- 2007
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.
Responding to Natural Disasters: JDC's Response to the Tsunami
Journal of Jewish Communal Service – Fall 2007
Dr. Amos Avgar; Dr. William Recant; and Romi Kaplan
This article examines the post-disaster intervention strategies of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) following the tsunami that struck South and Southeast Asia in December 2004.
Read full article.
Jewish Study Flourishes In Moscow
The Jewish Week – November 1, 2007
...Recalling when the Soviet Union collapsed and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) returned to work in the FSU, Steven Schwager, CEO of the JDC, said: "It was a dream of JDC to have the Russian Jewish community take its rightful place among the global Jewish people. Limmud FSU is the fruition of that dream, and we are proud to be a part of its success."
Breast cancer survivors share stories at Jewish-led conference in Russia
JTA – October 30, 2007
...Masnikova, a Jewish retiree living in Moscow, was among dozens of breast cancer survivors whose stories were part of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s Women’s Health Program, a unique three-day conference held Oct. 24-27 in Moscow.
Agahozo
Jewish Journal of Los Angeles– October 19, 2007
...Heyman was in town last week to raise money and awareness for the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda. Moved to ease the plight of 1.2 million children left orphaned by the 1994 Rwandan genocide, she came up with the idea of emulating the Yemin Orde Youth Village in Israel, the model by which Israel absorbed, raised and educated hundreds of post-Holocaust Jewish orphans. ...Using funds provided by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and private donors, the village will provide 500 Rwandan children with community, family, an education and a vocation.
Making communal servicea rite of passage in Jewish life
JTA – August 27, 2007
..."Not to take away from the short-term programs, but the long-term programs are much more intensive in terms of learning and contribution," says Linda Levi, assistant executive vice president of the JDC and founder of its Jewish Service Corps, which places young volunteers for yearlong assignments in needy Jewish communities around the world. "The impact on the participants and the communities served is much greater."
Rice's help sought to solve old mystery
JTA – July 19 2007
The JDC asked Condoleeza Rice to help solve a 40-year-old mystery involving the death of a former JDC official. The body of Charles Jordan, a former JDC executive chairman, was found floating in Prague's Vltava River nearly 40 years ago. "Grounds to suspect foul play are undeniable given the circumstances, and yet the crime never received its deserved attention," JDC Executive Vice President Steven Schwager wrote to the U.S. secretary of state on July 19...
New hearing aid system installed at Ifat cultural hall
Hadash Ba'Emek – June 29 2007
A new hearing aid system is being set up at the regional cultural hall in Kibbutz Ifat, as is the standard in leading theaters across the country. Hard of hearing ticket holders will be equipped with complimentary headsets at the entrance to the hall. The new system is installed courtesy of the JDC.
In war-torn Africa, a Jewish home emerges
Jewish San Francisco – June 17 2007
… The youth village will be a home for about 125 teenagers, all of whom have lost their parents to the Rwandan genocide or AIDS. Eventually, the village’s population could swell to 500. But Heyman’s project is not simply international aid work. She has put a Jewish face on the project, modeling it after a similar, successful program in Israel… Heyman needed organizational support for her idea. She connected with JDC and they agreed to serve as an umbrella agency for the project...
Claims Conference, JDC help Shoah survivors who fell through the cracks
Jerusalem Post – June 17 2007
…The Claims Conference and JDC, which is funded by American Jews, are the only two bodies that provide basic support, such as food, medicine and winter heating, for Jews in the FSU. Local Jewish businessmen prefer to give for "sexier" projects such as buildings, which provide concrete testimony to the righteousness of the donors…The conference uses the proceeds from the sale of unclaimed Jewish real estate assets in the former East Germany to fund assistance programs. The JDC runs the programs…
Rally Around Rowley for Rwanda
myspace.com/rowleysgobitrek – June 6 2007
…Pledge your support to Rowley Aird as he treks across the Gobi Desert in China. For seven days, Rowley will run the equivalent of one marathon per day, and on the last day he will run two marathons. The money he raises will go towards building a unique community in Rwanda called The Agahozo Shalom Youth Village, which will house, school and feed the orphans of the terrible genocide that devastated Rwanda. All donations will be sent through the JDC and distributed directly to the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village…
Recovering Their Lost Back Pages
Jewish Week – June 8 2007
…After his lecture, Mikhail Mitsel, an archivist at the JDC who immigrated to New York from Kiev in 1998, explained to a reporter that his intent had been twofold: to share the now-largely forgotten story of the JDC’s involvement in early Soviet-era Jewish kolkhozi (similar to kibbutzim), all of which were closed in the immediate aftermath of the 1937 purge, and to keep alive the memory of the terrible event itself, during which 1.7 million people were arrested and 700,000 were killed…
Aiding Israeli Arabs
Baltimore Jewish Times – June 5 2007
…the executive director of JDC's Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues. "Jewish-Arab relations in Israel is the most pressing domestic issue facing Israel today," Jessica Balaban says. "The 20 percent minority cannot be ignored." This week the task force is holding conferences in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco to raise awareness of the issue…
Southern March 2007
Ma Nishma – June 1 2007
…The annual southern march took place this year under the aegis of JDC-Eshel and the Ministry for Social Affairs. More than 1,200 people took part in the event. The marchers were equipped with hats, shirts, water supplies and medals…
UJC Rushes To Aid Of Rocket-Battered Southern Town
Jewish Week – May 25 2007
…in light of last week’s increased Kassam rocket attacks — at least 150 rockets were fired in a week that killed one woman and injured and traumatized scores — another $2.5 million was allocated. Of that, $400,000 will be used by the JDC to provide a respite program for the elderly and disabled who have special needs...
Out of trauma comes creativity
Sri Lanka Sunday Times – May 20 2007
…"The Last Two Minutes" thrilled audiences at the Biennale of Theatre and Psychiatry in Northern Italy last year, where it won a Special Jury Award. This time, Sunera will be showcasing the creative talents of some of the members of Sunera's performing arts workshops for those who have been traumatized by the tsunami. In its Tsunami Theatre Outreach project (T-TOP) which functions in six districts, Sunera utilizes the performing arts to provide a therapeutic benefit to hundreds of children who were traumatized by the 2004 Tsunami. This project is funded by Deutsche Bank, Global Fund for Children, East-West Centre Hawaii, JDC, The Force of Nature Foundation and Siege Social Jules.
Qassams in Sderot
Channel Two News Israel – May 7 2007
…Yonit Levi: "as we know, Qassams keep falling in Sderot. One third of the city’s children are in need of steady psychological attention, but only a few receive such. Now, however, the JDC is setting up a new project in Sderot in order to give some peace and quiet for the children there." JDC-Israel CEO Amnon Mantver: "the JDC will invest some $70 million during a period of two years or so in helping residents and settlements in the line of conflict."
Subsidy cuts send students from yeshivas to outside jobs
Baltimore Sun – April 29 2007
… The problem was that he had no high school degree or job skills other than his stamina for arguing over the finer points of Jewish law… Then he heard about a new program training haredi men to become aqua therapists. Funded by the Israeli government JDC, a nonprofit agency that provides relief and social programs for at-risk communities in Israel and throughout the world, the program was designed for men with few job skills…
Power of action
Menorah – April 27 2007
Independence project is a joint program of the World Congress of Bukharian Jews and JDC-Israel which intends to help families in which the providers work, but their salary is insufficient. The program appoints a coordinator who is in charge of 25 families, and whose job it is to help them appeal to any source that could help: the municipality, welfare committees, work places, etc. The project is currently available in Jerusalem and Ramla…
In an Isolated Russian Land, Community Finds Ways to Survive
JTA – April 27 2007
…Founded in 1993 to reunite the Jews of the region, Tsafon currently splits its annual budget of approximately $23,000 from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee bet ween educational programs for Jewish youth and the distribution of food and medical aid to the community. Many in the community are elderly and have difficulty surviving on tiny government pensions…
Employing the unemployable
Jerusalem Post - April 25 2007
Prior to getting a job at Office Depot through the JDC's Strive program, Ze'ev had been earning a living, but his line of work - dealing drugs - could have landed him in jail. Today, Ze'ev is earning high marks from his boss, thriving in his new job and hoping for a promotion in the near futu... "The goal of the program is to not only move more people into the labor force, but to keep them there as well, and prevent them from falling back into the circle of distress," said Yossi Tamir, director of Tevet. "However, the JDC's work is not limited to employing the previously unemployable, but we are also responsible for delivering social services to Israel's most underprivileged and vulnerable citizens..."
Joint effort
Jerusalem Post - April 25 2007
..."I was from Holland, and I was in Bergen-Belsen. I came back without my father, but with my mother and sisters," recalls Nordheim, now 73, who manages the computer systems for JDC-Israel. "...The JDC provided crucial assistance to his family after their initial request to the British was denied, and Nordheim, then aged 13, arrived in Palestine with his family in 1947. After a career in teaching, at 40 years old he decided to start a new career with computers and went to work for the Joint in the 1970s. The prestigious Israel Prize is awarded each year on Yom Ha'atzmaut to individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to Israeli society and culture. This year JDC-Israel is set to receive the award, in recognition of the charitable organization's ongoing and deep influence on Israeli life. Like Nordheim, many of the organization's employees have a personal connection...
Expectations high as facility is built for Argentine elderly
JTA - April 25 2007
...According to JDC sources, the project was funded by local Jews and institutions, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation in Baltimore, the Greater Houston Jewish Federation, the JDC, and the David and Inez Myers Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland. The home was modeled on state-of-the-art elderly facilities in the United States and Israel.
Time Bank helps JDC win Israel Prize
Jerusalem Post - April 22 2007
..."Started four years ago as a joint project of JDC and the Association of Community Centers, Time Bank has since expanded to 30 locations across the country and claims more than 3,000 "bankers." The program will eventually be fully taken over by the Association of Community Centers; it is a good example of the kind of social projects that caused the JDC to be chosen as a recipient of this year's Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement and Special Contribution to Society and the State of Israel.
How the 'Joint' does it
Jerusalem Post - April 21 2007
..."The JDC has helped Jews in the land of Israel under the Ottoman government, the British government, and every previous Israeli government. We will be here as long as there are vulnerable citizens in need of assistance..." As Israel celebrates its 59th birthday, it is still fighting a war on two critical fronts. The second front is the social: bridging gaps in society, creating better options and opportunities for vulnerable populations, and striving for excellence in education and culture. It is this essential second front where the JDC stands unconditionally and indefatigably with the people of Israel."
Illuminating the memory of the six million who perished
Jerusalem Post - April 17 2007
Holocaust survivors Zanne Farbstein, Manya Brodeski-Titelman, Mordechai (Motke) Wiesel, Yaacov (Jacki) Handeli, David Gur and Ya'akov Janek Holladner have been chosen to light torches in memory of the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust - here are their stories."In 1949, the extended family immigrated to Israel with the help of the JDC.
Enrich vacation with Jewish visit
Jewish Review - April 15 2007
..."I would encourage anyone who travels to foreign communities where the Joint is involved to take advantage of the opportunity to see what they are doing," said Gary Weinstein. "Their impact all over the world is incredible..."
In spirit of volunteering
Scoop Tveria – April 13 2007
As part of the center for coordinating and supporting volunteer work, a volunteer center will soon be established in Tiberius, with the intention of putting the spirit of volunteering on the agenda. This is an initiative of JDC-Israel in association with the Ministry of Welfare and the department of volunteer work. In a discussion held in the matter, it was noted that the number of volunteers in Tiberius is higher than the national average…
Better Connected
Jewish Week - April 13 2007
Timisoara, Romania - Throughout the region, Jewish life offers a growing number of social and religious and cultural programs. Many are homegrown and home-led, decreasingly dependent on the expertise of such overseas organizations as JDC or the New York-based Ronald S. Lauder Foundation. "Now we are consultants,especially in the area of financial management", says Alberto Senderey, director of the JDC in Europe.
Yemeni Jews to receive Passover shipment
JTA - March 29 2007
Yemeni Jews taking shelter in the capital after fleeing Islamist threats will receive a shipment of Passover Haggadahs and other holiday necessities from JDC. The shipment, sent through the U.S. State Department, is expected to reach them in time for the holiday. "The story rings an old but familiar bell," Schwager said.
Israeli, US delegation to Kazakhstan to help children with AIDS
Israel lnsider - March 26 2007
...The medical team, from Jerusalem Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, and a JDC social worker went to Kazakhstan in response to a request from the Kazakh government to help 93 children with HIV and their families. The children contracted HIV through blood transfusions during their treatment for pneumonia.
JDC-Israel recognized for special contribution
Ha'aretz - March 25 2007
JDC-Israel has been awarded the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement and Special Contribution to Society and the State of Israel. "Since its founding, JDC-Israel has been involved in developing services for populations in need during times of peace and times of crisis," wrote the panel of judges that chose JDC-Israel...
Cultural rebirth
Sri Lanka Sunday Times - March 25 2007
...For the people of the small fishing village of Balapitiya on the southern coast - The Community Centre itself - which was funded by JDC - provides a number of other facilities to villagers such as a pre-school, modern playground and village society bank. "This place is a treasure..."
The righteous doctor of Ethiopia -- healing suffering in the world heads this Orthodox physician's to-do list
Jewish Journal - March 23 2007
...The life-defining change of direction came between 1985 and 1988, when he was a Fulbright lecturer in medicine at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. Two years later in 1990, Hodes returned to Ethiopia as director of the JDC medical programs in that country, managing two medical clinics -- in Addis Ababa and Gondar City -- which care for 15,000 Falash Mura (Ethiopian Jews), many of whom are hoping to make aliyah.
New Educational Project for Refugees
The Georgian Times - March 20 2007
...The pilot project is one of several large-scale projects by undertaken by JDC together with the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation. The project includes various courses for 10 students, refugees from Abkhazia. Courses in the English language and other disciplines will help these young people to extend their knowledge and find out many new and interesting things.
Before the World Vanished
NY Sun - March 15 2007
... Vishniac began making trips from Berlin to photograph the ghettos of Russia, Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, and Lithuania in 1935. He was commissioned to take these pictures by JDC...
Someone to run with
Ha'aretz - March 15 2007
Israel's cross-country champion Antanesh Vilau began running long distances only one year ago,she says. "There is nothing to do in Kiryat Malakhi."-the 13-year-old Vilau joined a team of 34 young Ethiopian immigrants who were participating in a local project organized by the foundation Elem: Youth in Distress in Israel.In order to be able to conduct the youth activities on a regular basis, Elka turned to the Elem project, called "Lighthouse," after the building that houses all the organization's youth services. The project is also being supported by the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, the Kiryat Malakhi municipality, JDC, Ashalim (another Israeli NGO for abused and neglected youth), and other foundations. It offers welfare, educational and financial services to youth.
American ideas boost bid to get Israelis to work
Jewish Journal - March 9 2007
..."Participants are counseled in everything from how to pay off personal debts and find creative childcare solutions, to discovering and pursuing an ambitious career path that suits their interests and abilities. STRIVE is one of at least two programs operating in Israel that are patterned after American-originated efforts to boost employment among the economically struggling and longtime unemployed; it is funded by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Israeli government".
Love among many splendored things at Baltics Limmud
Jewish Journal - March 9 2007
..."Proportionally I think it's the biggest event in the Jewish world," said Andres Spokoiny, who handles the region for the JDC, which co-sponsors the yearly event and other community-building efforts. "It shows the thirst and desire to reconnect with Judaism, and that this reconnection takes place in an open, pluralistic environment with all the richness and diversity of Judaism present," Spokoiny said. "And when they look around that ballroom and see 1,000 people, they feel they're taking revenge on history..."
Buenos Aires: the suffering "Paris"
Canadian Jewish News - January 11 2007
Today, I visited a shantytown a few blocks away from a strip of five-star hotels. I walked through with Ricardo, an employee of JDC. He is working with a contractor to build a $1,500 "home" for a single mother of eight children. I dropped into Baby Help, a program the JDC set up to help pregnant women and mothers of young children to supply them with the basic necessities to raise healthy Jewish children. I arrived when the children were napping and watched in amazement as they slept so peacefully. Many of these sweet children were from very impoverished homes and if not for Baby Help would eat one, perhaps two meals a day.
Judaism scholars gather in FSU
JTA - February 8 2007
More than 200 scholars attended a Jewish studies conference in Moscow. The three-day conference of Sefer: The Moscow Center for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization, a major gathering for the growing Jewish-studies community in the FSU, featured scholars from the former Soviet Union, Europe, Israel and the United States. The 14th annual event was organized by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the JDC, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and the Research Center for History and Culture of East European Jewry in Vilnius.
Erstwhile Hitler Cafe caters to Jews
Moneycontrol India -January 29 2007
...The Jewish community in India see it as an opportunity to educate everyone on the holocaust. Says Country Manager, JDC, Elijah Jacob, "Even though in India we have never seen any anti-semitism, we think it is important to educate the people and the society we live in about the Holocaust, what it means and derive meaning from it and ensure that such a thing never happens again." It's a message that not too many would dispute and the Cross Cafe's effort was a fitting way to pay tribute to the people who lost their lives in the genocide that has haunted the world for more than 60 years.
Toronto student spends year volunteering in Poland
Canadian Jewish News - January 25 2007
I grew up hearing the word kehillah - the Hebrew word for community - quite often in the Toronto Jewish community.I have learned a new wordgmina, the Polish word for community. I've learned that word since I began working for the JDC as a Jewish Service Corps volunteer placed in Warsaw, Poland, for one year.I have gotten involved in the local community, their programs, and their families. Each day I am amazed at what can be done here and how I, as a proud Canadian Jew, can help Jews in need overseas.
Mazal Tov: Mass Jewish wedding in Havana
Ynetnews- January 22 2007
... It was no ordinary ceremony. Twenty other couples of all ages took their marriage vows in a ritual officiated by three visiting Argentine rabbis.Impoverished Cuban Jews began to receive aid from abroad, especially the JDC, which has helped rebuild a community of 1,500 people. Community leaders say their numbers have doubled, but many young Cuban Jews have immigrated to Israel...
A Foreign Experience Forget the Poconos and the Catskills. Try a one-of-a-kind camp in Hungary this summer.
Jewish Week - January 19 2007
�Szarvas is an international Jewish summer camp founded by the Ronald S. Lauder foundation and JDC. The camp draws together campers from all over the world especially from Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Campers range in age from 8 to 18 years old. No country dominates; the United States is just another table in the dining hall between Russia and Latvia. I expected to make friends and learn about other cultures; I was surprised by how I changed�We also want to be good people. It doesn't matter where you live; you want to do what is right. Our wishes joined the sky and together, 500 Jews strong, we entered the dining room for Shabbat dinner.
Black Sea Jews Plan E.U. Entry
Baltimore Jewish Times - January 13 2007
..."We've been trying to break down walls between young people, to bring them together to realize there's a whole Jewish community around them," said Sadikario, 25, a Macedonian Jew -- of a community of just 200 people -- who works in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia. However, with an E.U. border encircling Romania and Bulgaria, she said, "We will feel more unstable, as connecting and mobilizing people will be more difficult." Attila Gulyas, 27, a Romanian Jewish youth leader, agrees. "Having 30 or 40 young people at an event is not the same as having 200 or 300" at a regional event, "which makes you feel like you're a part of something bigger," Gulyas said. Not that the situation is so easy right now. A recent youth event in Sofia drew together several dozen Jews from Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Serbia, kicking off with a Shabbat dinner of bourekas, cheese and cake. But the event also came with a price: $600 for visas to bring the four young Turkish Jews by overnight bus. The fee, a small fortune for such communities, was paid by the JDC...
Taxes and Wonders
Yedioth Aharono - January 12 2007
Two months ago Prof. Zvi Sussman passed away, one of Israel's great and most original economists. Prof. Sussman's article, the final version of which was completed from his hospital bed, is included in the annual review of the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel� The conclusions of the late Prof. Sussman: poverty and inequality are the result of the market economy. Welfare budgets come to balance and correct its distortions.
Tatarstan Government Gives Major Grant to Rebuild Historic Synagogue and Jewish School
Federation of Jewish Communitites of CIS - January 11 2007
The President of the Republic of Tatarstan donated $400,000 to the Jewish Community of Kazan, to renovate the historic synagogue and Jewish school building. He stated that the Jewish Community will always feel at home on Tatar soil, since its aim is to unite all peoples, regardless of race or creed.The Chairman of the Community Mr. Alexander Velder, briefed the President with the Community's activities throughout the past 10 years, including the humanitarian activities of the organization "Chesed," funded by JDC, who serve more than 3,000 clients in the republic.
Israel to assist Sri Lanka improve emergency medicine
Israel Today - January 11 2007
Israel has recently launched a long range plan to train the health authorities in Sri Lanka in the areas of trauma and emergency medicine. The project is being led by MASHAV, the Center for International Development and Cooperation in the Foreign Ministry, and in conjunction with the JOINT (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee), and is considered a flagship project. During the second stage, Israel will launch a donation of six ambulances (a donation from the JOINT) to Sri Lanka. In addition, Israeli experts will conduct workshops for local health professionals in Sri Lanka.
FSU Jews Struggle To Keep Young Leaders
Baltimore Jewish Times - January 8 2007
...Indeed, many young Jews in the FSU -- nourished by summer camps, youth groups, Jewish schools, training as youth counselors and perhaps a birthright israel trip -- express pride in their Jewishness�Cognizant of this, the JDC, Hillel and others offer leadership and management training to scores of young FSU activists. "They are the backbone of Jewish renaissance in the region," JDC Baltics representative Andres Spokoiny says. "Much of their childhood and youth was spent in democracy, in a context in which Jewish alternatives started to exist. Therefore, these kids are in a much better position than their parents to be community leaders because they have a much more Western outlook, more community experience and more Jewish knowledge."
JFGD program helps b'nai mitzvah in Cuba
Texas Jewish Post - January 2 2007
Dallas Cuban B'nai Mitzvah Buddy Program, sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas and the JDC) was born during a family meeting of Harlan and Hank Pollock, their children and grandchildren, upon their return from a federation humanitarian mission to Cuba earlier this year. "We went to Cuba bringing drugs, clothing, shoes and other supplies as well as Judaica,- said Harlan Pollock. "As we were preparing for the joy of the b'nai mitzvah that were to happen in our own family in the coming year, the idea that it's so difficult, and so expensive, for that to happen there really hit home. We came back with a deep sense of wanting to help."
Responding to Natural Disasters: JDC's Response to the Tsunami
Journal of Jewish Communal Service – Fall 2007
Dr. Amos Avgar; Dr. William Recant; and Romi Kaplan
This article examines the post-disaster intervention strategies of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) following the tsunami that struck South and Southeast Asia in December 2004.
Read full article.
Jewish Study Flourishes In Moscow
The Jewish Week – November 1, 2007
...Recalling when the Soviet Union collapsed and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) returned to work in the FSU, Steven Schwager, CEO of the JDC, said: "It was a dream of JDC to have the Russian Jewish community take its rightful place among the global Jewish people. Limmud FSU is the fruition of that dream, and we are proud to be a part of its success."
Breast cancer survivors share stories at Jewish-led conference in Russia
JTA – October 30, 2007
...Masnikova, a Jewish retiree living in Moscow, was among dozens of breast cancer survivors whose stories were part of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s Women’s Health Program, a unique three-day conference held Oct. 24-27 in Moscow.
Agahozo
Jewish Journal of Los Angeles– October 19, 2007
...Heyman was in town last week to raise money and awareness for the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda. Moved to ease the plight of 1.2 million children left orphaned by the 1994 Rwandan genocide, she came up with the idea of emulating the Yemin Orde Youth Village in Israel, the model by which Israel absorbed, raised and educated hundreds of post-Holocaust Jewish orphans. ...Using funds provided by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and private donors, the village will provide 500 Rwandan children with community, family, an education and a vocation.
Making communal servicea rite of passage in Jewish life
JTA – August 27, 2007
..."Not to take away from the short-term programs, but the long-term programs are much more intensive in terms of learning and contribution," says Linda Levi, assistant executive vice president of the JDC and founder of its Jewish Service Corps, which places young volunteers for yearlong assignments in needy Jewish communities around the world. "The impact on the participants and the communities served is much greater."
Rice's help sought to solve old mystery
JTA – July 19 2007
The JDC asked Condoleeza Rice to help solve a 40-year-old mystery involving the death of a former JDC official. The body of Charles Jordan, a former JDC executive chairman, was found floating in Prague's Vltava River nearly 40 years ago. "Grounds to suspect foul play are undeniable given the circumstances, and yet the crime never received its deserved attention," JDC Executive Vice President Steven Schwager wrote to the U.S. secretary of state on July 19...
New hearing aid system installed at Ifat cultural hall
Hadash Ba'Emek – June 29 2007
A new hearing aid system is being set up at the regional cultural hall in Kibbutz Ifat, as is the standard in leading theaters across the country. Hard of hearing ticket holders will be equipped with complimentary headsets at the entrance to the hall. The new system is installed courtesy of the JDC.
In war-torn Africa, a Jewish home emerges
Jewish San Francisco – June 17 2007
… The youth village will be a home for about 125 teenagers, all of whom have lost their parents to the Rwandan genocide or AIDS. Eventually, the village’s population could swell to 500. But Heyman’s project is not simply international aid work. She has put a Jewish face on the project, modeling it after a similar, successful program in Israel… Heyman needed organizational support for her idea. She connected with JDC and they agreed to serve as an umbrella agency for the project...
Claims Conference, JDC help Shoah survivors who fell through the cracks
Jerusalem Post – June 17 2007
…The Claims Conference and JDC, which is funded by American Jews, are the only two bodies that provide basic support, such as food, medicine and winter heating, for Jews in the FSU. Local Jewish businessmen prefer to give for "sexier" projects such as buildings, which provide concrete testimony to the righteousness of the donors…The conference uses the proceeds from the sale of unclaimed Jewish real estate assets in the former East Germany to fund assistance programs. The JDC runs the programs…
Rally Around Rowley for Rwanda
myspace.com/rowleysgobitrek – June 6 2007
…Pledge your support to Rowley Aird as he treks across the Gobi Desert in China. For seven days, Rowley will run the equivalent of one marathon per day, and on the last day he will run two marathons. The money he raises will go towards building a unique community in Rwanda called The Agahozo Shalom Youth Village, which will house, school and feed the orphans of the terrible genocide that devastated Rwanda. All donations will be sent through the JDC and distributed directly to the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village…
Recovering Their Lost Back Pages
Jewish Week – June 8 2007
…After his lecture, Mikhail Mitsel, an archivist at the JDC who immigrated to New York from Kiev in 1998, explained to a reporter that his intent had been twofold: to share the now-largely forgotten story of the JDC’s involvement in early Soviet-era Jewish kolkhozi (similar to kibbutzim), all of which were closed in the immediate aftermath of the 1937 purge, and to keep alive the memory of the terrible event itself, during which 1.7 million people were arrested and 700,000 were killed…
Aiding Israeli Arabs
Baltimore Jewish Times – June 5 2007
…the executive director of JDC's Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues. "Jewish-Arab relations in Israel is the most pressing domestic issue facing Israel today," Jessica Balaban says. "The 20 percent minority cannot be ignored." This week the task force is holding conferences in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco to raise awareness of the issue…
Southern March 2007
Ma Nishma – June 1 2007
…The annual southern march took place this year under the aegis of JDC-Eshel and the Ministry for Social Affairs. More than 1,200 people took part in the event. The marchers were equipped with hats, shirts, water supplies and medals…
UJC Rushes To Aid Of Rocket-Battered Southern Town
Jewish Week – May 25 2007
…in light of last week’s increased Kassam rocket attacks — at least 150 rockets were fired in a week that killed one woman and injured and traumatized scores — another $2.5 million was allocated. Of that, $400,000 will be used by the JDC to provide a respite program for the elderly and disabled who have special needs...
Out of trauma comes creativity
Sri Lanka Sunday Times – May 20 2007
…"The Last Two Minutes" thrilled audiences at the Biennale of Theatre and Psychiatry in Northern Italy last year, where it won a Special Jury Award. This time, Sunera will be showcasing the creative talents of some of the members of Sunera's performing arts workshops for those who have been traumatized by the tsunami. In its Tsunami Theatre Outreach project (T-TOP) which functions in six districts, Sunera utilizes the performing arts to provide a therapeutic benefit to hundreds of children who were traumatized by the 2004 Tsunami. This project is funded by Deutsche Bank, Global Fund for Children, East-West Centre Hawaii, JDC, The Force of Nature Foundation and Siege Social Jules.
Qassams in Sderot
Channel Two News Israel – May 7 2007
…Yonit Levi: "as we know, Qassams keep falling in Sderot. One third of the city’s children are in need of steady psychological attention, but only a few receive such. Now, however, the JDC is setting up a new project in Sderot in order to give some peace and quiet for the children there." JDC-Israel CEO Amnon Mantver: "the JDC will invest some $70 million during a period of two years or so in helping residents and settlements in the line of conflict."
Subsidy cuts send students from yeshivas to outside jobs
Baltimore Sun – April 29 2007
… The problem was that he had no high school degree or job skills other than his stamina for arguing over the finer points of Jewish law… Then he heard about a new program training haredi men to become aqua therapists. Funded by the Israeli government JDC, a nonprofit agency that provides relief and social programs for at-risk communities in Israel and throughout the world, the program was designed for men with few job skills…
Power of action
Menorah – April 27 2007
Independence project is a joint program of the World Congress of Bukharian Jews and JDC-Israel which intends to help families in which the providers work, but their salary is insufficient. The program appoints a coordinator who is in charge of 25 families, and whose job it is to help them appeal to any source that could help: the municipality, welfare committees, work places, etc. The project is currently available in Jerusalem and Ramla…
In an Isolated Russian Land, Community Finds Ways to Survive
JTA – April 27 2007
…Founded in 1993 to reunite the Jews of the region, Tsafon currently splits its annual budget of approximately $23,000 from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee bet ween educational programs for Jewish youth and the distribution of food and medical aid to the community. Many in the community are elderly and have difficulty surviving on tiny government pensions…
Employing the unemployable
Jerusalem Post - April 25 2007
Prior to getting a job at Office Depot through the JDC's Strive program, Ze'ev had been earning a living, but his line of work - dealing drugs - could have landed him in jail. Today, Ze'ev is earning high marks from his boss, thriving in his new job and hoping for a promotion in the near futu... "The goal of the program is to not only move more people into the labor force, but to keep them there as well, and prevent them from falling back into the circle of distress," said Yossi Tamir, director of Tevet. "However, the JDC's work is not limited to employing the previously unemployable, but we are also responsible for delivering social services to Israel's most underprivileged and vulnerable citizens..."
Joint effort
Jerusalem Post - April 25 2007
..."I was from Holland, and I was in Bergen-Belsen. I came back without my father, but with my mother and sisters," recalls Nordheim, now 73, who manages the computer systems for JDC-Israel. "...The JDC provided crucial assistance to his family after their initial request to the British was denied, and Nordheim, then aged 13, arrived in Palestine with his family in 1947. After a career in teaching, at 40 years old he decided to start a new career with computers and went to work for the Joint in the 1970s. The prestigious Israel Prize is awarded each year on Yom Ha'atzmaut to individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to Israeli society and culture. This year JDC-Israel is set to receive the award, in recognition of the charitable organization's ongoing and deep influence on Israeli life. Like Nordheim, many of the organization's employees have a personal connection...
Expectations high as facility is built for Argentine elderly
JTA - April 25 2007
...According to JDC sources, the project was funded by local Jews and institutions, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation in Baltimore, the Greater Houston Jewish Federation, the JDC, and the David and Inez Myers Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland. The home was modeled on state-of-the-art elderly facilities in the United States and Israel.
Time Bank helps JDC win Israel Prize
Jerusalem Post - April 22 2007
..."Started four years ago as a joint project of JDC and the Association of Community Centers, Time Bank has since expanded to 30 locations across the country and claims more than 3,000 "bankers." The program will eventually be fully taken over by the Association of Community Centers; it is a good example of the kind of social projects that caused the JDC to be chosen as a recipient of this year's Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement and Special Contribution to Society and the State of Israel.
How the 'Joint' does it
Jerusalem Post - April 21 2007
..."The JDC has helped Jews in the land of Israel under the Ottoman government, the British government, and every previous Israeli government. We will be here as long as there are vulnerable citizens in need of assistance..." As Israel celebrates its 59th birthday, it is still fighting a war on two critical fronts. The second front is the social: bridging gaps in society, creating better options and opportunities for vulnerable populations, and striving for excellence in education and culture. It is this essential second front where the JDC stands unconditionally and indefatigably with the people of Israel."
Illuminating the memory of the six million who perished
Jerusalem Post - April 17 2007
Holocaust survivors Zanne Farbstein, Manya Brodeski-Titelman, Mordechai (Motke) Wiesel, Yaacov (Jacki) Handeli, David Gur and Ya'akov Janek Holladner have been chosen to light torches in memory of the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust - here are their stories."In 1949, the extended family immigrated to Israel with the help of the JDC.
Enrich vacation with Jewish visit
Jewish Review - April 15 2007
..."I would encourage anyone who travels to foreign communities where the Joint is involved to take advantage of the opportunity to see what they are doing," said Gary Weinstein. "Their impact all over the world is incredible..."
In spirit of volunteering
Scoop Tveria – April 13 2007
As part of the center for coordinating and supporting volunteer work, a volunteer center will soon be established in Tiberius, with the intention of putting the spirit of volunteering on the agenda. This is an initiative of JDC-Israel in association with the Ministry of Welfare and the department of volunteer work. In a discussion held in the matter, it was noted that the number of volunteers in Tiberius is higher than the national average…
Better Connected
Jewish Week - April 13 2007
Timisoara, Romania - Throughout the region, Jewish life offers a growing number of social and religious and cultural programs. Many are homegrown and home-led, decreasingly dependent on the expertise of such overseas organizations as JDC or the New York-based Ronald S. Lauder Foundation. "Now we are consultants,especially in the area of financial management", says Alberto Senderey, director of the JDC in Europe.
Yemeni Jews to receive Passover shipment
JTA - March 29 2007
Yemeni Jews taking shelter in the capital after fleeing Islamist threats will receive a shipment of Passover Haggadahs and other holiday necessities from JDC. The shipment, sent through the U.S. State Department, is expected to reach them in time for the holiday. "The story rings an old but familiar bell," Schwager said.
Israeli, US delegation to Kazakhstan to help children with AIDS
Israel lnsider - March 26 2007
...The medical team, from Jerusalem Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, and a JDC social worker went to Kazakhstan in response to a request from the Kazakh government to help 93 children with HIV and their families. The children contracted HIV through blood transfusions during their treatment for pneumonia.
JDC-Israel recognized for special contribution
Ha'aretz - March 25 2007
JDC-Israel has been awarded the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement and Special Contribution to Society and the State of Israel. "Since its founding, JDC-Israel has been involved in developing services for populations in need during times of peace and times of crisis," wrote the panel of judges that chose JDC-Israel...
Cultural rebirth
Sri Lanka Sunday Times - March 25 2007
...For the people of the small fishing village of Balapitiya on the southern coast - The Community Centre itself - which was funded by JDC - provides a number of other facilities to villagers such as a pre-school, modern playground and village society bank. "This place is a treasure..."
The righteous doctor of Ethiopia -- healing suffering in the world heads this Orthodox physician's to-do list
Jewish Journal - March 23 2007
...The life-defining change of direction came between 1985 and 1988, when he was a Fulbright lecturer in medicine at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. Two years later in 1990, Hodes returned to Ethiopia as director of the JDC medical programs in that country, managing two medical clinics -- in Addis Ababa and Gondar City -- which care for 15,000 Falash Mura (Ethiopian Jews), many of whom are hoping to make aliyah.
New Educational Project for Refugees
The Georgian Times - March 20 2007
...The pilot project is one of several large-scale projects by undertaken by JDC together with the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation. The project includes various courses for 10 students, refugees from Abkhazia. Courses in the English language and other disciplines will help these young people to extend their knowledge and find out many new and interesting things.
Before the World Vanished
NY Sun - March 15 2007
... Vishniac began making trips from Berlin to photograph the ghettos of Russia, Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, and Lithuania in 1935. He was commissioned to take these pictures by JDC...
Someone to run with
Ha'aretz - March 15 2007
Israel's cross-country champion Antanesh Vilau began running long distances only one year ago,she says. "There is nothing to do in Kiryat Malakhi."-the 13-year-old Vilau joined a team of 34 young Ethiopian immigrants who were participating in a local project organized by the foundation Elem: Youth in Distress in Israel.In order to be able to conduct the youth activities on a regular basis, Elka turned to the Elem project, called "Lighthouse," after the building that houses all the organization's youth services. The project is also being supported by the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, the Kiryat Malakhi municipality, JDC, Ashalim (another Israeli NGO for abused and neglected youth), and other foundations. It offers welfare, educational and financial services to youth.
American ideas boost bid to get Israelis to work
Jewish Journal - March 9 2007
..."Participants are counseled in everything from how to pay off personal debts and find creative childcare solutions, to discovering and pursuing an ambitious career path that suits their interests and abilities. STRIVE is one of at least two programs operating in Israel that are patterned after American-originated efforts to boost employment among the economically struggling and longtime unemployed; it is funded by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Israeli government".
Love among many splendored things at Baltics Limmud
Jewish Journal - March 9 2007
..."Proportionally I think it's the biggest event in the Jewish world," said Andres Spokoiny, who handles the region for the JDC, which co-sponsors the yearly event and other community-building efforts. "It shows the thirst and desire to reconnect with Judaism, and that this reconnection takes place in an open, pluralistic environment with all the richness and diversity of Judaism present," Spokoiny said. "And when they look around that ballroom and see 1,000 people, they feel they're taking revenge on history..."
Buenos Aires: the suffering "Paris"
Canadian Jewish News - January 11 2007
Today, I visited a shantytown a few blocks away from a strip of five-star hotels. I walked through with Ricardo, an employee of JDC. He is working with a contractor to build a $1,500 "home" for a single mother of eight children. I dropped into Baby Help, a program the JDC set up to help pregnant women and mothers of young children to supply them with the basic necessities to raise healthy Jewish children. I arrived when the children were napping and watched in amazement as they slept so peacefully. Many of these sweet children were from very impoverished homes and if not for Baby Help would eat one, perhaps two meals a day.
Judaism scholars gather in FSU
JTA - February 8 2007
More than 200 scholars attended a Jewish studies conference in Moscow. The three-day conference of Sefer: The Moscow Center for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization, a major gathering for the growing Jewish-studies community in the FSU, featured scholars from the former Soviet Union, Europe, Israel and the United States. The 14th annual event was organized by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the JDC, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and the Research Center for History and Culture of East European Jewry in Vilnius.
Erstwhile Hitler Cafe caters to Jews
Moneycontrol India -January 29 2007
...The Jewish community in India see it as an opportunity to educate everyone on the holocaust. Says Country Manager, JDC, Elijah Jacob, "Even though in India we have never seen any anti-semitism, we think it is important to educate the people and the society we live in about the Holocaust, what it means and derive meaning from it and ensure that such a thing never happens again." It's a message that not too many would dispute and the Cross Cafe's effort was a fitting way to pay tribute to the people who lost their lives in the genocide that has haunted the world for more than 60 years.
Toronto student spends year volunteering in Poland
Canadian Jewish News - January 25 2007
I grew up hearing the word kehillah - the Hebrew word for community - quite often in the Toronto Jewish community.I have learned a new wordgmina, the Polish word for community. I've learned that word since I began working for the JDC as a Jewish Service Corps volunteer placed in Warsaw, Poland, for one year.I have gotten involved in the local community, their programs, and their families. Each day I am amazed at what can be done here and how I, as a proud Canadian Jew, can help Jews in need overseas.
Mazal Tov: Mass Jewish wedding in Havana
Ynetnews- January 22 2007
... It was no ordinary ceremony. Twenty other couples of all ages took their marriage vows in a ritual officiated by three visiting Argentine rabbis.Impoverished Cuban Jews began to receive aid from abroad, especially the JDC, which has helped rebuild a community of 1,500 people. Community leaders say their numbers have doubled, but many young Cuban Jews have immigrated to Israel...
A Foreign Experience Forget the Poconos and the Catskills. Try a one-of-a-kind camp in Hungary this summer.
Jewish Week - January 19 2007
�Szarvas is an international Jewish summer camp founded by the Ronald S. Lauder foundation and JDC. The camp draws together campers from all over the world especially from Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Campers range in age from 8 to 18 years old. No country dominates; the United States is just another table in the dining hall between Russia and Latvia. I expected to make friends and learn about other cultures; I was surprised by how I changed�We also want to be good people. It doesn't matter where you live; you want to do what is right. Our wishes joined the sky and together, 500 Jews strong, we entered the dining room for Shabbat dinner.
Black Sea Jews Plan E.U. Entry
Baltimore Jewish Times - January 13 2007
..."We've been trying to break down walls between young people, to bring them together to realize there's a whole Jewish community around them," said Sadikario, 25, a Macedonian Jew -- of a community of just 200 people -- who works in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia. However, with an E.U. border encircling Romania and Bulgaria, she said, "We will feel more unstable, as connecting and mobilizing people will be more difficult." Attila Gulyas, 27, a Romanian Jewish youth leader, agrees. "Having 30 or 40 young people at an event is not the same as having 200 or 300" at a regional event, "which makes you feel like you're a part of something bigger," Gulyas said. Not that the situation is so easy right now. A recent youth event in Sofia drew together several dozen Jews from Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Serbia, kicking off with a Shabbat dinner of bourekas, cheese and cake. But the event also came with a price: $600 for visas to bring the four young Turkish Jews by overnight bus. The fee, a small fortune for such communities, was paid by the JDC...
Taxes and Wonders
Yedioth Aharono - January 12 2007
Two months ago Prof. Zvi Sussman passed away, one of Israel's great and most original economists. Prof. Sussman's article, the final version of which was completed from his hospital bed, is included in the annual review of the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel� The conclusions of the late Prof. Sussman: poverty and inequality are the result of the market economy. Welfare budgets come to balance and correct its distortions.
Tatarstan Government Gives Major Grant to Rebuild Historic Synagogue and Jewish School
Federation of Jewish Communitites of CIS - January 11 2007
The President of the Republic of Tatarstan donated $400,000 to the Jewish Community of Kazan, to renovate the historic synagogue and Jewish school building. He stated that the Jewish Community will always feel at home on Tatar soil, since its aim is to unite all peoples, regardless of race or creed.The Chairman of the Community Mr. Alexander Velder, briefed the President with the Community's activities throughout the past 10 years, including the humanitarian activities of the organization "Chesed," funded by JDC, who serve more than 3,000 clients in the republic.
Israel to assist Sri Lanka improve emergency medicine
Israel Today - January 11 2007
Israel has recently launched a long range plan to train the health authorities in Sri Lanka in the areas of trauma and emergency medicine. The project is being led by MASHAV, the Center for International Development and Cooperation in the Foreign Ministry, and in conjunction with the JOINT (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee), and is considered a flagship project. During the second stage, Israel will launch a donation of six ambulances (a donation from the JOINT) to Sri Lanka. In addition, Israeli experts will conduct workshops for local health professionals in Sri Lanka.
FSU Jews Struggle To Keep Young Leaders
Baltimore Jewish Times - January 8 2007
...Indeed, many young Jews in the FSU -- nourished by summer camps, youth groups, Jewish schools, training as youth counselors and perhaps a birthright israel trip -- express pride in their Jewishness�Cognizant of this, the JDC, Hillel and others offer leadership and management training to scores of young FSU activists. "They are the backbone of Jewish renaissance in the region," JDC Baltics representative Andres Spokoiny says. "Much of their childhood and youth was spent in democracy, in a context in which Jewish alternatives started to exist. Therefore, these kids are in a much better position than their parents to be community leaders because they have a much more Western outlook, more community experience and more Jewish knowledge."
JFGD program helps b'nai mitzvah in Cuba
Texas Jewish Post - January 2 2007
Dallas Cuban B'nai Mitzvah Buddy Program, sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas and the JDC) was born during a family meeting of Harlan and Hank Pollock, their children and grandchildren, upon their return from a federation humanitarian mission to Cuba earlier this year. "We went to Cuba bringing drugs, clothing, shoes and other supplies as well as Judaica,- said Harlan Pollock. "As we were preparing for the joy of the b'nai mitzvah that were to happen in our own family in the coming year, the idea that it's so difficult, and so expensive, for that to happen there really hit home. We came back with a deep sense of wanting to help."
