil credits his gregarious personality. It’s actually his decidedly-Irish upbringing.

Born in New York City to Irish-Catholic parents, Phil recalls Sunday dinners at his parents’ home where aunts, uncles, and cousins often numbered 60 or more. 

“My father was a favorite among the family, a real Irishman’s Irishman,” Phil says. “He was a boisterous, outgoing man who loved to sing.”

Though Phil’s father died when he was just a year old, Phil’s mom kept his dad’s memory alive, continuing Irish traditions and weekly family gatherings.

“That was my Irish side... then, when I was seven, my mother married Milton Epstein, so now comes the Jewish side of my family,” says Phil. “I really didn’t get to know my biological father, so when mom married Milton, he didn’t become dad, he was dad.”

A graduate of New York University Law school, Milton worked for the New York City Housing Authority under Mayor Ed Koch. He possessed a quiet, reserved demeanor, unlike Phil’s more outgoing Irish relatives. Both families, Irish and Jewish, left a lasting imprint that affects how Phil sees and responds to the world around him today.

“From my Irish side, I learned passion,” he says. “From my Jewish side, I learned compassion. Around the dinner table, my father would talk about the honor of serving others. He’d say it was a requirement. Those life lessons are still with me.”

The blend of Irish passion and Jewish compassion have served Phil well in a long career as a fundraiser and business-development professional. After graduating from the State University of New York at New Paltz with a bachelor’s degree in music therapy, he was offered a job as a fundraiser by the school’s alumni association, a job Phil enjoyed for many years. Other opportunities at a hospital foundation in North Carolina and a small college in Washington State were to follow.

“Fundraising became my career,” says Phil. “The greatest asset I had was the ability to talk to anyone. I learned that if you didn’t feel comfortable asking, this wasn’t the career for you, but I loved it. It was a career that fit my upbringing and my personality.”

When Phil learned of an opening at JFS from Mike McKee, then the board president and interim director, he submitted his résumé, interviewed for the job, and was offered the position of executive director.

Phil, who joined JFS this past July, says that while the organization is a nonprofit, a business approach to the job is required. Phil believes that with his strong development background, he can bring about a resurgence of the JFS brand. 

“It’s not just about raising money,” says Phil, “but what the money does for the community we serve. It’s the Jewish belief that you have only one job, tikkun olam, and that’s to save the world. That’s the single most important guiding principle. I learned that from my dad, and now it’s my time to bring it forward. I think, at the end of the day, we’d like to capitalize on our space and enlarge our counseling services, food pantry, and programs like family stabilization and rides for the elderly. 

Phil credits much of the good work done at JFS to a dedicated volunteer base, without whom the organization could not function, and to strong collaborations with many community partners. 

“Each day, we strive to do better,” says Phil. “If not us, who else will do what we do?” 

It’s a question born of passion, compassion, and lessons learned about repairing the world.