Toni Jacobsen and Patty Marks are the recipients of Jewish Family Service’s 2025 Chesed Award, given each year to acknowledge the contributions the recipients have made to the Jewish and broader Nashville communities. This year’s dinner co-chairs are Meryl Kraft and Anna Sir. Chesed is Hebrew for “loving kindness,” and occurs when the command to “love your neighbor as yourself” is fulfilled. Toni and Patty are prime examples of what Chesed means in action. Please join JFS to honor them and be inspired by their accomplishments while learning about the impact the agency has on over 1900 clients in the community.
Born and raised in Florida, Toni moved to Nashville after high school graduation in 1986. She attended Belmont College and received a double major in Social Work and Psychology and went on to earn a master's in social work from the University of Tennessee.
Toni is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and is the Clinical Director at Jewish Family Service (JFS). She began her career in the mental health field in 1989 facilitating abuse prevention groups for children. She has worked with abused/neglected teenagers in a group home through the YWCA, as a Child and Family Therapist for The Guidance Center and as a Clinical Director at Camelot Cares before coming to JFS.
Toni's commitment to the community extends beyond her professional work. She volunteered for over a decade on the Williamson County Child Fatality Review Team and served on the board of First Steps.
She joined JFS in 2000 and provides a range of services to the Jewish and general community including counseling, family life education programs, financial assistance, adoption, support groups, senior programs, as well supervising the program staff and overseeing all the various programs at JFS including the school supply and Hanukkah gift programs.
Toni fell in love with the Jewish community and the work of the agency. She often refers to herself as having the “best job in the world.” Her passion for the community has resulted in the cultivation of meaningful relationships and is evident in the numerous programs developed under her guidance and leadership. Although Toni is not Jewish, she has been welcomed and integrated into the community as an honorary tribe member and functions as a full fledge member.
When asked about receiving the Chesed Award, Toni responded, “Receiving this year's Chesed award is going to be one of the highlights of my life. Being honored with this award is like getting the Nobel Peace Prize and such an honor.” This is a very appropriate quote for Toni. As the Clinical Director of JFS, she sees an issue in the community, does lots of research and development and comes up with a program or service to implement in response to that issue. So, Toni is much like our very own Nobel Prize recipient for social services!
Patrice “Patty” Greener Marks was born in Memphis, TN, the second daughter of Sue and Eugene Greener, Jr. Raised at Temple Israel, then a Classical Reform congregation, Patty has always cherished her identity as a Southern Jew.
A Vanderbilt graduate, she met her husband, Jimmy, on a blind date arranged by their parents. Married in 1980, they have called Nashville home for most of their lives.
Patty’s deep love for her Jewish community is reflected in decades of service, especially at The Temple, Congregation Ohabi Shalom which she jokes is her Cheers, the only place that she wants people to know her name. She has held leadership roles including Board President (2008-2010), co-chair of the Cantor search and Leadership Temple, and helped found the Women’s Retreat. Her most treasured contribution is leading Women’s Torah Study for over 23 years, fostering a community that is curious, smart, kind and supportive of one another. Thursday at 10:30 in the library is truly sacred time.
Beyond The Temple, Patty has been actively involved in the broader Jewish community, serving as Treasurer of NCJW and chairing the Playschool committee and the Main Event at the JCC.
Her unwavering dedication to Jewish Family Service (JFS) is especially meaningful. She has served on the board, co-chaired the Chesed Dinner, co-hosted fundraisers for Adoption Services, and eagerly supports initiatives from food boxes to the Chanukah Gift Drive. She and Jimmy are proud Life & Legacy donors. JFS is the only organization for which she is happy to solicit funds for the Annual Giving campaign.
Patty and Jimmy cherish their family: son Albert and Rabbi Rachel Marks, grandchildren George and Dena, and son Michael Marks, all of whom live in Chicago.
In her free time, Patty enjoys walking, needlepoint, playing bridge, mahjongg, and canasta. She is an avid reader, participating in Tri Arts, Classics Book Club and Jewish Book Club, and a proud member of G1, an interfaith group tackling issues of faith, religious life, and antisemitism.
When reflecting on receiving the 2025 Chesed award, Patty says, “JFS gives me the opportunity to live my Jewish values and inspires me to be my best self. For me, the Chesed award is the greatest honor in the Jewish community (and general community!) that one can receive. I am deeply honored, humbled and grateful.”
Invitations are in the mail, so be on the lookout to RSVP. To learn more details about the dinner and honorees, and to RSVP or donate, visit jfsnashville.org/ways-to-help/chesed-dinner/
The Chesed Dinner is the primary fundraiser for Jewish Family Services, one of Nashville’s oldest social service agencies. Last year JFS served over 1,900 individuals through its 21 services and programs in adoption, counseling, psychotherapy, financial assistance, senior services,
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