The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany negotiates with the German government to receive annual funding to help Holocaust survivors, according to claimscon.org.
This year alone, the Claims Conference will distribute almost $900 million to more than 300 agencies supporting more than 115,000 survivors, according to the Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties.
And local organizations will see a small but significant chunk of that.
Hundreds of survivors are still alive across the Philadelphia region. Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia serves approximately 400. Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Southern New Jersey helps about 130 in Camden, Burlington and Gloucester counties and another 11 in Vineland. And the Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties still serves almost 10.
Even for fewer than 10 survivors, JFS of Atlantic & Cape May Counties received $204,497 from the Claims Conference. JFCS of Southern New Jersey got more than $2 million. JFCS of Greater Philadelphia did not disclose the dollar figure of its grant.
The average age of a Holocaust survivor is more than 80. Tens of thousands die each year, and there are only about 245,000 remaining worldwide, but the needs of the living are no less great, according to the Claims Conference.
“The care and support of Holocaust survivors is not just our mission as an organization, it is our moral duty. We are proud to support the great work being done by JFS ensuring that survivors in their area are being cared for in their homes with the dignity that was stripped from them in their youth,” said Greg Schneider, the executive vice president of the Claims Conference, in a news release provided by JFS of Atlantic & Cape May Counties.
Local leaders added to that sentiment.
“At JFS, we are honored and dedicated to taking care of Holocaust survivors in our county,” said Andrea Steinberg, the CEO of JFS of Atlantic & Cape May Counties. “Our staff is committed to providing essential support, which hopefully immeasurably adds to their quality of life as they age with grace, dignity and independence.”
“As a Jewish agency, we are committed to caring for all people, but our survivors in particular,” said Rachael Satanoff Ovitz, the marketing director at JFCS of Southern New Jersey. “It really is our duty to make sure they have what they need and that they can live with as much dignity and safety as possible.”
It’s a moral duty, but it’s also a practical one, according to Ovitz.
(Courtesy of the Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties)
As she put it, many survivors are in their 80s and 90s. Yet they want to stay in their homes.
“They can’t do that without JFCS and agencies like JFCS,” she said.
Claims Conference grants offer social services and support programs, according to claimscon.org.
With survivors aging, that means in-home housekeeping, weekly meal delivery, meal deliveries for Jewish holidays and a monthly social program involving lunch and activities, according to Ovitz. It also means emergency medical services and medical support, according to Lisa Ney, the program officer for JFCS of Greater Philadelphia. In some cases, it means help with dressing, feeding and other basic actions of daily life, per Mara Bienstock, the director of revenue at JFS of Atlantic & Cape May Counties.
Organizations such as JFS submit requests for grants based on the number of survivors they are helping, the degree of help they need to provide and the costs associated with each, according to Steinberg. Twelve hours of care a day for a survivor can cost about $135,000 a year.
While JFS appreciates the Claims Conference grant, it is not quite enough. To care for less than 10 survivors, the organization needs $280,000 per year. So, it also puts aside $30,000 of its own money and applies for funding from the state of New Jersey and Kavod, a Jewish nonprofit organization that helps survivors.
During the summer months, the survivor population in the Atlantic and Cape May County area can grow as high as 50-75. But fewer than 10 qualify for the necessary services provided by a Claims Conference grant.
“The people getting home care are pretty much here 12 months,” Steinberg said.
Mike Kleidermacher, an 81-year-old survivor who lives in Margate, said he appreciates the help. Kleidermacher can drive his own car, but he does attend monthly socialization events and gets some meals sent to his house.
“They are very good people who went through a lot and survived,” he said. “There’s a word in the Jewish language: a mitzvah. It’s a good thing to help people like that.”
