CARING FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE JEWS
The Federation always takes care of the elderly and most vulnerable members of our Jewish community including our cherished Holocaust survivors, but during the pandemic they needed even more special care and attention. We collaborate and work with our partners to help meet their basic needs and allow them to age in place with a sense of independence and dignity — and offer the comfort of knowing that they are not alone. Here is an example of this vital work: Joyce’s mother Reva is in her 90s and a Holocaust survivor from Poland. Reva was recently hospitalized when she injured her back in a fall. Joyce knew her mother would need in-home care when she returned home and called the Federation for help. Joyce was quickly connected to assistance and then linked with a case manager at Jewish Family Service. Reva will now be receiving the in-home care she needs. The social worker will also make sure that she is receiving the compensation and restitution owed by the Polish government during the War so that she may continue to live life in dignity.
KEEPING OUR JEWISH COMMUNITY SAFE
The Federation is leading the efforts to keep our community safe in a way only we can. As we see an alarming rise in anti-Semitic incidents and begin the necessary preparations to gather again, our Community Security Initiative (CSI) is protecting our community. Since 2012, CSI’s mission has been to represent the security-related interests of over 500 Jewish institutions throughout Greater Los Angeles. CSI’s new PRT-Guard Force program will use the latest in computer-based training to educate security guards in topics such as: Jewish cultural training, hate groups, historical attacks and attack vectors, the terrorist planning cycle, as well as descriptive writing and verbal de-escalation techniques. The course will also provide the tools to identify suspicious behaviors before an attack, assess the intent of an individual, and submit a timely and accurate report to law enforcement and CSI.
PROVIDING URGENTLY NEEDED RESOURCES TO FOOD-INSECURE JEWISH COLLEGE STUDENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS
As the pandemic hit, our Federation connected with partners and young adults in our community to do wellness checks. We learned that a surprisingly large number of Jewish college students and 20- and 30-year-olds were struggling to afford food and suffering nutritionally. We responded by helping launch WellFed, which provides $250 grocery gift cards and meal delivery cards to food-insecure college students and young adults who have lost jobs and whose families were experiencing unemployment or reductions in income. In 2020, WellFed helped over 400 young adults. Because we knew the need for this support was still present, in March of 2021 we initiated a second round of WellFed to support our young adult community. Within days of launching, 850 new young adults submitted applications. A quarter of the applicants also asked for additional social services, which we are now providing.