- Israel

Emotional Support from JDC's Accessible Community Makes the Difference for Ira

Ira, 40, is from Ukraine and has lived in Karmiel, Israel for 13 years. He and his mother live in a small, wheelchair-accessible apartment. Although they have distant relatives in Haifa and Beersheva, they are almost wholly dependent on each other.

Physically disabled, Ira has a sharp mind which he keeps active by using a computer. This vital tool allows him to maintain a connection to the outside world — a world that he rarely sees because of his disability.

Like many other individuals who face physical limitations, Ira, unlike his neighbors, was not able to leave his apartment during the war and could not leave for safer areas, as his neighbors did. In fact, his building was totally empty with the exception of one other resident which increased his feelings of isolation. Frequent sirens — up to 16 a day — sent Ira and his mother flying into their reinforced room. Even during relatively quiet times, he could barely work on his computer because it is located directly in front of a glass window which faces north. The situation left him not only dependent on others, but without meaningful mental stimulation.

Thankfully, when those who work with disabled populations realized the magnitude of the crisis in the north, they quickly mobilized to action. With funding, consultation and material support from JDC, they were able to develop a comprehensive approach to help this vulnerable population. An Emergency Coordinator, Haim, was hired and worked in close cooperation with the municipal social welfare department, the Association of Community Centers and JDC. "Our clients are people who have a hard time on a daily basis, and this conflict was an additional burden for them to bear."

Dealing with physical limitations posed by the new reality greatly influenced clients' emotional states and, in some cases, impaired their ability to function independently. "Physical disabilities prevented many people from going to the shelter and they were scared to death," Haim explains. Lack of mobility also prevented them from buying supplies such as food and medicine. Haim noted cases where clients needed help caring for children and keeping them occupied during long hours cooped up in shelters and reinforced rooms. To address new and unanticipated hardships, disabled individuals were provided with a basket of services tailored to their needs including boxes of food, hot meals, activity kits for children and deliveries of medicines and other essential items.

But mostly, people needed emotional support. "They knew they could just pick up the phone and tell me about their problems or to just to talk," Haim says.

And this was comforting to people such as Ira, who during this period of uncertainty, isolation and dependence relied heavily on JDC's Accessible Communities. Haim called frequently and visited twice to check in personally and see how he and his mother were faring. They also received food packages and hot food 3-4 times a week and were helped with some home repairs. They turned to Accessible Communities for myriad chores and tasks that they could not accomplish by themselves. They were not disappointed — the response was immediate and characterized by a great deal of care and concern.

"The emotional support we got was very meaningful," says Ira. "We are also very thankful for the donations — they greatly increased our independence during this difficult time."

As one of those responsible for the well being of so many other individuals, Haim says he is especially grateful to JDC for enabling him to do the best possible job. "I view JDC's contribution as exceptional on every level. From JDC we received professional advice and support, new tool boxes, children's activity kids, food boxes and other material assistance. We were also granted funding which enabled the staff support that we needed including overtime for emergency staff and petty cash for supplying clients with urgent items. They gave us all of the physical tools and expertise we needed," he said. "Without this support, there is no way we could have offered anywhere near the level of services we offered. JDC's contribution enabled us to perform in our jobs at the highest possible level."

Edna, Haim's supervisor, echoed the sentiment. "We couldn't have done what we did without this assistance — it was like a gift from heaven."

August 2006