In Aftermath of Paris Massacres, JDC & French Jewish Community Partner on Resiliency Programs

New York, February 3, 2015 – In the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Cacher massacres, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is partnering with the French Jewish community on resiliency programs addressing trauma, crisis management training, and the relocation of at-risk Jews from troubled neighborhoods in the French capital. The multifaceted response, organized at the invitation of the French Jewish community, expands and upgrades JDC’s current work with French Jews which includes leadership skills seminars, community development best practice cultivation and promotion, and the inclusion of young French Jews in pan-European networking initiatives.

Collaborating with the French Jewish community – a vibrant, self-sustaining, and multi-faceted population of more than 500,000 that today faces economic, political, and social challenges – JDC will help provide post-trauma care for those suffering as a result of the terror attacks and rising anti-Semitism. JDC experts, and those from the Israel Trauma Coalition, will share knowledge/skills with Jewish professionals, local intervention teams, volunteers, and community leaders to ensure effective and timely responses to trauma, especially among children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. JDC will also work closely with French Jewish community leadership on upgraded crisis management capacity to address emergency situations in real time. Additionally, JDC will help with relocation plans for vulnerable Jews – the elderly and poor families – from unsafe neighborhoods plagued by crime, high levels of poverty, Islamist radicalism, and political extremism. JDC’s initial response with be carried out in cooperation with the FSJU, OSE (Œuvre de Secours aux Enfants), a community agency aiding needy Jews, and the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah (FMS).