From the Streets of Bombay to Safe Haven in Bayiti

For years after her husband passed away, Yerusha lived in a hutment near the Bombay cemetery.  Frail, elderly and entirely alone, she survived on JDC assistance, yet refused all offers from local staff to bring her to the Bayiti Old Age Home, an eight-bed residential facility.  Only when convinced that her wish to be buried near her husband would be honored did she at last consent to the move.

That decision saved her life.  Yerusha arrived in Bayiti ill, malnourished and despondent.  But she soon began to stroll around the home with the aid of a caretaker, warmly greeting her fellow residents and joining in intergenerational programs with youth from the Jewish community who visit regularly.

Before she came to Bayiti, Yerusha felt that she had no one in the world.  Though once happily settled into her new life, her outlook changed entirely.  "I have everything in the home," she would declare proudly, "even a lovely family with lots of children and grandchildren." 

Sadly, Yerusha recently passed away at the age of 87.  JDC fulfilled its pledge to bury her near her husband and will continue to honor her memory by commemorating her yahrzeit each year.