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The countries of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) are the home today for a substantial number of Jews, many of whom live in poor, economically disadvantaged communities. Throughout the FSU, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) has supported the development of Hesed welfare and Jewish community centers to assist in the provision of services to Jews in need and to support the renewal of Jewish life after years of suppression. The present report is designed to review the current economic, health, and social conditions of these elderly Jews in need in the FSU and to compare their circumstances, as best possible, to their counterparts who live in western countries such as the United States.

Data from a large number of sources are reviewed and analyzed, including national statistics, national and local surveys, and client-level data. The data indicate clearly that, in view of demographic composition, as well as economic and social conditions, elderly Jews in the FSU have tremendous needs for supportive services funded by philanthropy compared to their peers in the United States. The comparisons also highlight the disparities in available care among those most in need.

There is a clear need for external support for basic health and social services for elderly Jews in the FSU. Twenty years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there is not an adequate safety net for the elderly. The situation is in flux and there are unique challenges associated with understanding service delivery in societies that are in transition. The available data on pensions and living circumstances make clear that the economic situation for elderly in the FSU who seek Hesed services is dire. Faced with increasing costs for basic needs such as utilities and food, along with health services including essential medicines, quality care and homecare, the pension amounts that Hesed clients rely on are inadequate to meet their needs.

Project Kesher – Making Jewish Women’s Voices Heard in the Former Soviet Union

Author(s): Yakimenko, Svetlana

Date: 2014

Topics: Main Topic: Other, Jewish Women

Der Ort des Judentums in der Gegenwart

Translated Title: The place of Judaism in the present

Editor(s): Wallenborn, Hiltrud; Kümper, Michal; Lipphardt, Anna; Neumann, Jens; Schwartz, Johannes; Vassilikou, Maria

Date: 2004

Topics: Main Topic: Other, Jewish Space, Jewish Community, Jewish Identity, Holocaust, Holocaust Memorials, Holocaust Commemoration, Immigration, Jewish Revival, Post-1989

Abstract: Eine Sammlung von Beiträgen zur Konferenz „Der Ort des Judentums in der Gegenwart, 1989–2002“. Die Autoren begeben sich in ein Feld, das Diana Pinto erstmals 1996 als „Jewish Space“ bezeichnet hat. Sie beschäftigen sich mit der Existenz des Staates Israel, der neuen Einwanderung aus der ehemaligen Sowjetunion in die westlichen Länder, dem wieder erwachten Interesse europäischer Öffentlichkeiten an jüdischer Kultur, den Formen von Erinnerungspolitik in Gedenkstätten und Mahnmalen und mit der öffentlichen Debatten über die Instrumentalisierung des Gedenkens. Auch die Intifada in Israel und Palästina und bereits überwunden geglaubte antisemitische Denkstrukturen in Europa werden betrachtet. Blick auf das jüdische Leben in Europa nach der Shoah und nach den politischen Umwälzungen am Ende der achtziger Jahre.

A Review of the Nahum Goldmann Fellowship Program

Author(s): Ukeles, Jacob B.; Baker, Sally; Cohen, Steven