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Beyond Basic Needs, Jazak Rebuilds Jewish Lives in Argentina
In the wake of Argentina's economic crisis in 2001, local Jews were at their most devastated, having watched their livelihoods and life as they knew it vanish nearly overnight. JDC understood that this once upper-middle class Jewish community would benefit not only from financial, medical and housing assistance but also from reconnecting to the Jewish community and its institutions. More than just basic needs would have to be met in order to help them to rebuild their lives.
Today, more than five years later, JDC and its local partners continue to create opportunities for Argentine Jews who receive social assistance to integrate into the Jewish community. Through their latest project, Jazak ("strength"), families with children or adolescents are being afforded new and exciting connections to Jewish communal life. JDC, together with JAFI and Bamah, with the cooperation of AMIA and the Tzedaká Foundation, organized the first Jazak Jewish family weekend seminar at the end of 2006. Seventy children and teens together with fifty-three adults gathered at Las Clavelinas, in the Province of Buenos Aires, to take part in activities specially designed for them by madrichim (group leaders). One participant, Cowin, expressed his gratitude for the unique framework of the program: "Everything was different at this special weekend seminar," he said. "The children were inspired to play, create, participate in meaningful Jewish activities and meet new friends their age. The same was also true for adults. Everything was worthwhile, from the campfire to the meals." Cowin shares that this experience was so powerful for him because it helped him to feel less isolated. "We carried away many significant things; we nearly thought we had beaten loneliness. And this is a lot, isn't it?" He has already told the organizers to count him in for the next seminar. Eda, a 67-year-old grandmother and her twelve-year-old granddaughter, Thea, also enjoyed the weekend. They are both clients of the social assistance network established by JDC and its local partners, receiving food and medical assistance. Thea's mother died seven years ago from cancer and her father subsequently abandoned her. After attending the Jazak project, both grandmother and granddaughter have established new connections with their respective peers and feel that their small world has opened up. "I felt especially proud to accompany Thea on the weekend because it was my daughter's dying wish that her daughter remain connected to the Jewish community," explains Eda. "Now this is coming true." For this family and many others in Argentina, Jazak is the answer to their prayers and a much-craved connection to Jewish community. January 2007 |
