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‘Working Together’ Community strengths and assets in Greater Manchester

Date: 2023

Topics: Main Topic: Other, Jewish Community, Jewish Organisations, Strategic Planning, Policy, Demography, Denominations: Haredi / Strictly Orthodox, Care and Welfare, Health, Children, Poverty and Deprivation, Housing, Care and Welfare: Care for the Elderly, Age and Generational Issues, Youth: Jewish

Abstract: At 28,075 Jewish people, Greater Manchester recorded the largest Jewish population in the UK outside of London and adjacent Hertfordshire. At first sight, it appears to have grown by 12% between 2011 and 2021, most likely driven largely by high birth-rates among the strictly Orthodox community. Similarly, if the data eventually proves to be accurate, this constitutes a growth of 29% over the twenty years between 2001 and 2021. Provisional estimates of the Haredi community based on other data sources (such as Manchester Connections) suggest that the Haredi community could be as large as 22,778 but, again, further analysis is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn. Whatever the final numbers, it is clear that Greater Manchester, which includes the largest Eruv in the UK with a perimeter of more than 13 miles, covering parts of Prestwich, Crumpsall and Higher Broughton, is an important and growing centre of Jewish life. This report was commissioned by Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Regions (GMJRC) to research and analyse community strengths and provide a mapping of Jewish organisations in the Greater Manchester area. It was overseen by the GMJRC strategic group – a group that was formed of Councils and organisations across the Jewish religious spectrum as a response to the pandemic. It reviews services in seven themes: Children & Young People; Adult Services; Older People; Health; Employment; Emergency Response; and Housing. As well as looking at delivery, governance, leadership, and building assets, it also tries to understand where the gaps and support needs are. As the demographics and relative sizes of the mainstream and strictly Orthodox Jewish populations continue to change, this study represents an important examination of both the challenges and opportunities of how the respective communities work together. As these populations change across the UK, and beyond, the study will have significance to other cities where these Jewish communities exist side by side. The Institute of Jewish Policy Research (JPR) used a variety of data sources to identify organisations delivering in each theme and built maps of that data which can be seen throughout this report. Mobilise Public Ltd use several methods to gather data from these organisations in each theme. The main approach was qualitative, using stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions with a purposely selected sample of these organisations, and the evidence collected was supplemented with a short survey which was issued to a larger number of organisations. The research was coproduced with a subset of the strategic group through a series of facilitated sessions and was designed to build a good understanding of delivery in each theme as well as an understanding of challenges and opportunities in readiness for the strategic group to develop a more integrated strategy for the Greater Manchester Jewish community

Hardship And Needs Of Elderly Hesed Clients: An Analysis Of Clients Served By Hesed Service Centers In Russia & Ukraine

Author(s): Tighe, Elizabeth; Magidin de Kramer, Raquel; Bleckman, Dina; Begli, Nursahedov; Saxe, Leonard

Date: 2012

Topics: Ageing and the Elderly, Care and Welfare, Health, Evaluation and Impact, Main Topic: Other, Social Services, Social Work, International Aid and NGOs, Jewish Community: Community Development, Care and Welfare: Care for the Elderly, Poverty and Deprivation

Abstract:

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.

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