From St. Petersburg to Siberia, Kiev to Kazakhstan, today the vast cultural and geographic expanse of the former Soviet Union (FSU) is home to some of the world’s poorest Jews and the most inspiring, budding Jewish communities.
Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, JDC has been the lifeline for vulnerable Jews in the region, providing the critical assistance they need to survive and the Jewish connection and strength that can only come from community.
Today, JDC’s work in the former Soviet Union focuses on:
- Saving the poorest Jews by providing food, medication, home care and winter relief for impoverished elderly Jews; and delivering critical nutritional assistance, health care, financial support, and child-development services to the neediest children and their families.
- Revitalizing Jewish life by developing the community infrastructure, leadership, and educational resources necessary to ensure a Jewish future.
- Developing tomorrow’s Jewish leaders by training volunteers and professionals to lay the foundations for communal Jewish life and nurturing emerging visionaries to create Jewish learning initiatives and experiences for children and youth.
Through these efforts, JDC is ensuring a viable, strong, self-sustaining Jewish future across the countries of the former Soviet Union.
