On Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, communities across the United States honor the memory of the 6 million Jews who were systematically murdered by the Nazis during World War II nd the Holocaust, while also turning their attention to the urgent needs of those who survived. At the same time, many Holocaust survivors are struggling to meet their most basic needs.
In 2019, Seed the Dream Foundation partnered with KAVOD to establish the KAVOD Survivors of the Holocaust Emergency Fund (SHEF) to address the unmet emergency needs of survivors. At that time, it was estimated that one-third of the 100,000 survivors across the United States were living in poverty.
According to the most recent data collected in 2026 by the Claims Conference, an estimated 31,000 Holocaust survivors live in the United States. While the report finds that 30% of survivors nationwide live in poverty, KAVOD SHEF works in many communities where more than half of the Holocaust survivor population struggles to meet their most basic needs.
“KAVOD SHEF was founded on the belief that no Holocaust survivor should ever have to suffer again,” said Marcy Gringlas, co-founder and president of Seed the Dream Foundation.
“Honoring survivors includes both listening to them and caring for them,” she said. “Today, we are reminded that remembrance must be paired with responsibility. They have already endured unthinkable suffering, and now many are struggling to access the necessities required. As a community, we have a responsibility to care for these survivors so they can live out the rest of their lives with the dignity they deserve.”
To date, KAVOD SHEF has fulfilled more than 156,000 requests for emergency needs and services, including emergency medical, dental, food and home care, with demand continuing to rise. Requests have increased year over year, with hundreds now coming in each day.
“Many survivors are forced to make impossible choices between paying rent and buying groceries. For those who have already endured the unimaginable trauma of the Holocaust, we cannot risk their remaining years being lived without access to medical services, nutrition and care,” said Talia Kaplan, executive director of Seed the Dream Foundation.
“With rising costs across the country, every person can make a difference,” she continued. “KAVOD SHEF is bringing the community together to ensure the needs of survivors are met in a dignified manner. No one organization or person can do this alone; we have to do it together.”
Recent government shutdowns and significant cuts to social-service programs such as Medicaid and SNAP have directly impacted Holocaust survivors, exacerbating long-standing issues of food insecurity and exposing a reality that cannot be ignored.
“Throughout the fall, there were multiple days that we had more than $30,000 in food requests from Holocaust survivors. The loss of SNAP was very triggering for them—a reminder of the trauma they endured as children when food was scarce. It is unfathomable that they are enduring this same struggle once again,” said Amy Israel Pregulman, executive director and co-founder of KAVOD.
KAVOD SHEF works closely with local partners, such as Jewish Federation and Jewish Family Service agencies, to identify survivors in need and provide emergency assistance in 43 communities across the United States, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Broward County, Fla., and Palm Beach, Fla.
