Jewish Federations of North America will join with the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, the European Council of Jewish Communities, CJE SeniorLife, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and Uniper in a global, virtual gathering on April 28 to commemorate Yom Hashoah and remember the 6 million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust.
The program will offer recognition of the legacy of survivors from the former Soviet Union. Professor Wendy Lower, Ph.D., a history professor at Claremont McKenna College, as well as an author and expert on the Holocaust, will offer the keynote address.
Approximately one-third of all Holocaust survivors in the United States live in poverty; the vast majority of that segment of the population is from the former Soviet Union.
To that end, in 2015, the Jewish Federations of North America established the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma to support thousands of survivors annually with critical services.
This past January, Jewish Federations awarded 55 grants totaling more than $5 million to organizations across America to improve their capacity to deliver social services to thousands of Holocaust survivors, diverse older adults with a history of trauma and their family caregivers. These services have proven especially vital to survivors from the former Soviet Union, particularly those who have experienced retraumatization as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Since its establishment, the center has served:
- 31,000 Holocaust survivors
- 2,500 older adults with a history of trauma
- 5,000 family caregivers
- 15,000 professionals with training
“Seeing images of decimated buildings, and mothers and children fleeing, has been really hard for Holocaust survivors, as they too know what it’s like to experience war,” said Shelley Rood Wernick, managing director of the center on survivor care. “Many of the survivors’ social workers and case managers are from the region, and they are deeply impacted as well. Jewish human-service agencies are working tirelessly to bring support and comfort.”
The virtual program takes place from noon to 1 p.m. EST on April 28. Click here to join.
