jssa.org

JSSA's 2013 Gala, Feats of Courage, focused on how JSSA services provide: Strength to Holocaust survivors

"JSSA gives Holocaust survivors strength to live another day," says Nesse Godin. "They know that somebody is there to take care of them." JSSA services for Holocaust survivors includes personal care such as bathing, transportation to medical appointments, and grocery shopping.

Herman Taube Fund for Survivors
Herman Taube celebrated his 95th birthday by raising $10,000 for his newly established Herman Taube Fund for Holocaust Survivors. Donate to the fund. Questions? Call Eileen Hilnbrand at 301.610.8342.

There are many ways you or your group can get involved. Join the community-wide effort by contacting Marissa Neuman at 301.610.8345. You can organize a Giant gift card collection or have a JSSA representative speak to your group about the effects of aging on a Holocaust survivor.   

• Click Here to Download Educational Materials

• Read Articles about the Holocaust Survivor Program

• Meet JSSA's Holocaust Survivor Program Advisory Committee

• Our Community Supporters 

Remember Their Past, Strengthen Their Present, Secure Their Future

The Jewish Social Service Agency’s (JSSA) nearly 20-year-old Holocaust Survivor Program is facing critical funding shortfalls this coming year and for the next 10 or more years. Several hundred frail, poor and ill Holocaust survivors reside in the greater DC area.

Due to unprecedented increases in applications for services as this population nears the last few years of their life, Holocaust survivors' growing need for basic safety net services including personal care, homemaker, health, social services, and financial assistance are currently outpacing available funding. Changing demographics, increasing frailty, the downturn in the economy, and changes in eligibility criteria for Claims Conference (CC) funding have contributed to this dire situation. 

How Does JSSA Help: 

• In 2012, JSSA served more than 200 Holocaust survivor clients – over 40 of whom are new to the program.
• Two thirds of these clients have annual incomes that fall below 200% of the Federal Poverty level ($22,340 for individuals and $29,140 for couples annually).
• The average age of JSSA’s Holocaust survivor client is 85. Nearly half of all clients are over 85 years of age and 15% are over 90.
• Nearly 70% of JSSA’s Holocaust survivor clients either require moderate or full assistance with activities of daily living (i.e. many are bedridden or use a wheelchair and need bathing, dressing, and housekeeping assistance).
• JSSA is spending an average of $5,116 per survivor each year

Why Your Help is Needed: Up until now, these and other critical social services have been funded by Claims Conference grants, matching JSSA funds, and donations. But a decrease in many of these traditional revenue sources combined with a substantial increase in aging survivors applying for more intensive services has placed our Holocaust Survivors Program in jeopardy. This year alone, JSSA is facing a more than $500,000 shortfall, and we expect the deficit to grow annually for at least another 10 years. Without additional support from generous donors, our ability to provide safety net services for impoverished Holocaust survivors in our midst is in peril.

Our Shared Responsibility: We have an enduring shared commitment to caring for and providing safety net services to frail, poor and ill Holocaust survivors residing in our community. Without additional support from generous donors – from you – JSSA will not be able to fully realize its responsibility to serve and support Holocaust survivors in need. Learn more about how you can help. 

Educational Materials

You can help us spread the word about the critical need to raise funds to support our community’s holocaust survivors. Download and share the information below:

• Background Information
• FAQs
• Educational Information - for Newsletters, Emails, etc.
• Holocaust Survivor Program Logo 

In the News: 

"Germany OKs Funding Jump For Survivors", Washington Jewish Week, June 6, 2013

"Young Philanthropists Take Up Plight of US Holocaust Survivors", Jewish Times, May 28, 2013

"95-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor Helps Raise Money for Other Survivors", BelAir Gazette, May 6, 2013

Herman Taube Fund for Holocaust Survivor published in the Rockville Patch, Washington Jewish Week and The Washington Sun, March 20, 2013

Radio interviews, articles and more press about the Holocaust Survivor Program are located here: JSSA in the News.

JSSA's Holocaust Survivor Program Advisory Committee*

• Anat Bar-Cohen
• Dottie Bennett
• Joseph Brodecki
• Nesse Godin
• Genie Glucksman
• James Arthur Weissmann Klein
• Maryla Korn
• Herman Taube
• Rabbi Jonathan Schnitzer
• Margo Volftsun 

Community Supporters

We thank the following congregations who have informed us of their plans to support our fundraising efforts to benefit the Holocaust Survivor Program at JSSA*:

• Adas Israel Congregation
• Agudas Achim Congregation
• Bethesda Jewish Congregation
• Bet Mishpachah
• B’nai Israel
• B'nai Shalom of Olney
• Congregation Beth Emeth
• Congregation B'nai Tzedek
• Congregation Etz Hayim
• Congregation Shaare Shalom
• DC Minyan
• Jewish Rockville Outreach Congregation (JewishRoc)
• Kol Shalom
• Kemp Mill Synagogue
• Magen David Sephardic Congregation
• Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation
• Silver Spring Jewish Center
• Temple Beth Ami
• Temple B’nai Shalom, Fairfax Station, VA
• Temple Micah
• Temple Rodef Shalom
• Temple Shalom
• Temple Sinai DC
• Tikvat Israel Congregation
• Washington Hebrew Congregation

And thank you also to the special organizations in our community for their support!* 

• Alpha Omega Foundation
• Capital Camps
• Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, staff and students of Upper School campus
• Child Survivors – Last Generation
• “Havurah Minyan” at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School
• International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
• Patton Boggs, LLC
• Maimonides Dental Society
• The Tribe Motorcycle Club
• The Washington Post
• Third Generation of Holocaust Survivors DC (3GDC)
• Young Jewish Professionals, The Survivor Initiative

Support our Holocaust Survivor Community Today!

 “I am so thankful to have participated in the program and to have had the privilege and honor of meeting Holocaust survivors through JSSA. I will never forget this experience, as it made a profound, positive impact on my life.” Lia S.

Other services our clients have found helpful:

• Brenner Transportation Program
• Connecting In Friendship
• Coming of Age Program
• Evaluation, Coordination of Care, Treatment and Support
• Himmelfarb Mobile University
• Holocaust Survivor Services and Family Support
• Hospice Care
• Premier Homecare
• Transitions Care
• Workshops and Groups for Seniors and their Families 

Social services for Nazi victims have been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.