It's Been Three Years Since We Went For A Cup Of Coffee, An Ice Cream Or A Movie

It's been three years since Susana and Dardo last went for a cup of coffee, an ice cream or a movie. Last year Susana, age 56, had to close her publishing house, a victim of Argentina's economic crisis. The couple's daughter, Maia, 20, suffers from depression. Susana and Dardo do not have enough money to pay for their daughter's studies, and Maia has been unable to find work. Dardo, age 61, now has a part-time job filling fire extinguishers, but "it's not enough," says Susana.

The family lives with Matilde, Maia's grandmother, who recalls childhood memories laden with Jewish values. Matilde's father founded a small synagogue in Buenos Aires.

One indignity of their new financial status the family particularly resents is having to use the sub-standard public health services after they were forced to cancel their HMO. "We waited for months in endless lines for an appointment to get a study done," says Susana. When there is an emergency, a niece -who is a doctor- helps them find a specialist who sees them for free. "We don't like to ask," says Susana. "We only do it because we absolutely have to."

It was out of necessity that the family eventually turned to the Jewish community for help. At a JDC-sponsored Social Assistance Center, referred to them by a friend, they receive food vouchers, medicines and money to pay their utility bills, through the JDC Bayit Housing Program. "It was a breath of fresh air," says Susana. "What a relief!" Despite the help they are receiving though, the family is still worried about the future.

"What are we going to do?" asks Susana. "We're Jewish, but Israel is so far away, foreign and unknown. My people are here and I'd like to find an honorable way to stay in my home."