• Home
  • About
    • About
    • Policies
  • Submissions
    • Op-eds
    • News / Announcements
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

eJewish Philanthropy

Your Jewish Philanthropy Resource

  • News Bits
  • Jewish Education
  • Readers Forum
  • Research
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / Life in the FSU Countries / Faces of Hope, Lives of Dignity

Faces of Hope, Lives of Dignity

November 29, 2017 By JDC Staff

For too many Jews around the world, poverty is a stark reality.

In the former Soviet Union, elderly Jews who endured Soviet oppression, and others who also survived the Holocaust, are left to piece together a life with only a few dollars a day. Not only must they contend with abject poverty and hunger, many are also alone, as family and friends have left the country or died from disease, tragic accidents, or old age.

For these needy elderly, aid programs like the IFCJ Lifeline, an operational partnership between the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, ensure that they have food on the table and the medications they need to survive.

Through this support, tens of thousands of people who are often forgotten and left behind, enjoy a renewed sense of joy, hope and dignity. The IFCJ Lifeline is part of a multi-faith coalition of partners – including the Claims Conference, Jewish Federations, and many others – who work with JDC to care for those in desperate need.

Here are a few of their stories.

Vera I., 62-years-old from Kiev, Ukraine. Photo credit: JDC.

62-year-old Vera of Kiev has faced more than her fair share of heartbreak, from her struggle to make ends meet every month to a tragic fall that broke both her arms. Yet, with a quiet strength and persistent sense of joy, she perseveres, and gives back to her community, because of the strength she has drawn from the help she has received. “Even though I worked for many years, my pension is tiny. I would starve if I had to live on my pension alone. I don’t want to think about it,” she says of what would happen if she did not receive help through the Lifeline and JDC’s network of Hesed social welfare centers. “I can’t tell you how much this assistance is saving my life.”

Tatiana P, 65-years-old, from Odessa, Ukraine. Photo credit: JDC.

“I’ve taught 160 students, I was a well-regarded nurse and medical masseuse. I’ve helped thousands of people and now I can’t even help myself,” says 65-year-old Tatiana from Odessa. Tatiana was forced to retire because of severe back pain caused by the hours she spent helping others ease their own pain. Her house is a poorly insulated two-room hovel and has not been repaired in years. It takes at least two tons of coal over the course of the winter to keep it warm. To save money on coal, Tatiana uses an electric heater, but that too has run her into debt. She cuts costs wherever she can, growing what she can in her backyard in addition to benefiting from the food she receives through the Lifeline.

Yuliy K., Lifeline beneficiary, Kiev, Ukraine. Photo credit: JDC.

Although he spent much of his adult life working in construction, Yuliy, has little to show for it beyond a $48 dollar a month pension that barely covers enough food for him to survive. Because much of his working life overlapped with Soviet times, he never had savings or any type of personal retirement plan. The place he calls homes is a bare, one-room apartment, where he lives, alone, in central Kiev. His daily diet consists of a piece of bread or a sandwich for breakfast and soup for lunch. “Soup is very important for my health,” Yuriy says. Through the Lifeline, Yuily receives a bank card to buy food and medicine, and special packages for Jewish holidays.

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein (left), President and Founder of IFCJ, was presented with a resolution by JDC President Stan Rabin (middle) and JDC CEO David Schizer (right) at the October JDC Board Meeting. Photo credit: Romina Hendlin for JDC.

At its October board meeting, JDC paused to recognize its operational partnership with IFCJ and its founder Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, who has served as a longtime JDC board member. Through its ongoing partnership with JDC, IFCJ has invested $150 million, including $26 million in the last two years, to address the challenges faced by the poorest Jews around the world – men and women like Yuily, Tatiana and Vera, who can live today with a renewed sense of optimism.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Life in the FSU Countries Tagged With: JDC / Joint Distribution Committee, The Fellowship/IFCJ

Click here to Email This Post Email This Post to friends or colleagues!

Primary Sidebar

Join The Conversation

What's the best way to follow important issues affecting the Jewish philanthropic world? Our Daily Update keeps you on top of the latest news, trends and opinions shaping the landscape, providing an invaluable source for inspiration and learning.
Sign Up Now
For Email Marketing you can trust.

Continue The Conversation

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Recent Comments

  • Bruce Powell on An Invitation To Transparency: Reflections on an Open Salary Spreadsheet
  • Sara Rigler on Announcement: Catherine Reed named CEO of American Friends of Magen David Adom
  • Donna Burkat on The Blessings in 2020’s Losses
  • swindmueller on Where Do We Go From Here?
    Reflections On 2021
    A Jewish Response to These Uncertain Times
  • Alan Henkin on Where Do We Go From Here?
    Reflections On 2021
    A Jewish Response to These Uncertain Times

Most Read Recent Posts

  • Jewish Agency Accuses Evangelical Contractors of “Numerous Violations” but Denies They Evangelized New Immigrants
  • Breaking: Birthright Israel & Onward Israel Seek to Join Forces to Strengthen Jewish Diaspora Ties with Israel
  • An Invitation To Transparency: Reflections on an Open Salary Spreadsheet
  • Why One Zoom Class Has Generated a Following
  • The Blessings in 2020’s Losses

Categories

The Way Back Machine

Footer

What We Do

eJewish Philanthropy highlights news, resources and thought pieces on issues facing our Jewish philanthropic world in order to create dialogue and advance the conversation. Learn more.

Top 40 Philanthropy Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2020

Copyright © 2021 · eJewish Philanthropy · All Rights Reserved