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| Israel |
| Published on 05-15-2010 | Email To Friend Print Version
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Doing good in Israel
There are around 100 charitable organizations and funds successfully working in Israel today. In 1969, the charitable organization JDC-Eshel was co-founded by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Government of Israel. In its 40 years of work the fund has achieved considerable success in helping repatriates, and particularly the elderly, get settled in their new country: - 20 new buildings have been constructed to house 3,500 elderly; - 224 medical clinics offering 24-hour home service have been established; - more than 90 different medical studies have been conducted to learn more about the state of health of elderly Israelites, to try to explain the phenomenon of high life expectancy (an average of 85 years!); - the Israeli Center Gerontech has been founded with cooperation of the Metropolitan Jewish Health System in New York City. The JDC-Eshel fund works in close contact with American colleagues, who provide critical moral and material support. One of the first programs established by JDC-Eshel was Warm Homes, the goal of which is to create a warm gathering place and social network for groups of elderly individuals with similar backgrounds, and provide them with meaningful activities which enhance their quality of life. The person responsible for the activities of Warm Homes in Israel, Sofia Borisov, addressed me to one such home, situated in the northern town of Maalot.  The hostess, Bella Sverdlov, Doctor of Science, retired in 2002 from the world-famous “Iskar” factory. An emotional, energetic person, Bella couldn’t just simply sit and to do nothing, so she proposed to Sofia to open a Warm Home. The first meeting of “Bella's Home” took place in summer of 2006 on the eve of the Second Lebanese War. To no small degree, Bella's professionalism, optimism, fearlessness and dedication helped those who flocked to her like moths to a flame in order to wait out the horror of Hezbollah's rocket attacks. Bella regularly invites specialists to speak about Judaism and Jewish traditions, as well as psychologists, poets, and musicians. Her home has established the lovely tradition of celebrating Jewish holidays and the birthdays of participants. For years, gathering in her small, comfortable apartment really became a second home for participants. JDC-Eschel regularly conducts conferences, seminars, and courses for the hosts of Warm Homes, at which participants exchange stories of their experiences. Despite the economic crisis, they continue their good and needed deed — to give elderly people a chance to socialize, and to create a warm and intimate family atmosphere at every meeting. One can say with certainty that this beneficient organization will continue to be, with God's help, notably successful in the future. We wish the same success to all other charitable organizations in Israel and around the world. Sol Levy, Freelance observer, for International Life magazine 
Doing good in Israel
There are around 100 charitable organizations and funds successfully working in Israel today. In 1969, the charitable organization JDC-Eshel was co-founded by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Government of Israel. In its 40 years of work the fund has achieved considerable success in helping repatriates, and particularly the elderly, get settled in their new country: - 20 new buildings have been constructed to house 3,500 elderly; - 224 medical clinics offering 24-hour home service have been established; - more than 90 different medical studies have been conducted to learn more about the state of health of elderly Israelites, to try to explain the phenomenon of high life expectancy (an average of 85 years!); - the Israeli Center Gerontech has been founded with cooperation of the Metropolitan Jewish Health System in New York City. The JDC-Eshel fund works in close contact with American colleagues, who provide critical moral and material support. One of the first programs established by JDC-Eshel was Warm Homes, the goal of which is to create a warm gathering place and social network for groups of elderly individuals with similar backgrounds, and provide them with meaningful activities which enhance their quality of life. The person responsible for the activities of Warm Homes in Israel, Sofia Borisov, addressed me to one such home, situated in the northern town of Maalot. The hostess, Bella Sverdlov, Doctor of Science, retired in 2002 from the world-famous “Iskar” factory. An emotional, energetic person, Bella couldn’t just simply sit and to do nothing, so she proposed to Sofia to open a Warm Home. The first meeting of “Bella's Home” took place in summer of 2006 on the eve of the Second Lebanese War. To no small degree, Bella's professionalism, optimism, fearlessness and dedication helped those who flocked to her like moths to a flame in order to wait out the horror of Hezbollah's rocket attacks. Bella regularly invites specialists to speak about Judaism and Jewish traditions, as well as psychologists, poets, and musicians. Her home has established the lovely tradition of celebrating Jewish holidays and the birthdays of participants. For years, gathering in her small, comfortable apartment really became a second home for participants. JDC-Eschel regularly conducts conferences, seminars, and courses for the hosts of Warm Homes, at which participants exchange stories of their experiences. Despite the economic crisis, they continue their good and needed deed — to give elderly people a chance to socialize, and to create a warm and intimate family atmosphere at every meeting. One can say with certainty that this beneficient organization will continue to be, with God's help, notably successful in the future. We wish the same success to all other charitable organizations in Israel and around the world. Sol Levy, Freelance observer, for International Life magazine
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