American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Inc

THE AMERICAN JEWISH JOINT DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE (JDC) IS THE WORLD'S (CONT. ON SCHED. O) LEADING JEWISH HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE ORGANIZATION, WORKING IN MORE THAN 70 COUNTRIES AND IN ISRAEL.

SAVING JEWISH LIVES: RELIEF AND SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMS PROVIDE HUMAN SERVICES AND SUPPORT TO JEWS IN NEED IN COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. SERVICES ARE PROVIDED TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT MEET CRITERIA RELEVANT TO THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT, SUCH AS POVERTY AND INCOME LEVELS, THE EXISTENCE OR LACK OF AVAILABLE SOCIAL SERVICES WITHIN A COUNTRY, AND CONSIDERATION FOR PHYSICAL MOBILITY, DISABILITIES, AND UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES. PROGRAMS INCLUDE: FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES HOMECARE MEDICAL SERVICES, EQUIPMENT, AND MEDICINES (CONT. ON SCHED. O) EMERGENCY GRANTS IN 2021, JDC PROVIDED OVER 78,000 ELDER JEWS IN NEED IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION (FSU) WITH MUCH NEEDED RELIEF AND WELFARE SERVICES.THE ONGOING COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAD LASTING EFFECTS ON ALL OUR OPERATIONS IN THE FSU, AND IN PARTICULAR ON OUR ELDERLY CLIENTS, WHO ARE ALSO THE MOST VULNERABLE POPULATION IN THIS GLOBAL CRISIS. SINCE THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE TO ELDERLY JEWS IN THE FSU PRIMARILY HOMECARE, FOOD, AND MEDICINE ARE THE MOST BASIC AND ESSENTIAL TYPE OF AID, THEY HAVE LITERALLY CONSTITUTED A LIFELINE FOR VULNERABLE ELDERLY IN THESE TIMES. IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THAT LIFELINE AS BEST AS POSSIBLE, WE HAVE BEEN CONSTANTLY ADAPTING OUR SERVICE PROVISION ACCORDING TO THE CHANGING RESTRICTIONS AND LOCKDOWN MEASURES ON THE GROUND. THROUGH USE OF VARIOUS INITIATIVES PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION, ATTAINING "ESSENTIAL WORKER" PERMITS, PROVIDING FOOD AND MEDICINE AID MORE THROUGH PACKAGES AND FOOD CARDS, AND CREATING AND DEPLOYING A TECH-BASED REMOTE CARE SERVICE WHERE ELDERLY WERE SUPPLIED WITH SMARTPHONES TO MONITOR NEEDS, BATTLE LONELINESS, AND PROVIDE EMERGENCY SUPPORT IN REAL TIME WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN SERVICES AT ALMOST THE SAME SCOPE AS BEFORE, DESPITE THE SEVERE AND DYNAMIC CHALLENGES. OVERALL, IN 2021 WE MANAGED TO MAINTAIN CORE SERVICES (I.E., HOMECARE, FOOD, AND MEDICINE) AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME LEVEL AS BEFORE DUE TO MAJOR OPERATIONAL EFFORTS ON ALL LEVELS, AND THE EXPANSION OF CERTAIN ELEMENTS (MAINLY FOOD AND MEDICINE). WE PROVIDED OVER 25,000 NEEDY ELDERLY IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION WITH HOMECARE; OVER 21,000 RECEIVE MEDICINE AND MEDICAL SERVICES; OVER 71,000 SENIORS RECEIVED FOOD ASSISTANCE. AS NEEDS ON THE GROUND FOR MATERIAL SUPPORT GREW, WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL EMERGENCY AID, WHICH INCLUDED ADDITIONAL FOOD AND MEDICINE AID FOR ELDERLY AND FAMILIES AT RISK, AND PURCHASING PROTECTIVE GEAR FOR HOMECARE WORKERS TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THEIR WORK. THIS WORK CONTINUED TO BE SUPPLEMENTED WITH HELP FROM AN EXPANDING COHORT OF MULTIGENERATIONAL JEWISH COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS TRAINED AND DEPLOYED BY JDC.FROM THE ONSET OF THE PANDEMIC, JDC-EUROPE, AFRICA & ASIA'S CRISIS TEAM REACHED OUT TO JEWISH COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO ASSESS THEIR NEEDS AND PROVIDE GUIDANCE AND TRAINING ON HOW TO MANAGE THE EMERGENCY EFFECTIVELY AND SUPPORT THEIR MEMBERS. FOR FAMILIES FACING NEW ECONOMIC HARDSHIPS, THE COVID HUMANITARIAN RELIEF FUND WAS DEPLOYED AND CONTINUED IN 2021 TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE TO PURCHASE FOOD AND MEDICINE AND HELP PREVENT THEM FROM FALLING INTO POVERTY. IN 2021 THE FUND HAS PROVIDED MONTHLY ASSISTANCE TO 18 JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN EUROPE, AS WELL AS JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN ARGENTINA, TUNISIA, AND MOROCCO, REACHING MORE THAN 1,400 HOUSEHOLDS (OR 3,700 INDIVIDUALS).IN 2021, "SAVING JEWISH LIVES" PROGRAM COSTS (AS WELL AS OVERALL PROGRAM SERVICE EXPENSES) DECREASED BECAUSE OF A TRANSITION TO DIRECT MANAGEMENT OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR CARE BY LOCAL JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN EUROPE, A WELCOME STEP TOWARDS THEIR SELF-SUFFICIENCY. FOR DECADES, JDC CREATED SOCIAL SERVICE INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRAINING FOR THESE JEWISH COMMUNITIES, WORKING WITH LOCAL LEADERS, PROFESSIONALS, AND THE CLAIMS CONFERENCE TO PROVIDE AID TO HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS. AS THESE COMMUNITIES HAVE EVOLVED TOWARD FINANCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL INDEPENDENCE, JDC PHASED OUT FROM THIS WORK AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES HAVE TAKEN OVER THE LEADERSHIP OF THESE LOCAL PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES, INCLUDING ADMINISTERING CLAIMS CONFERENCE GRANTS FUNDING SERVICES FOR AGING HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS.

INNOVATIVE SOCIAL SERVICES IN ISRAEL: JDC ASSISTS VULNERABLE JEWS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THIS MISSION IS CRUCIAL IN ISRAEL, WHERE A REMARKABLE ECONOMIC BOOM HAS NOT REACHED EVERYONE. JDC PROVIDES AID TO ISRAEL'S MOST VULNERABLE CITIZENS, INCLUDING UNEMPLOYED ISRAELIS, CHILDREN AT RISK, ELDERLY AND ISRAELIS WITH DISABILITIES. JDC USES A UNIQUE MODEL, WHICH MAXIMIZES OUR IMPACT. WE PROMOTE INNOVATION, RUNNING PILOT PROGRAMS TO DEVELOP AND TEST MORE PROMISING WAYS TO DELIVER SOCIAL SERVICES. IF A NEW IDEA SUCCEEDS, THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT TAKES OVER THE PROGRAM AND IMPLEMENTS IT THROUGHOUT THE NATION. WE USE THE ACRONYM "DNA" TO DESCRIBE THIS (CONT. ON SCHED. O) APPROACH, SINCE OUR INVOLVEMENT WITH A PILOT HAS THREE STAGES: 1) DESIGN (I.E., COMING UP WITH A NEW IDEA); 2) NURTURE (I.E., TESTING THE NEW PROGRAM); AND 3) ACCELERATE (I.E., IF IT WORKS, SCALING IT UP AND HANDING IT OFF TO BE REPLICATED). IN 2021, JDC DIRECTLY IMPACTED OVER 200,000 ISRAELIS, AND OVER 1,000,000 ISRAELIS BENEFIT FROM PROGRAMS ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED BY JDC THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO SCALE AND ARE NOW OPERATED BY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.IN ADDITION, IN RESPONSE TO UNIQUE NEEDS GENERATED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS, JDC PROVIDED TARGETED ASSISTANCE INCLUDING HUMANITARIAN AID AND SERVICES TO VULNERABLE OLDER ADULTS, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND FAMILIES-AT-RISK IN QUARANTINE; DISTRIBUTION OF VITAL HEALTH INFORMATION TO ISOLATED CITIZENS; AND TRAINING FOR PROFESSIONALS AND VOLUNTEERS ON HOW TO WORK AND PROVIDE CARE REMOTELY. JDC'S COVID-SPECIFIC PROGRAMS HELPED OVER 100,000 PEOPLE ACROSS ISRAEL.

BUILDING JEWISH LIFE: JDC STRENGTHENS JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN THREE WAYS. FIRST, WE HELP BUILD JEWISH IDENTITY AND ENGAGEMENT AMONG JEWS WITH A VARIETY OF LEVELS OF JEWISH AFFILIATION THROUGH INCLUSIVE, PLURALISTIC PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON JEWISH CULTURE AND TRADITIONS. SECOND, WE NURTURE INSTITUTIONS AND TRAIN LEADERS, SO COMMUNITIES ARE EFFICIENT, TRANSPARENT, REPRESENTATIVE, AND (EVENTUALLY) SELF-RELIANT. THIRD, WE URGE COMMUNITIES TO CARE FOR THEIR MOST VULNERABLE MEMBERS. AS A RESULT, THERE ARE SYNERGIES BETWEEN OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND CARE MISSIONS: INDIVIDUALS ARE MORE LIKELY TO RECEIVE CARE AND JDC HAS LESS NEED TO PROVIDE IT IF VIBRANT LOCAL COMMUNITIES TAKE ON THIS RESPONSIBILITY. PROGRAMS FOCUS ON CAPACITY-BUILDING THROUGH EFFORTS TO SUPPORT THE CREATION AND MAINTENANCE OF JEWISH (CONT. ON SCHED. O) COMMUNITIES, TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES BY BUILDING COMMUNAL PARTICIPATION, AND TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY LIFE. PROGRAMS INCLUDE: LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES & TRAINING DEVELOPING VOLUNTEERISM CAMPING AND RETREATS INFORMAL JEWISH EDUCATION (CLUBS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES) JEWISH TRADITION/RELIGION/HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTERS FORMAL JEWISH EDUCATION (SCHOOLS) EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES & MATERIALS (PUBLICATIONS, CURRICULA, E-LEARNING, WEB-RESOURCES, LIBRARIES, ETC.)COVID CONDITIONS CREATED BOTH A CHALLENGE IN THE NECESSITY TO SUSPEND IN-PERSON ACTIVITIES, AS WELL AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE THE USE OF ONLINE PLATFORMS AND INNOVATE IN THIS SPACE. WE CREATED A WIDE RANGE OF CONTINUALLY UPDATED ONLINE CONTENT, AND SUCCESSFULLY LED THE ANNUAL CROSS-REGIONAL CONFERENCE ONLINE VIA ZOOM. ONLINE TOOLS BUILT CONNECTIONS BETWEEN DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES, AS LARGE ONLINE COMMUNAL EVENTS BROUGHT TOGETHER PARTICIPANTS OF DIFFERENT AGES FROM ACROSS GLOBAL COMMUNITIES. FURTHERMORE, THEY ENABLED US TO INCREASE OUR REACH TO NEW PARTICIPANTS WHO DID NOT PREVIOUSLY ATTEND OUR ACTIVITIES.

OTHER PROGRAMS: GLOBAL RESPONSE & INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT (GRID) PROGRAM: THIS PROGRAM RESPONDS TO HUMANITARIAN CRISES AND NATURAL DISASTERS THROUGH EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RECOVERY WORK FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS PROVIDING FOOD, WATER, MEDICINES AND SHELTER AS WELL AS PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT, OPPORTUNITIES TO REGAIN THEIR LIVELIHOODS AND PREPARE FOR FUTURE CRISES. JDC ALSO CONVENES AND COORDINATES THE JEWISH COALITION FOR DISASTER RESPONSE, AN ALLIANCE OF OVER 40 JEWISH AGENCIES THAT RESPOND TO MAJOR GLOBAL CRISES SUCH AS THE RECENT EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI, FAMINE IN EAST AFRICA, THE GLOBAL REFUGEE CRISIS, AND MAJOR DISASTERS. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT: THESE PROGRAMS INCLUDE JDC'S RESEARCH INSTITUTES, OTHER TYPES OF RESEARCH STUDIES AND JDC'S INVESTMENT IN DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS. ENTWINE: AN INITIATIVE OF JDC, IS A ONE-OF-A-KIND MOVEMENT FOR YOUNG JEWISH LEADERS, INFLUENCERS, AND ADVOCATES WHO SEEK TO MAKE A MEANINGFUL IMPACT ON GLOBAL JEWISH NEEDS AND INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN ISSUES THROUGH EDUCATION, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, AND VOLUNTEER SERVICE.