We Provide Aid to Vulnerable Jews

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Tens of thousands of elderly Jews and families around the world live in dire poverty. We ensure that they never have to choose between essentials like food and medicine, and make certain they know they are not forgotten and are part of a global community that will always have their back.

Elder care is a cornerstone of this work, and we provide life-saving aid to over 80,000 elderly Jewish people in the former Soviet Union. Many are Holocaust survivors and had long careers as doctors, teachers, or engineers. Now they struggle to survive on pensions as low as $2 per day. They are the poorest Jews in the world, most without family or government support.

Each day, we guarantee that these vulnerable Jews have crucial aid, including homecare for the neediest elderly. And we ensure they have the priceless hallmarks of community life — traditions and companionship — that allow them to do more than just survive, but live with dignity, joy, and hope.

In the wake of COVID-19, JDC also works with Jewish communities from Latin America to North Africa to support thousands of new Jewish poor around the world who did not previously require community welfare support but were hit hard by the pandemic’s economic impact.

Without the fundamental elements of survival, people cannot live a dignified life. That’s why we do what we do.

And it’s why we leave no one behind.

We provide aid to vulnerable Jews, because Jews in many parts of the world go hungry, lack medicine, and are missing other critical resources they need to live dignified lives.

22,000,000+

hours of homecare for the most at-risk and isolated elderly Jews in the former Soviet Union

Innovation for the Most Vulnerable

The pandemic has forever changed care-work, and in response we have innovated our approach. In Latin America, JDC helped more than 40 nursing home professionals from ten countries adjust their facilities to the pandemic. Through a series of online webinars organized by JDC, these professionals collaborated, learned, and shared experiences. Argentina’s largest Jewish nursing home introduced technology to help elderly residents remotely visit family and participate in activities. In the FSU, JDC launched JOINTECH, a program that ensures real-time care and the alleviation of chronic loneliness and isolation faced by elderly Jews by distributing specially outfitted smartphones designed to connect them to caregivers, online programs, and community volunteers.

JDC volunteer in the former Soviet Union holding a JOINTECH bag with an elderly female client in her kitchen.

Care for the Elderly

Compassionate, dignified care for lonely and isolated elderly Jews is a hallmark of JDC’s work across the former Soviet Union (FSU), but also in Central Europe, Morocco, India, and beyond. In the former Soviet Union, we provide this support primarily through a network of Hesed social welfare centers. Over 80,000 elderly clients, many of them Holocaust survivors, receive life-saving food, medical, and social support. And we deliver tens of millions of home healthcare hours across the FSU each year to help the most vulnerable seniors with cooking, cleaning, personal hygiene, and other essential services they need to live with dignity.

JDC volunteer in the former Soviet Union brushing the hair of an elderly female client with a walker.

Aid to At-Risk Children and Families

At the heart of Jewish communities are children and families who are living on the margins, lacking enough food, heat, or healthcare. JDC takes a holistic approach in our support for thousands of children and families, addressing their material and social needs while providing opportunities to forge relationships and strengthen their ties with Jewish life. Such care is especially critical for families with children with disabilities who face varied needs and special initiatives for inclusion in Jewish communities.

JDC volunteer in the former Soviet Union helping a young girl draw a pink flower.

Relief to New Poor

The pandemic pushed thousands of Jewish families into economic distress and left those already struggling with even greater challenges. Many families lost their jobs overnight and lacked savings. In response to this crisis, JDC, in partnership with philanthropic leaders and foundation partners – including the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, the Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Philanthropic Foundation, the Maimonides Fund, Genesis Philanthropy Group, and several U.S.-based Jewish Federations – and Jewish communities worldwide deployed a humanitarian relief program to aid these growing numbers of needy. The initiative, launched in April 2020, not only sustains these families but often strengthens their participation with local Jewish communities. Aid is currently provided to 1,600 Jewish households a month, impacting an estimated 6,000 people in 12 countries in Europe – including Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Greece, and Bosnia – as well as Jews in Argentina, Morocco, and Tunisia.