A report from Gideon Herscher, JDC Representative in Haiti:
Several death tolls have been suggested, still with no one able to determine just how many lives were lost. Pictures and videos of a devastated and collapsed country have long been out of the public eye. And as much as I reviewed the statistics and studied the footage prior to my arrival in Haiti on May 16th, there really was no manual that could have adequately prepared me for my post as JDC field representative in Haiti.
I’ve worked at JDC for almost a decade now, and being well versed in its history, I am aware that disaster zones are no stranger to JDC. I know that while our instincts instruct us to distance ourselves from danger, JDC, together with North American Jewry, has established a Jewish instinct that catapults its professionals into the center of war zones, bombings, tsunamis, floods, earthquakes, and beyond. More than an instinct, JDC’s work is the manifestation of Jewish action, tikkun olam, saving lives and rebuilding communities. Experiencing the hopelessness of a disaster zone has sharpened the profundity of our work.
In Haiti, I am witnessing dimensions of misery that I had not known before, and alongside that misery I have the privilege of representing the concern and generosity of tens of thousands of Jews across the globe. When I look out into a sea of tents pitched under the sweltering Haiti sun, I see the thirst-quenching relief JDC is bringing to thousands of displaced Haitians. With 80% of Haiti’s schools collapsed and still sitting in heaps of rubble, the scope of destruction can be blinding. Yet in the face of this disparity, JDC provides thousands of children with hope and a restored sense of normalcy through the establishment of 10 temporary schools across Port au Prince. While so much of Haiti is mired in what seems to be insurmountable obstacles, JDC marches forward, hand in hand with Haitian, American and Israeli partner organizations, setting its sights on reaching out to and strengthening those whose lives were dramatically affected by last January’s earthquake.
In the last month, I have been witness to three poignant illustrations of JDC’s tangible impact in Haiti.
1) Training 900 construction workers
The havoc caused by the January 12th earthquake derived not only from the seismic intensity of the quake, but from the poor quality of Haiti’s structures. In fact, there are no building codes or construction standards in Haiti. Many contractors used the cheapest materials available to them, and were not aware of basic building techniques. Despite the government’s temporary freeze on building, construction has already begun—and the very mistakes that brought buildings to their demise are being repeated.
JDC, together with ORT, has decided to take preventive measures by investing significant funds in the training of 900 construction workers. The training is taking place in Camp Perrin, which is 4 hours out of Port au Prince. Intensive 10-day workshops equip builders with the most basic and critical tools needed to build safely.
As I attended one of these workshops, I learned that the first days of the workshop are spent dispelling certain myths, for example, big rocks do not give birth to small rocks; a square can indeed be measured, a fan cover is not an acceptable replacement for a sift; and the sun not only provides light, but also provides energy to plants and animals. Once these important clarifications have been made, the workshop covers the proper elements and ratios needed to make cement, the correct size of a building block, and the art of foundation lying. The short- and long-term benefits of this program are boundless.
In my discussion with the masons, they all expressed how grateful they are for the opportunity to learn and enrich their profession. But as I parted Camp Perrin, I realized that this training is providing something much deeper than learning. Camp Perrin is their opportunity to claim a place of professional integrity and significance in their country’s rebuilding.
2) Oscar and Bill Gates
JDC, together with Magen David Adom and Israel’s Tel HaShomer hospital, has launched a comprehensive rehabilitation center for amputees in Haiti’s largest hospital, Hospital Universite D’etat D’Haiti (HUEH). Services for over 2,000 new amputees are scarce in Haiti, and the necessity of this service is clear. It wasn’t until I met Oscar Elweens that I fully understood just how powerful the return would be on JDC’s investment.
Oscar is a strong, intelligent and aspiring 23 year old. With dreams of becoming a cutting-edge economist, and a desire to follow in the footsteps of the brilliant and philanthropic Bill Gates, Oscar was on a path to success.
On January 12, 2010 that path was shattered. While sitting in his classroom on the second floor of his three-story university building, Haiti’s treacherous earthquake unleashed its indescribable havoc. With 54 students all running for cover, Oscar jumped out onto the balcony and launched his body over the railing, landing on the ground, losing consciousness. He awoke several hours later with a portion of one of the cement floors resting on his right leg. His leg would need to be amputated immediately to avoid the spread of deathly infection. No one in Oscar’s class survived the earthquake.
Oscar’s path was altered forever, and the dream of becoming an economist was shattered. Convinced he would never walk again, he altered his dream and sought a profession that would not require walking, but only sitting—computer programming. This was the case until Oscar found his way to the JDC-funded rehabilitation center at HUEH, where he was fitted for a prosthetic leg and is currently undergoing intensive physical therapy. Dreams of being an economist have returned, and hope that was lost is now restored.
Oscar is one of a score of amputees benefitting from a standard of care that was previously inconceivable.
3) Falone and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
In partnership with the Israel Trauma Coalition, JDC is reaching out to hundreds of religious leaders, key community figures, and school principals to equip them with tools to identify and respond to those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. An earthquake of this magnitude has left hundreds of thousands without any answers as to why this catastrophe befell them, how to mourn the loss of their loved ones, and what they can be do to begin the healing process. The training has already yielded impressive results as these leaders returned to their respective communities with the knowledge and confidence to relate to the traumatic predicament of their constituents. Falone's story touched me quite deeply.
Falone was pulled out of Port au Prince’s university building on January 19th, seven days after the earthquake. She had given up all hope and was sure her last breaths would be taken trapped alone between two slabs of concrete. Falone recalls hearing the rescue workers’ conversation in which they determined that there were no more survivors, the search was to be called off, and demolition would begin. It was only after the demolition began that Falone was found alive, and seriously traumatized.
Falone could not bear to sit in rooms with the door closed, nor was she able to sleep throughout the night. She was haunted by the memory of her experience, and lived in fear and panic that it would all return. The symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder were clear. A talented psychologist from the Israel Trauma Coalition worked with Falone to help her confront and overcome her fears. By using a unique technique called “prolonged exposure” by which the psychologist actually re-exposes the patient to the trauma (i.e., therapy in closed and dark spaces) Falone's trauma was gradually relieved. Today, she sleeps throughout the night and is able to sit calmly in a closed space. Falone’s journey out of the darkness is not yet over, but there is no doubt that Israel’s team of psychologists has played an instrumental role in helping her take her first steps.
As a Jewish professional working in post-disaster development, I am constantly reminded of the Jewish ideals of tzedeka and hesed. These ideals guide JDC to work with compassion and utmost humility alongside the poorest nation in our hemisphere. I thank Rabbi Brad Hirschfield for deepening my understanding of the following:
Tzedeka brings together ideas of justice, philanthropy, and charity. It is action-based, and privileges the needs being met over the experiences of the one helping meet those needs.
Hesed focuses on performing acts of loving kindness and compassion. It is a mindset which leads to acts that directly touch individual lives. Hesed highlights the power of listening, sitting with, and learning from the impoverished.
It is the synthesis of these age-old principles that helps me navigate my day, and infuse my experience in Haiti with our Jewish history and wisdom.
I begin my second month with great optimism and eagerness, and look forward to sharing future achievements as JDC continues in its efforts to equip the country’s builders, restore dreams, and bring solace to the traumatized.
June 28, 2010
June 24, 2010
Briefing from Steve Schwager, CEO
This August 31 will mark 96 years since the now famous telegram was sent by Henry Morgenthau Sr., then U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, to New York-based philanthropist Jacob H. Schiff asking for $50,000 to feed starving Jews in Eretz Yisrael. JDC began its work there—and we have never left. Israel is the strategic center of our global operations, which now span more than 70 countries.
Our commitment to Israel is constant, even as our method of operation in Israel and around the world is fluid. As circumstances have changed over the years, so has our work. In Israel, for example, JDC moved from operating a network of old age homes to partnering with the Government of Israel on the development of cutting-edge social service programs for its most vulnerable citizens (the elderly included). Today, JDC spends 40 percent of its global budget in the State of Israel.
In recognition of JDC’s ongoing commitment to Israel’s citizens, we were recently honored by the presence of Isaac “Buji” Herzog, Israel’s Minister of Welfare and Social Services, at our May 2010 Board meetings in NY. The following is an excerpt from his remarks there:
In 1914, JDC was established. A few years down the road you will be celebrating a hundred years. Little did the founders of JDC realize what they had done when they created this institution, combining two great causes that are typified in Jewish writings. One is what we say in the Haggadah: “b’kol dor v’dor”—in each generation, one needs to see himself as if he came out of Egypt. Namely, one needs to understand the challenges of the generation and realize that these challenges never fade away. And secondly, “kol Yisrael arevim ze leze.” All of Israel guarantees. The word is “arevim,” guarantee each other. This is what runs deep through Jewish life wherever we are throughout history. This is what keeps us going. This is what impressed Winston Churchill; in my mind, this is what should impress all nations on earth. Because if you think about it, you are sitting here, and at the end of Siberia, a Jewish family receives your help. This is enormous. This is awesome.
The same applies to Israel. One is very much aware that Israel is in a different context and situation altogether. I must tell you that the challenges never fade away; they can be much greater than people imagine just beyond the horizon. We may again meet challenges of the same magnitude as those in 1948, and for this reason the contribution of JDC to the resilience of the community in Israel—the resilience of the society in Israel in all of its ethnicity, multiculturalism, and mosaic-type structure—is enormous. It’s almost unimaginable. Now, I’m not saying this out of flattery. I’m saying it as one of your most serious partners, who works with JDC, with Joint Israel, on a daily basis, and believes that you are an incredible partner and you exemplify what partnership is all about.
Moreover, you are the greatest successful example of what government should do when they work with communities, and what government should do when they work with the nonprofit sector. This partnership is unique. Governments should not exclude themselves and say, “We know best.” And governments should not say, “We have enough resources. We don’t need you guys.” The other way around. The government needs partners to open its eyes, to come with bright ideas, to develop new ideologies, to think of changing the streams in society, to analyze in-depth and professionally, at arm’s length, and to move forward with partnerships that strengthen the innermost fabrics of society. Our partnerships with you range from the most delicate topic of the life of young children to the most complicated stories of Holocaust survivors. Our partnership ranges from the issue of feeding people—yes, in a modern country you have problems of feeding people, it happens here but it happens in Israel as well—to the most professional analysis as we see with Myers-JDC-Brookdale of where things are going in terms of the future of Israeli society or its current status.
This partnership is really vital; it’s one of the backbones of our services in Israel. And I urge you, those who haven’t yet done so, to come and see it. And those of you who are involved and have seen it, learn more every day. This partnership has taken on a new evolutionary stage, where we simply feel that when there is a new idea, a new phenomenon, a new thought, or a new challenge, we first turn to JDC because we know we will get the best stuff; we will get a very professional corporate culture, and a long-range vision of how things should look in the future while basing itself on past experiences that span sixty-two years.
So, I express my heartfelt thanks to the Board of JDC for all its commitment, to the leadership of JDC for its contribution, and to our fellow friends at Joint Israel for their outstanding work.
Irv and I were deeply impressed with Minister Herzog’s remarks recognizing the critical partnership we have with the Government. Our connection to Israel and to its people is forever. So we at JDC must continue to do our part to help Israel move ahead in its challenging yet inspiring charge to fulfill the biblical command of becoming a light unto nations.
Our commitment to Israel is constant, even as our method of operation in Israel and around the world is fluid. As circumstances have changed over the years, so has our work. In Israel, for example, JDC moved from operating a network of old age homes to partnering with the Government of Israel on the development of cutting-edge social service programs for its most vulnerable citizens (the elderly included). Today, JDC spends 40 percent of its global budget in the State of Israel.
In recognition of JDC’s ongoing commitment to Israel’s citizens, we were recently honored by the presence of Isaac “Buji” Herzog, Israel’s Minister of Welfare and Social Services, at our May 2010 Board meetings in NY. The following is an excerpt from his remarks there:
In 1914, JDC was established. A few years down the road you will be celebrating a hundred years. Little did the founders of JDC realize what they had done when they created this institution, combining two great causes that are typified in Jewish writings. One is what we say in the Haggadah: “b’kol dor v’dor”—in each generation, one needs to see himself as if he came out of Egypt. Namely, one needs to understand the challenges of the generation and realize that these challenges never fade away. And secondly, “kol Yisrael arevim ze leze.” All of Israel guarantees. The word is “arevim,” guarantee each other. This is what runs deep through Jewish life wherever we are throughout history. This is what keeps us going. This is what impressed Winston Churchill; in my mind, this is what should impress all nations on earth. Because if you think about it, you are sitting here, and at the end of Siberia, a Jewish family receives your help. This is enormous. This is awesome.
The same applies to Israel. One is very much aware that Israel is in a different context and situation altogether. I must tell you that the challenges never fade away; they can be much greater than people imagine just beyond the horizon. We may again meet challenges of the same magnitude as those in 1948, and for this reason the contribution of JDC to the resilience of the community in Israel—the resilience of the society in Israel in all of its ethnicity, multiculturalism, and mosaic-type structure—is enormous. It’s almost unimaginable. Now, I’m not saying this out of flattery. I’m saying it as one of your most serious partners, who works with JDC, with Joint Israel, on a daily basis, and believes that you are an incredible partner and you exemplify what partnership is all about.
Moreover, you are the greatest successful example of what government should do when they work with communities, and what government should do when they work with the nonprofit sector. This partnership is unique. Governments should not exclude themselves and say, “We know best.” And governments should not say, “We have enough resources. We don’t need you guys.” The other way around. The government needs partners to open its eyes, to come with bright ideas, to develop new ideologies, to think of changing the streams in society, to analyze in-depth and professionally, at arm’s length, and to move forward with partnerships that strengthen the innermost fabrics of society. Our partnerships with you range from the most delicate topic of the life of young children to the most complicated stories of Holocaust survivors. Our partnership ranges from the issue of feeding people—yes, in a modern country you have problems of feeding people, it happens here but it happens in Israel as well—to the most professional analysis as we see with Myers-JDC-Brookdale of where things are going in terms of the future of Israeli society or its current status.
This partnership is really vital; it’s one of the backbones of our services in Israel. And I urge you, those who haven’t yet done so, to come and see it. And those of you who are involved and have seen it, learn more every day. This partnership has taken on a new evolutionary stage, where we simply feel that when there is a new idea, a new phenomenon, a new thought, or a new challenge, we first turn to JDC because we know we will get the best stuff; we will get a very professional corporate culture, and a long-range vision of how things should look in the future while basing itself on past experiences that span sixty-two years.
So, I express my heartfelt thanks to the Board of JDC for all its commitment, to the leadership of JDC for its contribution, and to our fellow friends at Joint Israel for their outstanding work.
Irv and I were deeply impressed with Minister Herzog’s remarks recognizing the critical partnership we have with the Government. Our connection to Israel and to its people is forever. So we at JDC must continue to do our part to help Israel move ahead in its challenging yet inspiring charge to fulfill the biblical command of becoming a light unto nations.
June 23, 2010
JDC Makes the 'J List' in Middlesex County
Earlier this month the 'J Team', the Jewish Youth Philanthropy Team at the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County awarded a total of $7,000 in grants to four organizations, including JDC.
For participants, students from 8th grade to 10th grade, the ceremony was the culmination of a year of learning about philanthropy and tzedakah. They heard presentations from several non-profit organizations, learning about their mission and work and then sat down to the task of deciding which four organizations should receive a grant and how the money should be divided.
Of the four recipient organizations, JDC received the largest allocation.
We thank the J Team for their generous gift and the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County for their ongoing support and partnership.
Read more about the J Team and the award ceremony, including a list of winners at Teen tzedaka mavens finds four ways to 'repair world'.
For participants, students from 8th grade to 10th grade, the ceremony was the culmination of a year of learning about philanthropy and tzedakah. They heard presentations from several non-profit organizations, learning about their mission and work and then sat down to the task of deciding which four organizations should receive a grant and how the money should be divided.
Of the four recipient organizations, JDC received the largest allocation.
We thank the J Team for their generous gift and the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County for their ongoing support and partnership.
Read more about the J Team and the award ceremony, including a list of winners at Teen tzedaka mavens finds four ways to 'repair world'.
June 16, 2010
JDC CONTINUES MONITORING SAFETY AND PROVIDING CARE TO KYRGYZSTAN JEWS AS CRISIS ESCALATES
NEW YORK, NY, June 15, 2010 – As ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan continues to worsen, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the world’s largest Jewish humanitarian organization, has expanded its services – including providing extra food and medicine – for its Jewish community clients in that region and continues its daily monitoring of their safety. The current unrest has moved to the south of the country, which is home to fewer than 70 Jews in four cities, and is far from the nation’s capital, Bishkek. To date, there have been no reported injuries to the Jewish community.
“Since the beginning of this crisis in April, JDC has been vigilant in its daily contact and care for Jewish community members caught up in the tragic events in Kyrgyzstan,” said JDC CEO Steven Schwager. “As in past crises, JDC, working on the ground with the local Jewish community, will help ensure safety, provide critical services, and reach Jews in danger or need wherever they may be.”
Throughout the crisis, JDC has ensured that its services to the Jewish community, including vital, life-saving programs, continued uninterrupted. Homebound elderly clients of its Meals on Wheels program received deliveries of food – their only source of nourishment – and as public transport was at a standstill for periods of time, homecare workers slept at the homes of bedridden clients whose lives would be jeopardized without these services.
JDC’s long-term support for the Jewish community in Kyrgyzstan, an estimated 1,300 people, includes the local Hesed welfare center in Bishkek, which provides food, medicine and home care to the community. Additionally, JDC supports a Jewish library, a program for family education, as well as other aid and Jewish renewal programs for elderly and children at risk.
Most of Kyrgyzstan’s Jews are concentrated in Bishkek, but Jews can also be found in 10 other locations throughout the country.
For more about JDC programs in Kyrgyzstan, please visit the JDC website. Also check out No Passport Required for more information.
“Since the beginning of this crisis in April, JDC has been vigilant in its daily contact and care for Jewish community members caught up in the tragic events in Kyrgyzstan,” said JDC CEO Steven Schwager. “As in past crises, JDC, working on the ground with the local Jewish community, will help ensure safety, provide critical services, and reach Jews in danger or need wherever they may be.”
Throughout the crisis, JDC has ensured that its services to the Jewish community, including vital, life-saving programs, continued uninterrupted. Homebound elderly clients of its Meals on Wheels program received deliveries of food – their only source of nourishment – and as public transport was at a standstill for periods of time, homecare workers slept at the homes of bedridden clients whose lives would be jeopardized without these services.
JDC’s long-term support for the Jewish community in Kyrgyzstan, an estimated 1,300 people, includes the local Hesed welfare center in Bishkek, which provides food, medicine and home care to the community. Additionally, JDC supports a Jewish library, a program for family education, as well as other aid and Jewish renewal programs for elderly and children at risk.
Most of Kyrgyzstan’s Jews are concentrated in Bishkek, but Jews can also be found in 10 other locations throughout the country.
For more about JDC programs in Kyrgyzstan, please visit the JDC website. Also check out No Passport Required for more information.
June 15, 2010
Argentina: Then and Now
A briefing form Steve Schwager, CEO
We are all familiar with the proverb about the value of teaching a man to fish so that he may feed himself for a lifetime. Similarly, at JDC, we often talk about not only helping to meet the immediate needs of an individual or community today, but investing time to help this individual or community develop the skills and resources to be self-sufficient over the longer term. Recently, on a Board mission to Argentina and Uruguay led by JDC Latin America Committee Chairperson Jane Swergold and her husband, Leo, 13 Board members and guests, joined by JDC Director of Board Relations Nadine Habousha, had the opportunity to see this longer-sighted JDC objective realized.
As many of you know, in the years prior to Argentina’s 2001-02 economic crisis, JDC’s role in Argentina was to guide and offer expertise in the area of Jewish community development. With a small budget of $250,000, we focused on providing technical assistance for leadership development and connecting Latin American Jewish communities to one another.
Argentina was, after all, a model community—one with thriving Jewish institutions that cared for its own neediest members.
But when Argentina’s economic meltdown pushed some 65,000 of the country’s 200,000 Jewish citizens into poverty, JDC quickly shifted gears. What did we do then, and what are the results today?
Providing Basic Relief: Working with local Jewish organizations, JDC rapidly developed a network of social assistance centers that provided direct services to individuals, including food, medicines, and rent and utilities subsidies. Our expectations and hopes were that this assistance would allow the community to “ride the tide” until the need diminished and the local community could assume its original role of serving those who still required help. As anticipated, the local community is increasingly taking over responsibility for the remaining network of more than 40 social assistance centers throughout the country.
Boosting Employment and Businesses: We worked with the local Jewish community to create the Ariel Job Center, which helped scores of unemployed Jews navigate this new reality and find jobs to support themselves and their families, oftentimes in entirely new fields. Today, this center—launched in crisis—is a success story and remains an important service to the community.
At the same time, with credit from banks frozen following the crisis, a loan fund—established by JDC Board member Irv Granovsky of Toronto to encourage small businesses—helped local Jewish entrepreneurs earn a living and employ other community members. One success story: a profitable business making kosher alfajores, a popular Argentine cookie.
Ensuring the Continuity of Jewish Education: Children were able to continue their Jewish studies because JDC helped reorganize and provided direct funding to Jewish day schools that were jeopardized because parents could no longer afford tuition. Today, we have returned to an advisory role, helping the schools fundraise for themselves and build functioning boards.
Offering Critical Intervention for Babies and Pregnant Women: Established during the crisis with a generous gift from JDC Board member Howard Schultz and his family, Baby Help has been providing special assistance—including milk, vitamins, and vaccinations—to babies and children (0-5 years) and to pregnant women living below the poverty line. The program includes a day care center where children are well looked-after while parents are job hunting.
Today, Baby Help has matured into an independent, locally funded initiative that recently moved into the state-of-the-art LeDor vaDor multifunctional complex for the elderly in Buenos Aires. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held during the JDC mission in March. Both Irv and I heard from participants how sweet it was to watch the seniors dote on the children who, in turn, were gleeful with their new playmates. Sounds like we have a model “intergenerational home” on our hands!
Engaging US College Students in Overseas Service: Howard Schultz and his family also helped JDC pioneer a Short-Term Service Program in Argentina. Through the program, now in its 7th year, 180 American college students have volunteered in Argentina, and similar 10-day JDC volunteer opportunities are taking place in other Jewish communities around the world. (I encourage you to read last week’s column for more insight into our STS program.)
As all of you know, a crucial part of JDC’s mission is to strengthen local community leadership and infrastructure in order to foster independence. In some regions, this process can take years—even decades. The community in Argentina, however, demonstrated inner strength and resilience by coming together to address myriad issues in a relatively short time; and for the most part, the community is self-sufficient once again. Our strategy of phasing out direct assistance and helping bring the local community to a point of viability and full ownership of these social welfare programs has become a reality. Irv and I couldn’t ask for more.
To learn more about JDC programs in Argentina, please visit the JDC website.
We are all familiar with the proverb about the value of teaching a man to fish so that he may feed himself for a lifetime. Similarly, at JDC, we often talk about not only helping to meet the immediate needs of an individual or community today, but investing time to help this individual or community develop the skills and resources to be self-sufficient over the longer term. Recently, on a Board mission to Argentina and Uruguay led by JDC Latin America Committee Chairperson Jane Swergold and her husband, Leo, 13 Board members and guests, joined by JDC Director of Board Relations Nadine Habousha, had the opportunity to see this longer-sighted JDC objective realized.
As many of you know, in the years prior to Argentina’s 2001-02 economic crisis, JDC’s role in Argentina was to guide and offer expertise in the area of Jewish community development. With a small budget of $250,000, we focused on providing technical assistance for leadership development and connecting Latin American Jewish communities to one another.
Argentina was, after all, a model community—one with thriving Jewish institutions that cared for its own neediest members.
But when Argentina’s economic meltdown pushed some 65,000 of the country’s 200,000 Jewish citizens into poverty, JDC quickly shifted gears. What did we do then, and what are the results today?
Providing Basic Relief: Working with local Jewish organizations, JDC rapidly developed a network of social assistance centers that provided direct services to individuals, including food, medicines, and rent and utilities subsidies. Our expectations and hopes were that this assistance would allow the community to “ride the tide” until the need diminished and the local community could assume its original role of serving those who still required help. As anticipated, the local community is increasingly taking over responsibility for the remaining network of more than 40 social assistance centers throughout the country.
Boosting Employment and Businesses: We worked with the local Jewish community to create the Ariel Job Center, which helped scores of unemployed Jews navigate this new reality and find jobs to support themselves and their families, oftentimes in entirely new fields. Today, this center—launched in crisis—is a success story and remains an important service to the community.
At the same time, with credit from banks frozen following the crisis, a loan fund—established by JDC Board member Irv Granovsky of Toronto to encourage small businesses—helped local Jewish entrepreneurs earn a living and employ other community members. One success story: a profitable business making kosher alfajores, a popular Argentine cookie.
Ensuring the Continuity of Jewish Education: Children were able to continue their Jewish studies because JDC helped reorganize and provided direct funding to Jewish day schools that were jeopardized because parents could no longer afford tuition. Today, we have returned to an advisory role, helping the schools fundraise for themselves and build functioning boards.
Offering Critical Intervention for Babies and Pregnant Women: Established during the crisis with a generous gift from JDC Board member Howard Schultz and his family, Baby Help has been providing special assistance—including milk, vitamins, and vaccinations—to babies and children (0-5 years) and to pregnant women living below the poverty line. The program includes a day care center where children are well looked-after while parents are job hunting.
Today, Baby Help has matured into an independent, locally funded initiative that recently moved into the state-of-the-art LeDor vaDor multifunctional complex for the elderly in Buenos Aires. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held during the JDC mission in March. Both Irv and I heard from participants how sweet it was to watch the seniors dote on the children who, in turn, were gleeful with their new playmates. Sounds like we have a model “intergenerational home” on our hands!
Engaging US College Students in Overseas Service: Howard Schultz and his family also helped JDC pioneer a Short-Term Service Program in Argentina. Through the program, now in its 7th year, 180 American college students have volunteered in Argentina, and similar 10-day JDC volunteer opportunities are taking place in other Jewish communities around the world. (I encourage you to read last week’s column for more insight into our STS program.)
As all of you know, a crucial part of JDC’s mission is to strengthen local community leadership and infrastructure in order to foster independence. In some regions, this process can take years—even decades. The community in Argentina, however, demonstrated inner strength and resilience by coming together to address myriad issues in a relatively short time; and for the most part, the community is self-sufficient once again. Our strategy of phasing out direct assistance and helping bring the local community to a point of viability and full ownership of these social welfare programs has become a reality. Irv and I couldn’t ask for more.
To learn more about JDC programs in Argentina, please visit the JDC website.
June 11, 2010
In Hungary JDC, Susan G. Komen For The Cure® Hold 12th Major Breast Cancer Conference
NEW YORK, NY, June 10, 2010 – The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the world’s leading Jewish humanitarian assistance organization, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure® will hold its 12th major conference on breast cancer in Budapest on June 14. The conference leverages the success of eleven other conferences and a variety of breast cancer advocacy programs that have impacted the lives of tens of thousands of women and their families through JDC/Komen for the Cure’s Women’s Health Empowerment Program (WHEP) in Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Georgia, Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
“We're utilizing our expertise in building strong partnerships to connect medical, NGO, and government professionals with breast cancer survivors and advocates throughout Hungary. By doing so, WHEP pioneers the battle against breast cancer in a country that loses more than 2,000 women a year to the disease,” said JDC CEO Steven Schwager.
In addition to a keynote address from Ambassador Nancy Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, presentations at the conference will focus on WHEP’s four years of work in Hungary; best practices for fighting breast cancer in Hungary’s rural areas; Hungary’s current national screening program for breast cancer; and creating a strategy for disseminating information on breast cancer to Hungarian women of different ages and family backgrounds.
“In too many countries today, women still have little or no access to early detection, treatment, or even education,” said Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “My time spent in Hungary as an Ambassador was eye-opening to the global need for cancer programming, like the Women’s Health Empowerment Program. I look forward to hearing about the progress in Hungary over the last four years.”
Established in 1995, WHEP encourages the early detection of breast cancer, creates support groups and hotlines, strengthens doctor to patient communication, and facilitates partnerships among government agencies, NGOs and the medical community.
About American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
Since 1914, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee has given global expression to the principle that all Jews are responsible for one another. Working today in over 70 countries, JDC acts on behalf of North America’s Jewish communities and others to rescue Jews in danger, provide relief to those in distress, revitalize and ensure a Jewish future for overseas Jewish communities, and help Israel overcome the social challenges of its most vulnerable citizens. JDC also provides non-sectarian emergency relief and long-term development assistance worldwide. More information can be found at http://www.jdc.org/.
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure®, we have invested nearly $1.5 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit http://www.komen.org/ or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.
“We're utilizing our expertise in building strong partnerships to connect medical, NGO, and government professionals with breast cancer survivors and advocates throughout Hungary. By doing so, WHEP pioneers the battle against breast cancer in a country that loses more than 2,000 women a year to the disease,” said JDC CEO Steven Schwager.
In addition to a keynote address from Ambassador Nancy Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, presentations at the conference will focus on WHEP’s four years of work in Hungary; best practices for fighting breast cancer in Hungary’s rural areas; Hungary’s current national screening program for breast cancer; and creating a strategy for disseminating information on breast cancer to Hungarian women of different ages and family backgrounds.
“In too many countries today, women still have little or no access to early detection, treatment, or even education,” said Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “My time spent in Hungary as an Ambassador was eye-opening to the global need for cancer programming, like the Women’s Health Empowerment Program. I look forward to hearing about the progress in Hungary over the last four years.”
Established in 1995, WHEP encourages the early detection of breast cancer, creates support groups and hotlines, strengthens doctor to patient communication, and facilitates partnerships among government agencies, NGOs and the medical community.
About American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
Since 1914, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee has given global expression to the principle that all Jews are responsible for one another. Working today in over 70 countries, JDC acts on behalf of North America’s Jewish communities and others to rescue Jews in danger, provide relief to those in distress, revitalize and ensure a Jewish future for overseas Jewish communities, and help Israel overcome the social challenges of its most vulnerable citizens. JDC also provides non-sectarian emergency relief and long-term development assistance worldwide. More information can be found at http://www.jdc.org/.
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure®, we have invested nearly $1.5 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit http://www.komen.org/ or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.
June 10, 2010
New Photo Slideshow: Ensuring a Jewish Future
We have recently posted a new slideshow of photographs on our website showcasing JDC's Jewish renewal efforts in Eastern Europe entitled Ensuring a Jewish Future.
See all the photographs from this and other slideshows showcasing JDC programs around the world at the JDC Media Center Photo and Video Gallery.
Photo by Hannah Starman
See all the photographs from this and other slideshows showcasing JDC programs around the world at the JDC Media Center Photo and Video Gallery.
June 8, 2010
Second Orientation Session for the University of Washington Hillel Shot Term Service Participants
Students from the University of Washington Hillel will soon embark on a trip to volunteer with JDC programs in Ethiopia as part of JDC Short Term Service. We, here at the JDC Ambassadors Circle blog will be following their progress as they get closer to their travel date, their reports and experiences from the field and their thoughts and impressions upon their return.
The group recently held their second orientation meeting where they met with JDC staff member Naomi Sage to talk about the history of the Jewish community in Ethiopia and the agenda for the trip.
Read all about it and see pictures from the meeting on the JDC In Service blog.
You can read about their first orientation meeting HERE.
About JDC Short Term Service:
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is seeking to connect young, North American Jews to the global Jewish community through Short-Term Service Programs for college students and young adults. Through meaningful volunteer projects directly connected to JDC’s global programs, participants take action to meet challenges facing Jewish communities abroad, gain insight into global Jewish needs, connect with local Jewish peers, and explore notions of global Jewish identity and collective responsibility. Participants return home feeling a real responsibility to care for their Jewish “family” overseas, and prepared to take action on behalf of the community they visited.
By the end of 2010, nearly 800 North American Jewish young adults will have experienced a JDC Short-Term Service Program and served in communities around the globe, from Israel, to Kazakhstan, to Argentina, to Rwanda.
For more information on JDC’s service programs, visit www.JDC.org/serve.
The group recently held their second orientation meeting where they met with JDC staff member Naomi Sage to talk about the history of the Jewish community in Ethiopia and the agenda for the trip.
Read all about it and see pictures from the meeting on the JDC In Service blog.
You can read about their first orientation meeting HERE.
About JDC Short Term Service:
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is seeking to connect young, North American Jews to the global Jewish community through Short-Term Service Programs for college students and young adults. Through meaningful volunteer projects directly connected to JDC’s global programs, participants take action to meet challenges facing Jewish communities abroad, gain insight into global Jewish needs, connect with local Jewish peers, and explore notions of global Jewish identity and collective responsibility. Participants return home feeling a real responsibility to care for their Jewish “family” overseas, and prepared to take action on behalf of the community they visited.
By the end of 2010, nearly 800 North American Jewish young adults will have experienced a JDC Short-Term Service Program and served in communities around the globe, from Israel, to Kazakhstan, to Argentina, to Rwanda.
For more information on JDC’s service programs, visit www.JDC.org/serve.
June 4, 2010
JDC Receives Charity Navigator's Highest Rating for a Third Consecutive Year
“We’re proud that to see that once again JDC has been lauded by Charity Navigator for both its fiscal responsibility and its role as the leading provider of critical support for Jews in need around the world,” said JDC’s CEO Steven Schwager.
JDC has previously been named one of Charity Navigator’s “10 of the Best Charities Everyone's Heard Of”; was among the top 100 charities in the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual “Philanthropy 400” listing; and is an accredited charity with the Better Business Bureau.
“Only 14% of the charities we rate have received at least 3 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America,” said Ken Berger, president and CEO of Charity Navigator. “This ‘exceptional’ designation from Charity Navigator differentiates American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.”
Charity Navigator – the largest independent evaluator of philanthropies in the U.S. – provides information and evaluates the financial health of more than 5,500 charities.
June 3, 2010
Nesiyah Tovah!!
We would like to wish all the participants on the 2010 JDC Ambassadors Circle Mission to Cuba a wonderful trip.
Cuba is home to 1,500 Jews and a change in Cuban law allowing religious expression in 1991 enabled JDC to re-enter the country. Since then, JDC has supported the community’s remarkable resurgence. The majority of Jews live in Havana, with smaller but active communities in Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Guantanamo, Sancti Spiritus, Santa Clara, and Santiago de Cuba.
Since 1991, JDC has helped to provide food and medicine to the Jewish community; organized a non-sectarian medical consultation and training program; and worked to reconnect the community to its Jewish roots through Sunday school classes, study groups, and communal holiday celebrations.
June 1, 2010
JDC-CIMI SEMINAR ON ISRAELI-DIASPORA RELATIONS SETS EXAMPLE FOR OTHER NATIONS
NEW YORK, NY, May 28, 2010 – Leveraging Israel’s unique relationship with the Jewish Diaspora, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s Center for International Migration and Integration (CIMI) held a 4-day seminar for countries seeking expertise in building robust ties to their ethnic diasporas. The seminar was attended by government officials from Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. The seminar was fully funded by MASHAV (Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Office.
“In a world that is increasingly interconnected, we’re eager to share the Jewish people’s successful experience maintaining bonds with one another across multiple continents and languages with other historic and emerging diaspora communities,” said JDC’s CEO Steven Schwager.
CIMI staff created and ran the workshops that included briefings by Israeli government officials, academics, philanthropists, and NGO experts focusing on techniques for designing and sustaining diaspora ties, as well as issues related to education, fundraising, and building a culture of philanthropy. The seminar was organized in collaboration with the A. Ofri International Training Center, MASHAV, and UNDP. Past seminars have included government representatives and diaspora associations from Latin America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.
Founded by JDC in 1999, CIMI is dedicated to the development of effective global policies/practices in immigrant integration, homeland-Diaspora partnerships, and temporary and forced migration. CIMI works with a number of international partners including the IOM and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
For more information about CIMI, please visit their WEBSITE.
“In a world that is increasingly interconnected, we’re eager to share the Jewish people’s successful experience maintaining bonds with one another across multiple continents and languages with other historic and emerging diaspora communities,” said JDC’s CEO Steven Schwager.
CIMI staff created and ran the workshops that included briefings by Israeli government officials, academics, philanthropists, and NGO experts focusing on techniques for designing and sustaining diaspora ties, as well as issues related to education, fundraising, and building a culture of philanthropy. The seminar was organized in collaboration with the A. Ofri International Training Center, MASHAV, and UNDP. Past seminars have included government representatives and diaspora associations from Latin America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.
Founded by JDC in 1999, CIMI is dedicated to the development of effective global policies/practices in immigrant integration, homeland-Diaspora partnerships, and temporary and forced migration. CIMI works with a number of international partners including the IOM and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
For more information about CIMI, please visit their WEBSITE.
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