"My Way of Giving Back": A Jewish Mother in Kazakhstan Redefines Fortune

One is of a woman and a family in need—a person who struggles to get by and tries against all odds to survive with some semblance of dignity. The other is the story of a woman who, despite the daily hardships of her life, has made it her mission to help others who are less fortunate than herself.

As a part time case worker for JDC in Chimkent, Kazakhstan, Irena is on the front lines, helping to make the lives of some of the 2,600 Jews who live in this remote area of the world a little bit easier. Acting as a liaison of sorts, it is Irena’s job to check in with her clients on a monthly basis to see how they are doing and if their needs are being met.

On this particular day, Irena is traveling far into the Chimkent periphery to visit one of her clients—the Shvartz family. Although it had snowed heavily the night before and driving conditions were hazardous, Irena insisted on making the trip.

"They are depending on us to come," she says as she boarded the van carrying the Shvartz family’s monthly food package, scheduled to be delivered that day.

The Shvartzes have been clients of Irena’s for over two years.

In addition to being a lifeline of sorts to them for the most basic of needs like food, medicine, and clothes, Irena has truly become a part of this family.

"She is like a daughter to us," says the mother Anna, hugging and kissing Irena upon her arrival at the the family’s two-room home. Eleven members of the Shvartz family, including Anna’s eight children, her son-in-law, and grandson, live together in the modest dwelling.

"I cannot even begin to tell you what Irena has done for us," says Anna, who eagerly delineates: food; medicine; winter clothes; heat for their home; and help purchasing furniture, paying the electric bill, arranging for her children to go to the local JDC-sponsored summer camp, and navigating the dense layers of bureaucracy to ensure that Anna’s pension will be received in a timely manner.

Irena’s heartfelt dedication to her job was highlighted last year, when she invited Anna’s daughter Oksana to stay with her in Chimkent so that she could attend a better school.

"She is an angel," says Anna.

For Irena, her actions are instinctual, nothing extraordinary. "Every person in this world has his or her mission, and maybe my mission is to help other people who are less fortunate than me," says Irena. "I can’t explain it. I see people who are hurting and need help—and I can help them, and I want to!" she adds.

The irony, though, is that in many respects Irena’s situation, earning a meager salary of $100 per month, is only marginally better than those of her clients.

Irena’s house frequently has no heat; many of the floorboards are rotted; often there is not enough food for her family to eat. Her own daughter, Dasha, is a client of JDC’s Children’s Initiative and receives a monthly food package.

"My situation now is better than it once was and it is better than others," says Irena. "The Joint helped my family through some very difficult times and we survived only through their help."

"This is my way of giving back to my community."

August 2007