Making the Connection: JDC's Ambassadors Symposium

Making the Connection was the theme of the JDC Ambassadors Symposium, May 6-7, focusing on how we can make a genuine and meaningful connection between us as caregivers and philanthropists and the people in need around the world that we help. 

The ideal connection would look very different from the top-down approach that too often has served to increase the divide among people. It would be about achieving true empathy, about empowering the people we help so that they are the best allies in helping themselves, and about stretching how we do philanthropy and engage others.

Monday's session looked at how we care for our friends as a model for how we do good in the world.

Park Avenue Synagogue’s Rabbi Cosgrove spoke about empathy and the Hebrew concept of arevut, the responsibility we have towards one another (click here). Letty Cottin Pogrebin spoke about her personal experience fighting breast cancer and the type of care that she sought from friends and family, and articulated principles that resonated with her experience and others' with whom she spoke. Foremost among them was the importance of listening to the voices and wishes of the people we want to help and not assuming that we know best.         

What might this principle look like if we put it into play in our humanitarian work as well as our personal lives?

There are few programs that better demonstrate JDC's vision of listening to and empowering the people we serve than Jay Ruderman’s groundbreaking work with disabled people in Israel -- a partnership among his family foundation, JDC and the Government of Israel that goes by the name Israel Unlimited.  A staggering 1 million people suffer from disabilities in Israel (key stats here), but the program does not focus on accessibility alone. Instead, it makes disabled people the actors in their own story -- helping them to challenge stigmatization (here's an excellent piece on an inspiring blind Arab Israeli woman) and build up their confidence and abilities to act as positive forces in their communities through volunteerism and a new emphasis on work.

 

What is our Global Jewish Responsibility?

Remarks by Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein, Senior Rabbi, Central Synagogue
Delivered at the JDC Ambassadors Global Symposium
December 3, 2012

It is a tremendous honor to be with you this morning and a special joy to personally salute you who are involved in and support the JDC.  In my mind you are responsible for and further the work of one of the great heroic organizations of Jewish life. To say this is not hyperbole because I have seen your work in action around much of this world.

Perhaps the most personally stunning and surprising experience I had with JDC was when in the late 1990’s I travelled with a small group of Jewish leaders to visit an Albanian refugee camp during the height of the Kosovo conflict and then to take some of those refugees with us to Israel. In those days brutalized refugees were flowing across the border seeking food and water and shelter and refuge.

I’m not sure what I expected when I arrived in Albania but a tent with a JDC sign outside was nowhere on my screen of possibilities. It was there and then that I came to understand the expansive theater of JDC operations which combat the results of human warfare and misery and are on the ground in the face of the most horrendous natural disasters as in Haiti after the earthquake. I comprehend the exquisite purity of an organization which has as its focus saving people in extremis no matter what their national origin, race, religion or gender. For that I salute and thank you.

The topic you have asked me to address is “What is our Global Jewish Responsibility?” In forming this question I suspect the planners of this symposium were purposeful in framing the question with inherent ambiguity for in fact this topic properly raises two very separate issues.

JDC Event to Feature Professor Dan Ben-David on Israel's Internal Challenges



Professor Dan Ben-David

Professor Dan Ben-David, along with JDC Israel Regional Specialist Kobi Tav, will give a talk on September 13th at 5pm called “The Start Up Nation’s Threat From Within; Finding Solutions.”

“The academic achievements of Israeli students are incredibly low compared to other westernized countries.” This startling statement from the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies should give one cause for worry. Its effects could mean a disastrous future for Israel if they are not reversed soon.

This troubling fact is one of the reasons why Professor Dan Ben-David devotes so much time to researching ways to improve the economy in Israel. The Executive Director of the Taub Center, Professor Ben-David, is one of the foremost economic voices in Israel in the push for a greater and less stratified Israeli economy. At an upcoming event that will take place at JDC Headquarters, Professor Dan Ben-David will detail the socio-economic changes that pose a challenge for the long-term health of the Israeli economy.

More and more people are immigrating to Israel, many of them from different ethnic groups. However, in contrast to the rising population rates employment rates have been decreasing. New immigrants are not contributing to the growth of Israel’s economy.

Professor Dan-Ben-David argues that by putting strength into the education system, more people will become part of the Israeli economy. “Education is the basic national infrastructure. It is a primary factor in providing equal opportunities for full realization of individual abilities.”

Ben-David, one of Israel’s leading economists, has discovered a multitude of alarming facts concerning the state of Israeli education. Education gaps in Israel are among the highest in the West. Few students take core classes and the class sizes are inconceivably large. The education gaps between students also rate as some of the most unequal in the west. “The failure is systemic; continuing in this way is no longer an option,” he wrote in a recent study.

Professor Ben-David, as the Executive Director of the Taub Center, works closely with JDC’s Israel program office to address the issues that are holding back Israel’s potential and threatening its future success. “The ability of the Joint [JDC] to join forces with the government in innovating social services, in doing pilot projects that are studied as they go ahead in order to measure the potential national impact that they can have…this is having a long-term impact on Israeli society,” said Professor Manuel Trajtenberg.

JDC founded the Taub Center in 1982 and still remains a fundamental supporter of the institution. RSVP is mandatory to this event. For more information email Rebecca Neuwirth at rebeccan@jdcny.org or call 212-885-0878.

JDC Israel Focuses on Empowerment

By Rebecca Neuwirth, Director, JDC Ambassadors

A huge moon is hanging over my shoulder in Tel Aviv, a city I haven't been to since I became a mother over seven years ago and put a brake on long travel.

A lot has changed in that time, but not the tender breeze, the slightly sweet smell of blossoming summer in a dusty city. The smell of cats too - in every small street I sense them - on steps and mailboxes and sliding between parked cars. The simple cafes, the handsome people, the certain knowledge that the ocean is just hidden beyond these small streets, win me over again.

I'm here with 70 people for the JDC Board mission. We are visiting projects that address serious social issues in Israel. I'm excited to see that JDC is hitting all the right notes.

Preparing Immigrants for Army Service - And A Brighter Future

JDC works with immigrants, ultra-Orthodox, at-

risk youth, and other population groups to help

them smoothly integrate into army service

because the IDF is such a critical rite of passage

for all Israelis.

Photo: JDC Website

When Malash A., 21, an Ethiopian Israeli, received his draft notice from the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) three years ago he was filled with shock and worry. His family had moved from a rural village in Ethiopia to Jerusalem only a few years before and was still struggling to adapt to the cultural realities of life in Israel; his parents did not have the personal experience to advise him through the recruitment process.

Malash's instinct was to wait until his friends received their notice and follow their lead. Little did he know that not showing up to the army base on his assigned recruitment date could land him in jail. That's when JDC stepped in to help, bringing Malash in an army preparedness program that would change the course of his future.

Because civilian life in Israel tends to naturally separate into distinct cultures—with separate neighborhoods, communities, and schools—disadvantaged new immigrants, impoverished Israelis, and others from vulnerable backgrounds have little chance to understand the role of army service in Israeli society. JDC's army preparedness programs aim to fill this critical knowledge gap.

Employment Centers Open New Doors for Israeli Arabs

A proud graduate receives her computer studies

certificate at a JDC Employment Center for Israeli

Arabs, part of a countrywide initiative to empower

this population with the skills to enter Israel's

workforce.  (JDCWebsite)

Yasmin remembers the day her 12-year-old daughter handed her a flyer and said, "Whenever I ask for help in English or on the computer, you say that you don't understand these things, so why don't you go and learn?"

A stay-at-home mom to three kids, Yasmin felt embarrassed and overwhelmed. Prior to motherhood she had a few jobs cleaning houses and taking care of the elderly. But in her community—an Arab neighborhood in Tel Aviv, Israel—mothers were encouraged to stay home and tend to their husbands' family, not go out to work.

Given Second Chance, Israeli Immigrant Turns Her Life Around

"If you just have the willpower, people will help you 

advance in life. Who would have thought I could go 

out and earn a college degree at the age of 44? But 

I am doing it!" said Avigail, who got a second 

chance through JDC's employment training 

program for immigrant and disadvantaged women.

Photo: JDC Website

When Avigail, 44, looks back at the bleak days of her early twenties a shadow seems to come over her. She can hardly believe how far she's come today.

Originally from a village in the Caucasus mountains, Avigail, her seven siblings, and their parents immigrated to Israel in 1978. They were extremely poor and married off each of the children as quickly as they could in hopes of giving them a better life.

By 17 Avigail was living with her husband and his parents, serving under her mother-in- law, as is traditional in Kavkazi families (originating from the Caucasus region). "I was just a kid," Avigail says. "I did not know myself at all but I was expected to serve my mother-in-law's large family and keep everyone pleased. I felt completely invisible."

JDC Israel - People with Disabilities and Sustainable Environment

A great video from JDC Israel about the opportunities for people with disabilities in Israel in the environmental field.

Disabilities Inclusion Champion Pioneers Groundbreaking Israel Initiative

Jay Ruderman visits the Zusman Center for 

Independent Living in Jerusalem, a program of 

Israel Unlimited in which the Ruderman Family 

Foundation is a founding partner.

Jay Ruderman is a longtime advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities in his native Boston and his current home, the State of Israel. Through his leadership of the Ruderman Family Foundation, he promotes the rights of people with disabilities in the Jewish community and works to strengthen the relationship between Israeli leaders and American Jews.

The Ruderman Family Foundation partnered with JDC and the Israeli Government in 2009 to create Israel Unlimited—a national initiative to meet the needs of Israel's 700,000 adults with disabilities (17.9% of the population) and improve their ability to live independently and integrate into Israeli society.

More than halfway into the program, Jay discusses its successes, challenges, and his steadfast vision for the future.

JDC: Israel Unlimited runs extensive community services for people with physical, sensory, emotional, and cognitive disabilities, as well as individuals with chronic health problems that cause functional impairment. What initially inspired your activism for people with disabilities?

JR: Originally the Ruderman Foundation made a commitment to Jewish day school education in Boston, but very quickly we realized that children with special needs did not share in the opportunity. We became concerned with this was an issue of fairness: Why should some children have the advantage of a Jewish education but others—sometimes in the same family—be denied it?

Ironically, after a few years of working on the issue, it became that much more personal to me when one of my nephews was diagnosed with autism.

JDC: Given your prominent work on inclusion issues in the US, how did you get involved in the work in Israel?

JR: We wanted to go from impacting a major Jewish community in the United States to being able to effect change on a national level in Israel.

We partnered with the Joint [JDC], which is an extremely professional organization and committed to making sure funders get the most impact for their philanthropic dollars. We were lucky to have the opportunity to found an initiative as partners and take the lead on the inclusion issue in Israel.

JDC: How did the innovative Israel Unlimited partnership emerge and who was involved? What do you see as JDC's role in the program?

JR: Our Foundation approached this initiative as an investment for which we provided participation as an entrepreneurial partner. JDC offered the expertise and research on the needs in Israel, and also brought in the government to bring the program's innovation and inclusivity to a new level. The Joint's expertise was required to make the partnership with the Israeli government work.

Israel Unlimited marks the first time that a private foundation has sat at a table with the Joint and the Israeli government in the field of disabilities.

Our Foundation is very entrepreneurial in the way we approach raising awareness and changing public attitudes, which we see as integral to the program being really successful. Our investment was matched and will most likely be expanded from an initial four-year financial commitment to a program continuously operated by the government that grows and evolves to meet the needs of the community.

Today the Board of Israel Unlimited includes a wide variety of stakeholders, including the Treasury Department, which ensures that the model programs are integrated within governmental policy and sustained by the government when the developmental stage is over.

JDC: As an advocate you've frequently said, "Government needs to give a little [to people with disabilities] to get a lot." What do you see as the government's role in ensuring inclusion of people with disabilities?

JR: Society tends to see first the disability and then the person. And though society wants to provide special services for people with disabilities, they are very costly. Government needs to step in and find the funds because equal opportunity is what we should be about as a people.

People with disabilities have to deal with discrimination as well as a financial impact. It is up to us to be a better society and include them in all aspects of life, including education, employment, and health care.

JDC: How have you seen the program grow and develop since its start?

JR: We are at the half-way point now and Israel Unlimited has taken on a variety of innovative projects, from Supportive Communities that give people the care they need to live independently in their own homes to special accessible Ulpans (Hebrew language learning programs for new immigrants) that allow people to really engage in Israeli society.

We have learned from different ministries that the Israeli government approaches groups of people by the type of disability that they have, which often leaves wide gaps for people with multiple disabilities or those whose issues are not well defined.

We've been able to see a better picture of what the needs are, and what the opportunities could be. Whatever isn't yet being addressed by the government is a space for something new and innovative.

Investing in the Joint is investing in knowledge, history, and an institution with the power to work with Israel's government to make society better. Our Foundation believes strongly in the relationship we have developed with the Joint. That's why we made the investment. Now other funders are showing interest in this area, and it is very exciting to imagine how the initiative can grow.

Many of the benefits probably won't be known until well into the future but the potential is tremendous.

JDC: Israel Unlimited works to integrate and enable people with disabilities to live rich, fulfilled, and independent lives. What success story has particularly stuck with you?

JR: Through the Centers for Independent Living, the confidence and the self-esteem that people gain from being linked into a network, a job market, a social scene, is transformational. People who were previously prisoners in their homes come out into the world!

I remember being in a neighborhood in the south of Israel where I was going to pay a visit to a homebound person in a walk-up. We saw some kids playing in the street and asked them if they knew the person and they said, "no." When neighbors don't even know you're there, when there's no one to bring you medicine or help you fix a broken faucet—let alone offer you human contact or friendship—that's when you are truly invisible.

But people with disabilities make up 18% of Israeli society. They should be included…and we're seeing tremendous progress in that direction.

JDC: When you speak generally about the trend of people with disabilities and employment, you reference the 'win-win-win' between employers, people with disabilities, and the government: "Many employers have seen their relatively small investment repaid in spades, with loyal and dependable workers who in many cases outpace those employees without disabilities. It is truly a win-win-win: Employers get good workers, individuals achieve independence and a new measure of confidence, and the government, over time, sees more tax revenue and less dependence on disability benefits." What such example have you seen in the field?

JR: In our work in Boston, we were initially focused on young kids but with time we began to think about what was happening to them after they graduated. Young people with disabilities in their 20s often must confront loneliness and limited or no job opportunities. So we partnered with our local Federation (CJP - Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston), Jewish Vocational Services, and Hebrew Senior Life (a provider of senior housing and services), and decided we would take a new approach.

Rather than providing general skills training, we asked our employment partner, Hebrew Senior Life, what skills they needed in new workers. We then began training 20-somethings with disabilities in those specific skills so that we could place them in viable employment there. The program has just begun, but we expect that there will be many new jobs created for people with disabilities, and perhaps almost as important, interactions between the elderly and the employees that will be mutually gratifying.

JDC: Back in Israel, Israel Unlimited is already helping thousands of people with disabilities and their families live independently in their homes, become activists for accessibility and community involvement, provide support services for their disabled peers, and much more. What are your goals for the partnership's remaining year and a half?

JR: I see the initiative as a work in progress. The pilot projects have spread throughout the country and we can look at different levels of success: how much government money comes in, what other funders come in, and what new avenues for partnership have emerged. I focus on the funding community because that's what I know and because other funders can help expand the impact.

Our efforts are entrepreneurial, which makes philanthropy exciting. We are investing and we are privileged to be involved in changing our society for the better.

JDC: ADVANCE 2011: The Ruderman Jewish Special Needs Conference just took place and you've expressed great excitement about being "the incubator for ideas that will lead to better and more effective services." Who was the conference for and what kind of exchanges did it facilitate?

JR: ADVANCE brought together funders, experts from the field of disability, and community leaders to share information and learn from each other, and transform the way communities serve the needs of adults and children with disabilities.

We are facing an overwhelming challenge with this issue, in terms of cost, complexity, etc. We will have no real impact if we operate individually. ADVANCE brought together major funders and partners, including CJP, the Joint, JFN, and JFNA, because we all need to work together to have a greater social impact.

Better Together: A Professional's View

Working in Israel's most disadvantaged neighborhoods, JDC's Better Together program strives to address the most outstanding risks to children and youth in the community by mobilizing residents, identifying and utilizing community resources and responding to unmet needs. In Neve Alonim, a neighborhood in the city of Ashkelon, Better Together is making a difference through the support and partnership of the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County.

Maya is Better Together’s Local Coordinator. A veteran Better Together staffer since 2004 in Haifa, Maya came to Ashkelon in 2010.

Maya employs her professional skills and experience – she holds a Masters degree in Human Resources in addition to her social work training – to all aspects of her Better Together work, in particular some of the more delicate issues involved.

Such situations range from bringing local authority staff into coalition with non-profits and encouraging their collaboration, to helping residents overcome their widespread suspicion of professionals, or convincing staff that the effectiveness of their work would be increased by involving parents.

Maya talks about the program and its progress to date:

"I see a critical need for new services in the neighborhood for pre-school children and for youth.

I am acutely aware of the need for support, such as the help we receive from the Jewish Federation of Middlesex County. It’s enabling essential change-processes and the introduction of a new approach. We are seeing its impact already as more and more people take part in programs.

The Community Center has become a focal point for the neighborhood, a place where residents can express their needs and get actively involved. The Local Professional Forum and Residents Forum are based there, which facilitates collaboration. The two groups are already working in harmony such as when they organize events that engender a sense of belonging. They are also helping to improve services while indentifying those which are lacking. This means that we are able to develop new programs and services in the most effective way.

I believe deeply in cooperation, and it is a source of daily satisfaction for me to see smiles returning to the faces of children and parents in the neglected Neve Alonim neighborhood."

At-Risk Youth Turned Aspiring Entrepreneurs

JDC’s Turning Point Program helps Israel’s
at-risk youth garner business acumen,
a paycheck, and the self-confidence to
create a promising future for themselves

"Fakhera" was only 15 when her father lost his job and her mother left their home to find work in order to provide for her seven children. Struggling in class, fraught by the family's economic stresses, and getting into trouble for acting out, Fakhera dropped out of school to try to find whatever job she could in her Israeli-Arab village in northern Israel.

Fakhera found work cleaning at the local supermarket—working 10-12 hours a day for less than minimum wage—but the extra income came at a high price to her future. That's why the counselor from the Ministry of Education's Youth Advancement Service for youth dropouts encouraged Fakhera to enroll in an alternative setting that would enable her to complete her studies. Soon afterward Fakhera joined JDC's Turning Point program.

Turning Point introduces Israel's at-risk youth to the real world of business, equipping them with job-readiness and entrepreneurial skills and placing them in mainstream work opportunities.

Fakhera was among the 350,000 Israeli children and youth who are considered to be "at-risk"—the troubled state in which one out of six Israelis under age 18 find themselves today. Of these, approximately 50,000 are on the verge of dropping out of school or have already dropped out, show extreme signs of truancy, or are juvenile offenders. They have few ambitions, do not pursue gainful careers, and lack hope for their future, while their delinquent behavior and sense of alienation put them on the fringes of society.

Turning Point appeals to these hard-to-reach teens by focusing on issues which are relevant to their lives—finding a job, earning money, and achieving financial independence. The program helps them restore vision by providing guidance and practical tools to break out of the destructive cycle they are in. As young people like Fakhera learn real life business concepts and job skills, their self-confidence grows and they begin to see themselves anew and recognize opportunities for success.

For Fakhera, joining Turning Point helped her cope with her family and school troubles and allowed her to envision a brighter future. While she was proud of her financial independence and ability to help her family, now she saw that she could get a better job and chart a path for herself in the workforce. "The visits to different workplaces and the meetings with business people opened my eyes and showed me that I could want more from my work," she said.

Learning to interview successfully and build a social network, Fakhera developed a support system and the confidence to look for jobs in other fields.

Today she is waitressing at a popular coffee shop and says the collaborative environment gives her great job satisfaction. Prior to Turning Point, she had never experienced the feeling of being part of a team; now she has a social circle that supports her in pursuing her dreams.

"We fully believed that Fakhera had what it took to develop and advance in the workforce because she exhibited such commitment, trust, and energy in her work," says Samir, one of her program facilitators. "She has accomplished her goals in her studies, too. She earned a certificate for 12 years of study and is continuing on to complete matriculation exams."

Turning Point has reached over 6,400 15- to 18-year-olds in 66 locations across Israel through its mentoring, job-readiness and entrepreneurship education, and youth-run business venture program modules. This year alone, some 1,000 at-risk teens will participate in Turning Point programs.

Now 17 years old, Fakhera is happy among her Turning Point peers—a unified group that works in cooperation, fulfills commitments, and is thirsty to learn. "With this support system I feel strong and know my future is in my hands."

*Additional Note: Turning Point operates in partnership with the Ministries of Education, Social Affairs and Social Services, and Industry, Trade and Labor; the National Insurance Institute; Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship; International Bank of Israel; Matan (Israel's United Way); local authorities; Israeli philanthropic and non-profit organizations; and the Israeli business community.

Working Together for a Good Start in Life

Working in Israel's most disadvantaged neighborhoods, JDC's Better Together program strives to address the most outstanding risks to children and youth in the community by mobilizing residents, identifying and utilizing community resources and responding to unmet needs.  In Neve Alonim,  a neighborhood in the city of Ashkelon, Better Together is making a difference through the support and partnership of the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County. 

The following personal story of a young mother's progress, as she ensures the development of her young children while furthering her own career, encapsulates the community involvement that is the cornerstone of Better Together's success.

Young mother Sarah regularly attends Neve Alonim’s Early Childhood Enrichment Room with her two children, aged three and six. Although she has a full-time job caring for babies at a day care center, the family's financial position is still precarious.

Sarah first heard about the room through the neighborhood's Community Center. When staff conducted interviews with residents prior to setting up the room, Sara stepped up and joined the Mothers’ Forum, which was established to ensure that Better Together's early learning programs fit the needs of the neighborhood's preschoolers.

Three times a week, Sarah brings her children to family literacy programs at the Playroom, and they both already feel at home there. While there, she formed a close bond with the staff, who have become a source of much needed support.

Moreover, Sarah is now employed there to run regular creative activities for parents and children. She has also recruited several new families to the Playroom, and as a member of the Mothers' Forum she is now participating in the course to develop community leadership.

As a result of her involvement with Better Together, Sarah is rapidly becoming a key figure in the neighborhood. While making an invaluable contribution to activities for very young children and their parents, she is increasing her family's income and gaining valuable, career-enhancing skills.

From Steve Schwager, JDC CEO

I spent all last week in Israel, visiting both new and old JDC programs. I also had numerous meetings with various Israeli government officials. So you can probably predict my next comment to you, which is that I wrote this column in "an old, familiar place" – 37,000 feet in the air while flying back to Newark Airport.

On the government side, I met with the Cabinet Secretary and Director General of the Prime Minister's office. We discussed JDC's upcoming 100th anniversary Board meeting in Israel and how the government would officially recognize JDC's work. These sessions were very meaningful; the government officials were very supportive and spoke glowingly of our mission in general, as well as our specific programs.

I then met with the new Commanding General of the IDF's Home Front Command, which is responsible for protecting the citizens of Israel during war or terrorist attacks. The General had come to be briefed on our work and asked JDC to partner with the IDF if Israel is once again faced with war. Specifically, he was impressed with our networks of volunteers, including our 200-plus Supportive Communities for the elderly and disabled, our 20-plus Young Adult Centers, and the local ESHELs that have been established for Israel's seniors. Formal coordination procedures are now in place and regularly tested. JDC is a full partner with the State of Israel's response system to ensure that the most vulnerable citizens will be helped in times of crisis.

The third official I met with was the Deputy Accountant General of the Finance Ministry who is responsible for reviewing programs in the social services. He told me how amazed and impressed he was with the scope and the number of cities in which JDC works. He also expressed his appreciation for our partnership and the unique contributions that we have made and continue to make to the State.

During all three visits, what was truly rewarding was being able to clearly see the esteem in which JDC is held by these senior officials.

On the program side, I visited various sites and enjoyed rewarding and interesting conversations.

In Jerusalem, I visited a prepatory program for young adults who are going into the army. Those of us who do not live in Israel typically believe that every Israeli young adult—whether male or female—goes into the army right after high school. But the 20 young people I met in this program changed my view forever. These were young adults coming from the kibbutz movement or small towns. They felt that they were not ready for the army and needed more time to mature before serving. So during this year after high school, they were taking part in this preparatory program in which they studied about Israel and Judaism and did volunteer work with the elderly or children. This was a meaningful approach that reflected both maturation and a dedication to the State of Israel; I saw these young adults as a new generation of pioneers who will continue to build Israel.

We also visited the Arab village of Sachnin in the north of Israel. The village is home to 27,000 Muslim and Christian Arabs who are among the most vulnerable citizens of Israel. Each division in JDC has established programs in Sachnin that address the needs of this population. We have separate programs for the elderly, the disabled, children at risk, the unemployed, etc. Until a few years ago, each program operated independently. JDC-Israel has now implemented a more holistic model by appointing a senior staffer to coordinate our efforts. Evaluations by the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute show that this change has had a meaningful impact both on JDC and on the local municipalities. While I was there, I met the mayor, who was deeply grateful for all our work.

I always talk about how important it is to see our programs first-hand, but I must admit that it is also very rewarding to hear from our partners that what JDC is doing most certainly makes a difference. Irv and I are very grateful to the Israeli government for its partnership and support; and we are grateful both to the JDC professionals and to the volunteers who make it all happen.

Empowering Young Adults: Young Adult Parliaments

Although nearly 40% of Israelis are young adults, few opportunities exist for their social and civic involvement. JDC's Young Adult Parliaments aim to change this situation by providing young adults with the means to take effective action to improve their communities. Dimona is just one community that has benefited from this injection of young energy and compassion.

The residents of Dimona – an impoverished town in the south of Israel – struggle to cope with the limited local resources and services. The town’s young adults who choose to build their future in Dimona find it hard to improve their environment, leaving them feeling powerless and disconnected.

Dimona’s Young Adult Parliament has changed this. As the town’s young people have come to understand community needs and how to work with local leadership, they have led focused lobbying and civic action campaigns and brought about concrete solutions.

For example, in less than a year they have transformed local transport services – solving a longstanding obstacle for residents. When the parliament set out to address the lack of bus routes offered in the city it faced indifference from the management of the national bus company and opposition from local taxi drivers. Ignoring these obstacles, young parliament members engaged the public, obtaining over 3,000 signatures of support from local residents in a petition sent to the National Minister of Transportation. Their lobbying effort resulted in a five-fold increase in the number of bus lines and routes, saving impoverished residents significant costs in taxi fares.

Young Adult Parliaments empower and engage 18-30 year olds to take active roles in the social, economic and political life of their communities. Parliaments bring together a representative group of local young adults from a given geographical area to address key issues on the public agenda, from education and employment, to housing and transportation. Parliament members act as a lobby and social action group to improve the quality of life for themselves and their communities.

Innovative Employment Program Empowers Haredi Families

Find out how David, one of the 55% of Israel’s Haredim living below the poverty line, took a leap of faith with JDC and attained the job skills to support his wife and six children.

Helping the Helpers: Assisting Primary Caregivers Program

Family members of elderly patients in hospitals are often overwhelmed as they suddenly become the primary caregiver for their previously independent loved ones. As Shlomo and Sara's story reveals, they are often unaware of existing services that can help them. JDC's Assisting Primary Caregivers program provides support, information and assistance from the very start.

Shlomo, married and the father of two children, was functioning independently in his elderly years. Recently, his health condition deteriorated, leading to a prolonged hospitalization. Today, although cognitively well, he needs a great deal of assistance for all basic tasks. Sara, his wife spent many hours at his bedside and struggles to care for him. She was told how to hire a caretaker by hospital staff. But given the stress of the moment she was unable to digest this information. Ultimately she felt confused rather than assisted.

Fortunately Sara had the opportunity to attend an Assisting Primary Caregivers support group. During the session, she shared her great difficulty in dealing with her new situation, both on a practical level, and on an emotional level – the difficulty in accepting her new role as caregiver. She expressed these emotions to the group. The other participants expressed their empathy, and the facilitators helped legitimize the anger she felt, helping her see that much of it stemmed from a sense of helplessness and lack of control.

After the group Sara received detailed information and a full explanation about getting a license for a foreign caregiver - information that she was now ready to absorb and act upon.

The Assisting Primary Caregivers program aims to lighten the burden that falls on family members caring for elderly patients, and provide them with resources and support to cope with and care for their elderly family member. The program trains staff at Sheba Hospital to provide primary caregivers with support and information at the critical junction of hospitalization through regular support groups in the hospital. It also provides primary caregivers with online information and resources via a website.

A Community of Support: All in the Family

Families of children with special needs have little support or community: the majority of available services focus on the child. There’s little help for other family members who face social isolation and constant deferral of their own needs. JDC's All in the Family Program strengthens families by offering guidance, community and leadership skills.

Lena, an Arab-Israeli woman from Acco, is a mother to five children. Her eldest child, 18-year old Raya, is mentally retarded, with ongoing medical needs that require frequent hospitalizations. Until recently, Raya was a source of shame to her family. Lena describes the difficulty she had in holding her head high in Arab society. Moreover, she did not know how to access information regarding social benefits and services that could help Raya. Distressed by the lack of support from her husband in helping with child care, Lena was on the verge of divorce.

"All in the Family" turned Lena's family around. Lena describes the support and empowerment that she’s received just in the last half year as "a warm home that took us in." In a mothers’ group, she learns from the experience and tips shared by other Arab and Jewish mothers coping with special needs children. It helps her to be more accepting and supportive of Raya.

Lena sees that her other children are following her example, improving the entire family dynamic. For example, one of Raya's sisters stood up in front of her class and spoke about Raya, her disabilities and the importance of accepting her and her special needs. Another younger sister comes with Lena and Raya to attend weekly "family playroom" activities, a positive shared experience that has enhanced the relationship between the sisters. "Family fun days" have fostered enjoyable experiences for the entire family.

All in the Family is designed to be a "home" for families of physically, developmentally, and mentally challenged children and youth (from birth to 21), offering them knowledge, positive experiences and a supportive peer community. The program serves 150 Jewish and Arab-Israeli families in and around the city of Akko, with plans to expand to three additional locations.

Basketball Fun Keeps Israeli Kids Off Streets

At 13, Dror was the kind of teenager who made his parents worry about what was going on in his mind. A middle child of three, he was withdrawn and introverted, unlikely to participate in school and unwilling to confide in his family. His hardworking parents were busy balancing jobs and family; they didn’t know how to get their son to come out of his shell or ensure that he didn’t veer off on the wrong path at such a critical juncture.

When Dror’s dad, Shmuel, learned about JDC’s Fathers and Sons Basketball Program, he was excited to engage with his son in a constructive activity. He felt the team experience could strengthen their family connection, which he learned was especially critical for boys who lack strong male role models and might otherwise turn to self-destructive or violent behavior. Dror, who initially didn’t even want to hang around his dad, reluctantly agreed to sign up together for their local team in Hatikva, TelAviv.

Part of JDC’s Ashalim partnership with the Government of Israel and UJA-Federation of New York to improve services for Israel’s children and youth at risk and their families, the Fathers and Sons initiative aims to strengthen relationships between adolescent boys and their fathers during the period when teens are defining their identity and transitioning towards adulthood.

Healthy parent-child relationships, which kids living in troubled neighborhoods and families disproportionately lack, are a proven factor in building resilience among teenagers. Research also shows that a teenage boy’s perceptions of his relationship with his father are directly related to depression, his performance in school, and his feelings of self-worth. For teenagers like Dror, who come from areas with few opportunities for positive recreational activities or facing difficult social or financial circumstances, this basketball league is an outlet that helps curb potentially risky behaviors like substance abuse.

These teams pick up more than just basketball techniques on the court. “Before we start playing I meet with the fathers and make sure they understand what the program is about,” says Dror and Shmuel’s coach. “We all practice together every two weeks and in between I meet with the dads to discuss issues relating to the team as well as their sons’ progress.”

Dror, now 15, successfully completed the program with his dad, and today he continues to play on the Bnei Yehuda boys' basketball team. He spends time with Shmuel in group practices and they often train together outside, too. He has opened up, begun to excel at school, and has his first girlfriend—all of which he attributes to the support and confidence that he has received from his dad and being part of the team.

“I am delighted to see my son’s confidence grow,” says Shmuel, now team manager. All 35 father and son pairs who have participated have improved relationships, begun to do better in school, and have stopped loitering and vandalizing in their neighborhoods.

All the boys are now proud to spend time with their dads, while the fathers have learned just how important their role is in their teens’ healthy development.

Ariana, the program coordinator, describes the progress she’s seen over the past two years: “The difference today with the fathers from the group is incredible. When they first joined, many of the fathers did not realize how absent they were from their kids’ lives. Today, all of them are ‘there’ for their sons. They are providing support, warmth, and personal attention. This program is truly a chance to do a mitzvah and save a child.”

Survivors Garner Strength from Each Other and New Generation

Modi’in Café Europa members engaged in artistic
activities and holiday celebrations with local youth.
Photo: JDC Website

Tzvi W. is haunted by visions from Dr. Joseph Mengele’s torture chambers, where he and his twin were sent at age 14. “From the minute I entered the camp and had a number tattooed on my arm until I finally made it out of there, I lost my humanity,” says Tzvi. There aren’t many people he can share this trauma with, and as he gets older and his coping mechanisms decline, the grief and pain of what he witnessed during his time in Auschwitz can be overwhelming.

That’s why Tzvi’s participation in Café Europa is so critical. He is one of over 2,200 elderly Holocaust survivors in Israel who find social and emotional support through this unique JDC program that also preserves their legacy for future generations.

The Café Europa activities in each location are driven by the participants themselves, reflecting their unique interests and sensibilities. For example, one group that meets regularly in Modi’in is comprised of Russian-born survivors who savor the intimate, social group environment at their sessions. As new immigrants to Israel, these Russian-speakers especially enjoy social activities in their native language, which include excursions with Russian-speaking guides, workshops on Jewish holidays and traditions, and a lecture series in Yiddish on Jewish and Israeli art. What’s universal is that Café Europa brings survivors warmth and community, and empowers them to create fulfilling experiences to share together. Together they form touring choirs; establish libraries with books in their native languages; organize lectures, workshops, and literary evenings; celebrate Kabbalat Shabbats, holidays, and birthdays; create musical performances; and plan field trips throughout Israel, giving Café Europa myriad forms throughout its 30-plus locations.

In each location, the program provides a critical forum for aging elderly survivors to share their experiences not only with each other but also with the youth in their communities. Local high school students join the seniors as volunteers and take part in joint activities like arts and crafts, hikes, and excursions. This next generation learns the survivors’ stories and together they forge an intergenerational community and contribute to the collective memory of this important historical era.

Tzipora, a 77-year-old Café Europa participant in Karmiel, has shared her recollections of walking through deep snow from Romania to Ukraine when she was seven, living for three years in near starvation in a labor camp, and overcoming Typhoid fever on a loaf of moldy bread. After the war her family moved to Israel and she worked for 25 years at a health clinic and raised three children. She is now a proud grandmother of five.

“The feeling of a common destiny unites me with the other survivors I’ve met here,” she says of Café Europa. “It allowed me to open up emotionally and to become socially active for the first time. I sincerely hope it will continue to provide a home and a social network for survivors.”

STRIVE: Support and Training Result in Valuable Employment

JDC'S STRIVE program helps chronically unemployed young adults find gainful employment – their only path to self-reliance and financial security.

At 23, Yael found herself divorced, unemployed and caring for her two small children alone. She was unable to hold down a job. Having moved back into her parents' home with her children, she was ready to give up.

Yael learned about STRIVE when she became a client of the local welfare office. She'd sat with the social worker for two hours going through every possible job opening to which the welfare office could refer her, but she did not seem to fit any opportunity. Most of all, she was afraid of failing.

That is when the social worker gave her a STRIVE Jerusalem brochure and told her that if she "survived" the program’s intensive, month-long "boot camp" the program’s staff would find her gainful work and help her develop new skills towards a career path. They would guide her the whole way.

Yael agreed to the terms and decided that she would stick out the course no matter what. She recalls it now as one of the most challenging periods of her life. But Yael completed the course and the program quickly helped her find work in customer service at Pelephone, one of Israel's largest cell phone companies.

She has been working at Pelephone for the last two years and now heads up a team in customer service. "STRIVE taught me that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to—fulltime work, children and childcare, even studying part time to finish a degree in Business Management! "

With centers in Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel-Aviv, STRIVE begins by focusing on attitudinal training and "soft skills" for workplace success, as well as technical skills, such as resume writing and computer use. This is followed by a closely guided job search process. Once they have begun working, STRIVE graduates continue to receive guidance and support, as well as advanced training options that help ensure long-term employment success.