Latvia
Overview
Jews in Latvia suffered greatly during World War II, with 85 percent of the Jewish community perishing in the Holocaust. The postwar Soviet era ushered in a strong Jewish dissident (refusenik) movement, and the Jewish community was one of the first formalized while still under Soviet rule. Latvia reestablished its independence in 1991 and became a member of both the European Union and NATO in 2004. Today Latvia, with an estimated 13,000 Jews, is home to the largest Jewish community in the Baltic region.
Need
While Latvia had some of the highest GDP growth in Europe earlier this decade, the economy has suffered tremendously with the global recession. The declining economic health of the Baltic region has significantly increased the need for welfare services, particularly among impoverished elderly and at-risk children.
Response
JDC’s focus in the Baltics is on achieving greater self-sufficiency, while encouraging the renewal of Jewish life at regional and local levels. To that end, JDC provides:
- Back-to-school coverage and other programs for children
- Winter relief for the aged, including Holocaust survivors
- Emergency assistance and food programs for families in need
JDC also creates opportunities for all age groups to participate in Jewish camps and retreats, holiday celebrations, and other Jewish life activities.
Impact
Building on the “Jewish Community Center (JCC) without walls” concept, JDC has facilitated the creation of a vibrant Jewish life throughout the Baltic communities with events that have seen:
- 130 seniors participate in an annual Golden Age retreat
- 1,200 members of the Jewish community learn together at the Baltics’ annual Limmud-Keshet studyfest, a prototype for grassroots Jewish study programs
- 350 children explore Judaism at Olameinu summer camps
- 100 participants attend a young families retreat
Meanwhile, JDC social welfare programs assist:
- 2,200 individuals, including more than 150 children in need and their families
- 700 elderly Holocaust survivors
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