- 2nd half 2006
A glimpse into the varied articles that have cited JDC's work around the world. To obtain a story's full text, please refer to the news source attributed.
Foreign Jews flock to northern Israel
JTA– December 26 2006
Hundreds of young Diaspora Jews flocked to Israel to help rebuild northern communities damaged during the war with Hezbollah. Israel Radio reported Tuesday that the first members of a 500-strong delegation of foreign Jewish students were arriving as part of "Leading Up North," an initiative supported by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. Also participating in the project are Hillel, the Israel on Campus Coalition, the Jewish Coalition for Service and the JDC.
Chanukah through the ages
Sofia Echo– December 25 2006
… Julia Dandolova, project manager of JDC in Bulgaria, notes that those customs eventually became associated with their grandparents' generation… But that period is over, explains Dandolova. It has been more than 15 years and people are passing beyond that primary stage of learning about what Judaism represents. People are now beginning to experience the traditions, to develop their own unique relationship with the religion, as they continue to learn more about its significance… Dandolova discusses the youth-oriented goals of the community, recognising that it is the next generation that will not only be able to share its knowledge with their parents and grandparents, but also it will be today’s youth who ensure that the candles will continue to stay lit in a fervently secular society.
Candles in combat
Jerusalem Post – December 15 2006
…A somewhat tattered cardboard box containing colored candles appears – donated by the JDC t inmates of displaced persons camps in Germany. It is hard to believe that this survived the ravages of 60 years. The Joint also distributed a small booklet telling the story of Hanukka for the children in the camps…
Ultra-Orthodox go to work
Israel Today – November 23 2006
The first of six ultra-Orthodox job placement centers was dedicated in Jerusalem on Wednesday, a center dedicated to helping the Haredi community find jobs. This comes at a time when the government is cutting back on Haredi stipends, money previously given to large ultra-Orthodox families (families with more than four children) by the State whose men study Torah full-time in Yeshivas. The JDC is backing the project along with the State. They have been trying to integrate the ultra-Orthodox community into the workforce since 1996 and have invested nearly $10,500,000 into the project.
Israel's thriving time bank has 22 branches and 3000 clients
Haaretz – November 17 2006
…The time bank, a project established by the Association of Israel Community Centers and the JDC, is based on a British model. The Israeli version began four years ago in two Jerusalem neighborhoods, the relatively upscale Germany Colony and Ir Ganim-Kiryat Menachem. Now, 22 branches operate throughout the country. The idea of the bank is based on the principle that everyone's time has equal value. "An hour of legal advice equals an hour of dog-walking," says Ayala Wohl-Tiser, director of the Kiryat Menachem branch and one of two local instructors of the barter-community concept. Exchange of services does not necessarily take place directly between two members. More commonly, chains of withdrawal and deposit are created…
Groundbreaking held for Polish JCC
JTA — November 14 2006
Groundbreaking was held in Krakow for Poland’s first Jewish community center. The $1.2 million, four-story center is slated to open in late 2007 or early 2008 on the grounds of the Temple Synagogue in the Kazmierz district. The project is the result of a 2002 visit to Krakow by Britain’s Prince Charles, who was moved by the plight of elderly Jews there, according to World Jewish Relief in London, a backer of the center. The prince was a key donor to the center, which also is being supported by the JDC.
California Dreaming… at the GA
Haaretz – Novermber 12 2006
…Steve Schwager, executive vice president of the JDC, warns against concentrating discussion at the GA on "our own problems in the United States and Israel," and cites the lack of serious attention to the needs of smaller Jewish communities around the world. "Four-fifths of the Jewish people live in Israel and the United States," he explains. "So it is no wonder that we tend to deal with problems and issues that concern the two major communities. But we must remember the ‘other fifth’ — Jews in small and sometimes remote communities in 60 countries." Schwager, one of’ the 50 most influential Jewish leaders in America, claims he is a "witness on an almost daily basis to the needs and existential problems of the other fifth, and I would like to see them addressed."
Miracle man: Jewish doctor helps some of Africa's neediest
Kansas City Jewish Chronicle — November 10 2006
…"It doesn't matter what religion he is; he is doing this for humanity," says Monica Thonen-Bartet, a Maltese volunteer at the mission. "This is the most beautiful man I have ever seen." This is not Dr. Hodes' day job: As medical director for Ethiopia for the JDC, Hodes is responsible for the medical welfare of some 10,000 Ethiopians known as Falash Mura. The Falash Mura live in shantytowns in the Ethiopian cities of Addis Ababa and Gondar while they wait for permission to emigrate to Israel, and the JDC provides them with medical care at a series of private clinics, where Hodes has implemented Western-style vaccination programs and preventative medical care, with great success…
Visit to Germany reunites staff and former residents of post-WWII haven
JTA – October 26 2006
…"It was the first place where I had a childhood," said Yossi Erez, who today works for the JDC in Warsaw, assisting in "the revival of the Jewish community of Poland."…In Blankenese, "for the first time I have somebody feeling warm towards me," Erez said. "I’m not hungry, I feel safe, I don’t have to worry what will happen tomorrow and I feel that I have some future. It was the beginning of my childhood, at the age of 9..."
Most residents stayed in North during war
Jerusalem Post– September 20 2006
A survey released this week by the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel has found that despite media images of Israeli refugees fleeing during last month's war with Hizbullah, 86 percent of residents of the North stayed at home, leaving the troubled area for only a few days' respite. "The result was extremely surprising. I asked my people to double-check the data," commented Taub Center director Ya'acov Kop…
Thank you
Kol Carmiel – September 1 2006
…Shlomi local authority on behalf of the head of the authority Gabriel Na’aman, authority members and Shlomi residents, thanking the JDC workers and chairman Arnon Mantver and many more. "Your concern and your deeds for the residents of Shlomi during the war deserves an appreciation and honor award and we wish that God would pay you as you deserve for ever".
Wartime Lessons in Helping the Disabled
Haaretz – August 28 2006
…Tami Barnea of the JDC-Israel called Mateh Ma’avak Hanechim, an umbrella organization representing some 5,000 people with disabilities, and suggested setting up an emergency network for disabled northern residents. "First we asked the state and the municipalities but they all said that since no war or state of emergency was declared, their hands were tied," Barnea said. The program was called Magen – a Hebrew acronym for "flexible response for the disabled"...
Making a difference to childen of Turkey
Cleveland Jewish News – August 24 2006
…About a year ago, Shaker Heights resident James Wolf Jr. became involved with a project to assist vulnerable children in Turkey. Impressed with the efforts of the JDC… The contribution covered the costs of ten computers for two centers, equipment for two recreational therapy rooms, plus salaries for computer/recreational therapy counselors for one year and consultation fees for substance abuse experts to help local professionals. "The children were very appreciative and very anxious to be with us," wrote Wolf in his travelogue about their visit to Samandra Children's Center in Istanbul. "They looked directly in our faces, acknowledged our assistance, and tried very hard to make sure that we knew they were grateful for our help..."
Israeli teens find reprieve in Hungary
JTA — August 11 2006
An American Jewish group is sending 40 Jewish and Druze teens from northern Israel to a week-long summer camp in Hungary. The teens, sponsored by JDC, arrived Friday at the JDC/Ronald S. Lauder International Jewish Summer Camp in Szarvas, two hours outside Budapest. The Israelis will join 450 campers from eight European countries for the current camp session, participating in sports, recreation and other summer programs.
ESHEL provides 5-day respite for elderly rocket-zone residents
Jerusalem Post — August 7 2006
JDC-ESHEL has provided 1,500 elderly residents of the North with a 5-day respite from constant bombardment of Katushya rockets…Participant will be offered a variety of medial services, including counseling from JDC-ESHEL’s professional staff and various activities and entertainment.
Stressed, scared and set to soldier on
Cleveland Jewish News — August 7 2006
… one of a handful of JDC board members to go on a special mission to observe the situation in northern Israel this past week…"The conditions were wretched," he says. "It was very warm; there was no light, poor ventilation. Some people have been in there 14 days. They’re just scared to go out. I met one woman who had just immigrated from the former Soviet Union. She’s been in Israel six weeks. She’s so scared, she won’t even go out (of the shelter) for air."… observed some of the JDC’s work setting up initial trauma counseling. The need for counseling "will be a huge problem," he emphasized. "Kids and older people are scared out of their minds by these random bombs dropping."
JDC Boss: Israelis Are Vulnerable
The Forward — August 4 2006
…"The terror of this conflict has impacted Israeli society and the most vulnerable in a way I’ve never seen," said Steven Schwager, executive vice president of the JDC, describing the fear that has gripped the region’s residents since July 12, when war with Hezbollah broke out… the JDC is providing food, as well as games, for children to 13 Arab villages. In each of 10,000 emergency kits that the JDC has distributed to the elderly is a note — written either in Hebrew, Arabic or Amharic, depending on the language of the village — inscribed with a simple message: "You are not alone."
Grief and fear, anger and humor in Israel
From the Baltimore Sun — August 3, 2006
…Ellen M. Heller, president …We navigated the steep steps down several landings in the Jewish/Arab Hadar neighborhood -- one of Haifa's poorest -- and came into an underground, hot room filled primarily with elderly and children. The shelter's air was fetid, and the people were covered with perspiration. The children sat with sullen, dazed expressions next to thin foam mattresses spread on the floor. These people had not been out of this "shelter" for 20 days. ...
"Humanitarian Effort Focuses On Victims of Conflict in Middle East"
Fox News.com - Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Israeli citizens are receiving aid from groups such as the JDC…distributing 8,000 emergency kits — containing toiletries, radios and flashlights — to elderly residents in six northern cities...relatively few aid organizations have fronted ground efforts, opting instead for a wait-and-see approach.
US Jewish Lobby Rallies Behind Israel
Islam-online.net – July 18 2006
…Last week, United Jewish Communities helped raise $1 million in just two hours to send to Israel. The JDC, one of the largest American charities operating in Israel, is also preparing special programs for Israeli children to keep them out of danger…
Foreign Jews flock to northern Israel
JTA– December 26 2006
Hundreds of young Diaspora Jews flocked to Israel to help rebuild northern communities damaged during the war with Hezbollah. Israel Radio reported Tuesday that the first members of a 500-strong delegation of foreign Jewish students were arriving as part of "Leading Up North," an initiative supported by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. Also participating in the project are Hillel, the Israel on Campus Coalition, the Jewish Coalition for Service and the JDC.
Chanukah through the ages
Sofia Echo– December 25 2006
… Julia Dandolova, project manager of JDC in Bulgaria, notes that those customs eventually became associated with their grandparents' generation… But that period is over, explains Dandolova. It has been more than 15 years and people are passing beyond that primary stage of learning about what Judaism represents. People are now beginning to experience the traditions, to develop their own unique relationship with the religion, as they continue to learn more about its significance… Dandolova discusses the youth-oriented goals of the community, recognising that it is the next generation that will not only be able to share its knowledge with their parents and grandparents, but also it will be today’s youth who ensure that the candles will continue to stay lit in a fervently secular society.
Candles in combat
Jerusalem Post – December 15 2006
…A somewhat tattered cardboard box containing colored candles appears – donated by the JDC t inmates of displaced persons camps in Germany. It is hard to believe that this survived the ravages of 60 years. The Joint also distributed a small booklet telling the story of Hanukka for the children in the camps…
Ultra-Orthodox go to work
Israel Today – November 23 2006
The first of six ultra-Orthodox job placement centers was dedicated in Jerusalem on Wednesday, a center dedicated to helping the Haredi community find jobs. This comes at a time when the government is cutting back on Haredi stipends, money previously given to large ultra-Orthodox families (families with more than four children) by the State whose men study Torah full-time in Yeshivas. The JDC is backing the project along with the State. They have been trying to integrate the ultra-Orthodox community into the workforce since 1996 and have invested nearly $10,500,000 into the project.
Israel's thriving time bank has 22 branches and 3000 clients
Haaretz – November 17 2006
…The time bank, a project established by the Association of Israel Community Centers and the JDC, is based on a British model. The Israeli version began four years ago in two Jerusalem neighborhoods, the relatively upscale Germany Colony and Ir Ganim-Kiryat Menachem. Now, 22 branches operate throughout the country. The idea of the bank is based on the principle that everyone's time has equal value. "An hour of legal advice equals an hour of dog-walking," says Ayala Wohl-Tiser, director of the Kiryat Menachem branch and one of two local instructors of the barter-community concept. Exchange of services does not necessarily take place directly between two members. More commonly, chains of withdrawal and deposit are created…
Groundbreaking held for Polish JCC
JTA — November 14 2006
Groundbreaking was held in Krakow for Poland’s first Jewish community center. The $1.2 million, four-story center is slated to open in late 2007 or early 2008 on the grounds of the Temple Synagogue in the Kazmierz district. The project is the result of a 2002 visit to Krakow by Britain’s Prince Charles, who was moved by the plight of elderly Jews there, according to World Jewish Relief in London, a backer of the center. The prince was a key donor to the center, which also is being supported by the JDC.
California Dreaming… at the GA
Haaretz – Novermber 12 2006
…Steve Schwager, executive vice president of the JDC, warns against concentrating discussion at the GA on "our own problems in the United States and Israel," and cites the lack of serious attention to the needs of smaller Jewish communities around the world. "Four-fifths of the Jewish people live in Israel and the United States," he explains. "So it is no wonder that we tend to deal with problems and issues that concern the two major communities. But we must remember the ‘other fifth’ — Jews in small and sometimes remote communities in 60 countries." Schwager, one of’ the 50 most influential Jewish leaders in America, claims he is a "witness on an almost daily basis to the needs and existential problems of the other fifth, and I would like to see them addressed."
Miracle man: Jewish doctor helps some of Africa's neediest
Kansas City Jewish Chronicle — November 10 2006
…"It doesn't matter what religion he is; he is doing this for humanity," says Monica Thonen-Bartet, a Maltese volunteer at the mission. "This is the most beautiful man I have ever seen." This is not Dr. Hodes' day job: As medical director for Ethiopia for the JDC, Hodes is responsible for the medical welfare of some 10,000 Ethiopians known as Falash Mura. The Falash Mura live in shantytowns in the Ethiopian cities of Addis Ababa and Gondar while they wait for permission to emigrate to Israel, and the JDC provides them with medical care at a series of private clinics, where Hodes has implemented Western-style vaccination programs and preventative medical care, with great success…
Visit to Germany reunites staff and former residents of post-WWII haven
JTA – October 26 2006
…"It was the first place where I had a childhood," said Yossi Erez, who today works for the JDC in Warsaw, assisting in "the revival of the Jewish community of Poland."…In Blankenese, "for the first time I have somebody feeling warm towards me," Erez said. "I’m not hungry, I feel safe, I don’t have to worry what will happen tomorrow and I feel that I have some future. It was the beginning of my childhood, at the age of 9..."
Most residents stayed in North during war
Jerusalem Post– September 20 2006
A survey released this week by the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel has found that despite media images of Israeli refugees fleeing during last month's war with Hizbullah, 86 percent of residents of the North stayed at home, leaving the troubled area for only a few days' respite. "The result was extremely surprising. I asked my people to double-check the data," commented Taub Center director Ya'acov Kop…
Thank you
Kol Carmiel – September 1 2006
…Shlomi local authority on behalf of the head of the authority Gabriel Na’aman, authority members and Shlomi residents, thanking the JDC workers and chairman Arnon Mantver and many more. "Your concern and your deeds for the residents of Shlomi during the war deserves an appreciation and honor award and we wish that God would pay you as you deserve for ever".
Wartime Lessons in Helping the Disabled
Haaretz – August 28 2006
…Tami Barnea of the JDC-Israel called Mateh Ma’avak Hanechim, an umbrella organization representing some 5,000 people with disabilities, and suggested setting up an emergency network for disabled northern residents. "First we asked the state and the municipalities but they all said that since no war or state of emergency was declared, their hands were tied," Barnea said. The program was called Magen – a Hebrew acronym for "flexible response for the disabled"...
Making a difference to childen of Turkey
Cleveland Jewish News – August 24 2006
…About a year ago, Shaker Heights resident James Wolf Jr. became involved with a project to assist vulnerable children in Turkey. Impressed with the efforts of the JDC… The contribution covered the costs of ten computers for two centers, equipment for two recreational therapy rooms, plus salaries for computer/recreational therapy counselors for one year and consultation fees for substance abuse experts to help local professionals. "The children were very appreciative and very anxious to be with us," wrote Wolf in his travelogue about their visit to Samandra Children's Center in Istanbul. "They looked directly in our faces, acknowledged our assistance, and tried very hard to make sure that we knew they were grateful for our help..."
Israeli teens find reprieve in Hungary
JTA — August 11 2006
An American Jewish group is sending 40 Jewish and Druze teens from northern Israel to a week-long summer camp in Hungary. The teens, sponsored by JDC, arrived Friday at the JDC/Ronald S. Lauder International Jewish Summer Camp in Szarvas, two hours outside Budapest. The Israelis will join 450 campers from eight European countries for the current camp session, participating in sports, recreation and other summer programs.
ESHEL provides 5-day respite for elderly rocket-zone residents
Jerusalem Post — August 7 2006
JDC-ESHEL has provided 1,500 elderly residents of the North with a 5-day respite from constant bombardment of Katushya rockets…Participant will be offered a variety of medial services, including counseling from JDC-ESHEL’s professional staff and various activities and entertainment.
Stressed, scared and set to soldier on
Cleveland Jewish News — August 7 2006
… one of a handful of JDC board members to go on a special mission to observe the situation in northern Israel this past week…"The conditions were wretched," he says. "It was very warm; there was no light, poor ventilation. Some people have been in there 14 days. They’re just scared to go out. I met one woman who had just immigrated from the former Soviet Union. She’s been in Israel six weeks. She’s so scared, she won’t even go out (of the shelter) for air."… observed some of the JDC’s work setting up initial trauma counseling. The need for counseling "will be a huge problem," he emphasized. "Kids and older people are scared out of their minds by these random bombs dropping."
JDC Boss: Israelis Are Vulnerable
The Forward — August 4 2006
…"The terror of this conflict has impacted Israeli society and the most vulnerable in a way I’ve never seen," said Steven Schwager, executive vice president of the JDC, describing the fear that has gripped the region’s residents since July 12, when war with Hezbollah broke out… the JDC is providing food, as well as games, for children to 13 Arab villages. In each of 10,000 emergency kits that the JDC has distributed to the elderly is a note — written either in Hebrew, Arabic or Amharic, depending on the language of the village — inscribed with a simple message: "You are not alone."
Grief and fear, anger and humor in Israel
From the Baltimore Sun — August 3, 2006
…Ellen M. Heller, president …We navigated the steep steps down several landings in the Jewish/Arab Hadar neighborhood -- one of Haifa's poorest -- and came into an underground, hot room filled primarily with elderly and children. The shelter's air was fetid, and the people were covered with perspiration. The children sat with sullen, dazed expressions next to thin foam mattresses spread on the floor. These people had not been out of this "shelter" for 20 days. ...
"Humanitarian Effort Focuses On Victims of Conflict in Middle East"
Fox News.com - Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Israeli citizens are receiving aid from groups such as the JDC…distributing 8,000 emergency kits — containing toiletries, radios and flashlights — to elderly residents in six northern cities...relatively few aid organizations have fronted ground efforts, opting instead for a wait-and-see approach.
US Jewish Lobby Rallies Behind Israel
Islam-online.net – July 18 2006
…Last week, United Jewish Communities helped raise $1 million in just two hours to send to Israel. The JDC, one of the largest American charities operating in Israel, is also preparing special programs for Israeli children to keep them out of danger…
