Blessing the Last Holocaust Survivors

“Thank God somebody cares for us – I had no warm jacket for this winter,” says Leah from Jerusalem. She survived the ghettos in Nazi occupied Ukraine and can’t make ends meet on her own. Michael another ghetto survivor described the JIJ distribution event today; “You warmed our hearts, it’s not just the jackets, it is your attitude and love that we feel. Thank you from all of my heart,”

Our Project

The Jerusalem Institute of Justice has distributed warm blankets to Holocaust survivors and elderly for three consecutive years. We considered many new ideas of how to help those neglected by state institutions. This year we decided to give them double-layered, water resistant, warm fleece jackets and hats for the harsh winter months as many of them cannot afford to use heaters to warm their houses. We have purchased 2500 high-quality fleece jackets and hats as a first step to bless 5,000 Holocaust survivors and we need to raise $50,000 to finish the project. The whole project costs $100,000 and will reach approximately 3% of the neediest contingent.
So far, hundreds of jackets have been distributed in Haifa and Jerusalem, many more distribution events are planned in many cities of Israel: Ashdod, Ashkelon and Tel-Aviv.

Meeting a Major Need

The statistics reveal a terrible truth – it is our last chance to bless the Holocaust survivors. While in 2005 there were nearly 400,000 Holocaust survivors in Israel, by 2007 according to figures presented by the National Insurance Institute and other Israeli agencies, there were only 250,000 Holocaust survivors left in Israel. Thousands of the survivors die annually, with 70% of them older than 76, and 20% older than 86. The state stipends amount to barely $300 a month, not enough to pay for basic necessities. Moreover, the medical and financial needs of the population are growing, as even the youngest of the survivors are now well over 60. The problem is particularly acute for about 170,000 who moved to Israel from the former Soviet Union over the past decade, and are now living in poverty. They are entitled neither to the monthly pensions sent to other survivors by the governments of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, nor the pensions supplied by Israeli and international Jewish organizations. All of them arrived in Israel after the age of 65, and many are living alone in a nation whose inner workings are difficult to contend with even for the native-born and the young.

According to figures presented by the National Insurance Institute and other Israeli agencies, out of the 250,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel in 2007, 20,000 receive reparations from Germany and another 40,000 are paid stipends by the state. The overwhelming majority, however, receive no support whatsoever. Under Israeli law, those survivors who arrived in Israel after 1953 are ineligible for government benefits.

Thanks and Appreciation

Ephraim G.,  Director of the Ghetto and Holocaust Survivors Organization in Jerusalem couldn’t hide his joy that his cooperation with JIJ was so rewarding – many people came to hug and thank us: “You did something fantastic for us, the people were so touched… May God bless you!”

Thank you so much for donating to this special project, as we show these courageous survivors that they have not been forgotten. We are your representatives of love and compassion here in the land. Please continue to partner with the Jerusalem Institute of Justice to bless the elderly population of Israel this winter season.

"Thank you from all of my heart,” said Michael, another ghetto survivor

Double-layered warm fleece jackets and hats for the harsh winter months

Hundreds of jackets have been distributed in Haifa and Jerusalem

Many people came to hug and thank us