JDC in Romania - 35 Years of Progress

"Getting a phone call or having visitors is more precious to me than gold," said 75-year old Paula Onceriu. Like many other elderly Romanian Jews, Paula lives in poverty, alone and isolated.

It was small wonder then, that she smiled so broadly when she opened her door recently to find fourvisitors. The first was her local homecare worker, Sarah. Paula's other three guests were the leaders of JDC (the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) President Eugene J. Ribakoff, Executive Vice President Steven Schwager and JDC's Country Director in Romania Dr. Zvi Feine.

Paula welcomed the group into her one-room basement flat in downtown Bucharest with a hostess' pride and dignity. The visitors were given a short tour of Paula's home, lit by a solitary 50-Watt bulb - "due to the expensive utilities," she explains. A kitchenette and minuscule bathroom are located somewhere down the hall, outside Paula's apartment.

When asked how she gets by on her own, Paula smiled and told her American visitors, "Our Jewish volunteers are just a phone call away. So you see, I am not really alone anymore."

While in Romania, the three JDC leaders attended a community celebration at the Choral Synagogue in Bucharest, marking 35 years since JDC returned to Romania in 1967.
"We would not have survived without your support," declared FEDROM President Professor Nicolae Cajal. FEDROM is the acronym for the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania, JDC's local partner. Professor Cajal cited JDC's historic roots in Romania, which date back some 85 years. "From World War I until 1948, "The Joint" had been responsible for providing the necessities to Romanian Jews. Then, the communist regime crushed the whole country and isolated Romanians, along with its Jews, from the rest of the world. Through the diplomatic efforts of Chief Rabbi Moses Rosen, JDC was allowed to return to its sacred duty in 1967."

Addressing the sizeable crowd, JDC President Eugene J. Ribakoff noted that "JDC was the only western organization to break through the Iron Curtain, and in 1967, officially resumed its charitable activities in communist Romania, after 20 years of absence."

"This visit is more than ceremonial," noted Ribakoff, who along with Schwager and Feine undertook a three-day tour of Romania's different Jewish communities to assess the progress local Jews had made in looking after themselves. Schwager, who first came to Romania ten years ago noted the results of the hard work performed by local Jewish leaders. "You've really accomplished miracles. Every time I come to Romania, I can see major changes and improvements. The Joint mission in here would not have been possible without your thorough understanding that the true spirit of Jewish community is taking care of one another."

The three JDC executives saw first-hand how local agencies ensure that no Jew in need feels abandoned or forgotten by the community. The Meals on Wheels program with its newly equipped kosher kitchen, delivers 300 kosher meals to the homebound elderly in Bucharest every other day. Along with the meals (which are beyond the reach of the average pensioner who receives $20-$30 a month), seniors receive free medication, clothing and financial aid for heating during the rough winter season. The JDC-supported free clinic makes certain that Holocaust survivors in Bucharest receive healthcare above that offered by the official state health system. The free medical services include 300 house calls per month, 50 packages of medicine delivered daily, free dental prosthetics and ophthalmologic consults. In addition, Project Vision has provided hundreds of successful cataract surgeries. A full-time ambulance for emergencies and 12 doctors on staff are signs of how Romania's Jewish community is caring for its elderly and making them a respected part of their community.

Today there are some 11,000 Jews in Romania's 600-year old community. Most live in Bucharest but they are also in the northeastern counties of Moldova or in western Timisoara or Arad. All of them have rejoined the larger Jewish community in spirit and activities. Today, these communities are no longer alone. Ten kosher canteens throughout the country provide hot meals for hundreds of Jews every day. Thousands receive supplemental food packages containing flour, cooking oil, sugar, rice, cheese, powder milk, eggs and kosher canned meat. Special deliveries are made for the Jewish holidays.

"Above all," said Ribakoff, "This helping system is not about machinery. It is the human touch, the compassion and the true care that really binds the community."

Those who are too old or sick and have no one to knock on their door every day, can choose to join the "families" in one of the three homes in the country. The biggest, Rosen Home in Bucharest, shelters now 136 residents, most over 85 years of age. Thorough medical survey and the friendship of the other residents are the pain relief that any senior citizen would want. 99 years old Simion Lilianfeld has been living here for 16 years. He is restricted to his wheelchair and is almost blind. But at Rosen Home, he finally dedicated his time to a life long desire: painting. "I had to follow the Trade School to support my family. Now, even if I live in a world of shadows, I paint with my bare hands and with my heart. Here I feel at home."

But Romania's Jewish community also boasts a vibrant Youth movement. Throughout the country, nearly 700 young Jews have enrolled in seminars, training programs, Jewish camps, and social or religious gatherings all financed by JDC and organized by OTER - The Romanian Youth Organization.
Back at the 35th Anniversary celebration in Bucharest, 78-year old Irina Metzinger addressed the crowd. "We are the children of Joint -- never alone or in need. This is no longer a time to cry out in suffering, but rather to thank you for being beside us and helping us to survive with dignity."