          
| |
Elderly in the Former Soviet
Union
Disabled Israeli Soldiers Learning to Ski in Aspen
Sister City Beer Milka in Israel's Negev
Media Central Journalist
Resource Center
Special
Pomegranate Division Project
Elderly
in the Soviet Union
It would be hard to find anyone
who would not agree that elderly Jews – many of whom are Holocaust
survivors – deserve to live out their lives in dignity.
Yet, in countries
throughout the world, hundreds of thousands of elderly live in abject
poverty. For them, life is a daily struggle, and loneliness is their
constant companion. But you can make a difference - through UJA.
In the former Soviet Union, with your support local
communities create Hesed welfare centers. These
centers provide a wide range of services, including food packages, hot
meals, medicine, homecare, and winter relief to more than 270,000
impoverished elderly.
The following is the
per capita (BPC) in annual terms. This figure is the ratio between the
direct welfare budget and the number of clients and represents the
average value of JDC's support to an individual client.
The following
amounts include:
·
Welfare Services
·
Home Care
·
Food
·
Medicine
|
Budget
Per Capita (BPC)
|
|
|
|
(US
Dollars - annual figures)
|
|
|
|
|
per
year
|
per
month
|
|
Russia
|
$237
|
$19.75
|
|
Ukraine
|
$300
|
$25.00
|
|
Belarus
|
$197
|
$16.42
|
|
Moldova
|
$610
|
$50.83
|
|
Asia
& Caucasus
|
$729
|
$60.75
|
One Story:
Long Gone are Sela's Days in the Fast Lane
 Looking at Sela, 82, it is hard to
imagine the vibrant woman she once was.
At the height of her career, Sela was a high-powered executive
rising to the top ranks in Soviet Television. She oversaw a staff of
hundreds and was in charge of children's programming. Her fast-paced
days were full of meetings, phone calls and urgent decisions that needed
to be made.
Now Sela's life is confined to a rickety wood-framed bed. She spends her
time staring out a window — the tops of trees her only view, with an
occasional lone bird flying by. Sela's husband, Irving, breaks the
monotony by reading the daily newspaper to her and helps turn her over
to prevent bed sores from developing.
Traces of Sela's former self emerge when she speaks: her voice is still
firm, authoritative and no-nonsense, as when she directs her husband to
get her a blanket or tells a group of visitors that she is too tired to
talk. Yet it seems to Sela that she was so recently on the go, engaged
in community affairs and feeling alive.
Even after she retired Sela kept active, volunteering at the local
JDC-sponsored Hesed social welfare center helping
to coordinate social events for her fellow seniors. But a fall two years
ago changed Sela's world and marked an end to her independence.
Since her accident, Hesed has helped Sela with
rehabilitation; medicine; food; and a home care worker named Yelena, who
comes five days a week to prepare meals, clean the small apartment, and
help Irving to bathe and move his wife.
"We can't even begin to tell you how much Hesed
is helping us," says Irving. "My wife cannot do anything for
herself. Can you imagine how we would be able to live without this help?
On our pensions it would be impossible." Both he and his wife have
monthly incomes of $115. Still, Sela and Irving live with the constant
worry that this essential help from Hesed might
one day be gone. Over the last year Sela has seen some of her assistance
reduced. Her monthly food package, for example, is now substantially
less.
"We know about these cuts," says Sela, "and we can only
hope that we can continue keeping what we have."
Though the gravity of Sela's situation is at least as great as other
elderly clients in the FSU whose services are not in jeopardy, she and
Irving have no choice but continue to wait, day by day, at the mercy of
others' assistance. "There really is nothing that we can do,"
she says.
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Sister City Beer Milka in Israel's Negev Region
In October
2006, the country was raging in light of the controversial outcome of
the Second Lebanon War. But beyond the strident public discourse that
arose after the war, it was "business as usual" in the State
of Israel: the stock market rose, cafés were lively, restaurants were
packed and most people went on vacation like they did every year.
In
that same month some new start-ups were launched, another Israeli
company was sold for over a billion dollars, young men and women started
college in the more popular faculties of law, business administration,
media and computer science, while two Israeli movies won unprecedented
acclaim abroad.
Far from
the bustle and tumult of these occurrences, a lone truck climbed up a
dirt road towards a barren sand dune overlooking the vast deserts of
Sinai and the Negev. The truck was carrying two trailer-homes, and when
it reached the top of the hill, the driver switched off the engine.
The silence
of the desert prevailed and a pleasant breeze welcomed the newcomers.
After a few minutes, three dusty minibuses arrived with several
families. Dudi pointed to a spot at the far end of the hill and said,
"There." Moments later, the first structure was set down in
Beer Milka – the most recent Jewish community to be established in the
State of Israel!!!
Two years
later, 17 families numbering over 30 children, ages 0-15, live in Beer
Milka. In the summer of 2008, on a desolate hill on the Egyptian border,
saplings were planted, foundations were dug; children are running around
and the delicious aroma of freshly baked casseroles floats in the air.
As evening
falls with its incredible sunset over the seemingly endless desert, one
can see that even in 2008 it's still possible to feel excited and moved
by the idealism and pioneering spirit of settlement in the Negev.
Beer
Milka was established in an abundant "sea of sand" in the
Kagor Holot (Sands) Nature Reserve located about 80 kilometers (nearly
50 miles) from Beer Sheba and only 2 km (1.2 miles) from the Egyptian
border. The inhabitants of Beer Milka, unlike most of their Israeli
peers, have chosen to fulfill and renew the Zionist spirit of
agricultural settlement in the Negev.
Beer
Milka was established at the initiative of a group of men and women in
their 20's who decided to live a life of agriculture based on community
and quality of life. By doing so, they are challenging the existing
trend among many of our country's young people, who primarily look after
their own interests, forgetting their kinship to Israeli society and the
State, which has mainly become the object of criticism.
The
place and name that were chosen indicate a deep consciousness of the
spirit of the place and the history of the Jewish People. This community
village is situated above the junction of two river channels which flow
once a year.
At the
precise meeting place of these channels there is an ancient well,
thousands of years old, called in Arabic "Bir-Milga" which
means "well of the junction".
In the Bible two women named Milka are mentioned: one was the
wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham; the other was one of the
daughters of Zelpahad. Today, the inhabitants of Beer Milka make their
living from organic farming, carpentry, restaurants and tourism.
Playground
Project
Beer
Milka has become a center of attraction for young, daring,
non-conformists interested in living their life differently from the
accepted norms in Israel today. The growing number of young families
with children compels us to provide services like day care,
kindergartens, recreational equipment and medical services.
Some
of these services are given, however due to the proximity to the
Egyptian border, exceptional security measures are required.
At present, Beer Milka has no gathering place where children can
play basketball or soccer and enjoy other kinds of recreational or
instructional physical activity.
The
regional council has requested UJA's partnership in building a sports
and recreation court for the children of Beer Milka. This court will
make it possible to keep the community thriving by attracting and
absorbing new families.
Court
Specifications:
Area …………………………………………………..14 x 26
meters
Fence …………………………………………………80 meters
Baskets ……………………………………………….2
Lighting ………………………………………………..4 poles
Cost
Estimates:
Construction:
court, lighting, fence, marking and installing baskets….$80,000
Regional
Council Funding
……………………………………………………….….$40,000
Media Central Journalist
Resource Center
Media Central is an independent, media-liaison
organization in Jerusalem providing support services for journalists
based in or visiting Israel, the Palestinian territories and the region.
 |
Mark Regev, Spokesperson for the
Prime
Ministers Office addresses Media Central
|
The media has a difficult job researching and reporting the news
at the best of times and in the most friendly of environments. In a
foreign country, in the midst of often-violent conflict, a journalist
faces numerous obstacles to efficient and effective reporting.
Unfamiliar language(s), cultural barriers, changing players, deadlines
geared to home-country clocks, potential physical dangers and other
issues combine to make reporting from the region a tremendous challenge.
MediaCentral has been set up as a non-profit, independent, media-liaison
service organization offering what are perhaps the three most important
elements in journalism:
 | Information |
| Access |
| Materials |
MediaCentral offers a friendly place to work in downtown
Jerusalem, with free or low-cost services including:
Disabled
Israeli Soldiers to Learn to Ski
in Snowmass
UJA again
will support the program in 2010
that began in 2009 - February 16 to February 23, 2010
For a week,
10 disabled Israeli soldiers and victims of terror came to the
Valley to enjoy the beautiful mountains thanks to a special partnership of
United Jewish Appeal Aspen Valley
and Chabad Aspen, with Challenge
Aspen
Most people who live here consider the
mountains a regular part of life in the valley; Imagine the joy it will
bring to a person who has undergone traumatic and disabling events in
their life.
There are many interesting and
inspiring events you may attend to learn about our guests and help
welcome them to our very special Valley:
If you are interested in any of the
following activites, please email
Rabbi Mendel Mintz-
Rabbi@jccaspen.com
Breakfast & Dinner at Chabad Center
unless otherwise noted. Lunch on Mountain.
Tuesday, February 16, Arrival,
Room Assign, Clothes Fitting, Dinner
7pm Arrival and check-in L'Auberge - Chabad
Center
8pm Dinner and Outfitting for Ski Clothes
Wednesday, February 17
7:30-8:30 AM Breakfast
8:45 AM Depart for Snowmass Mountain
9:30 AM Meet with Sarah and CA Staff-CA
Equipment room
10:00AM Aspen Sports- Equipment
Rental-Ski/Snowboard
12:00PM-12:45PM Lunch TBD by
instructor/buddy/participant
1:00-3:30 PM Skiing
3:30PM Depart Snowmass
3:30PM Return to Chabad Center
4:00PM-7:00PM Rest and Relaxation
7:00PM Dinner (open to all and CA staff-
must RSVP)
Thursday, February 18
7:30-8:00 AM Breakfast
8:15 AM Travel to Buttermilk Mountain
9:00 AM-12:00 PM Meet with Instructors,
Skiing
12:00-12:45pm Lunch at Bumps (from Chabad)
1:00PM-3:00PM Skiing
3:30PM Return to Chabad Center
4:00PM-7:00PM Rest and Relaxation
6:30PM Dinner
Friday, February 19
7:30-8:30 AM Breakfast
8:15 AM Travel to Buttermilk Mountain
9:00 AM-12:00 PM Meet with Instructors
Skiing/Snowboarding
12:00-1:00 PM Lunch at Bumps
1:00-3:00 PM Skiing
3:30PM Return to Chabad Center
4:00PM-7:00PM Rest and Relaxation
6:30PM Shabbat Services followed by dinner
at 7:00pm - Open to all - RSVP
Saturday, Shabbat February 20th - Free Day
& Evening Bowling
9:00-10:00 AM Breakfast
10:00AM Shabbat Service
*12:00PM Lunch at Chabad Center
6:00PM Dinner
7:30PM Depart for El- JeBowl- Bowling
Sunday, February 21
7:30-8:00 AM Breakfast
8:15 AM Travel to Buttermilk
9:00 AM-12:00 PM Meet with Instructors,
Skiing
12:00-1:00 PM Lunch at Bumps
1:00-3:00 PM Skiing
3:30PM Return to Chabad Center
6:00PM Dinner Shlomo & Peggy
Monday, February 22-
Free Day/optional ski day & Evening Reception
7:30-8:30 AM Breakfast
All Day *Optional Ski Day
7PM Cocktail Reception at Chabad Center
Tuesday, February 23
7:30-8:30 AM Breakfast
10:00AM *Gondola Ride up to Aspen Mountain
1:00PM Check out and return clothing to
Challenge Aspen
4pm Departure
|
Breakfast & Dinner
at Chabad Center unless otherwise noted. Lunch on Mountain.
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Arrival, Room Assign, Clothes Fitting, Dinner
|
|
|
|
7pm
|
|
Arrival and check-in L'Auberge -
Chabad
Center
|
|
8pm
|
|
Dinner and Outfitting for Ski
Clothes
|
|
Wednesday, February 17th
|
|
|
|
7:30-8:30 AM
|
|
Breakfast
|
|
8:45 AM
|
|
Depart for
Snowmass Mountain
|
|
9:30 AM
|
|
Meet with Sarah and CA Staff-CA
Equipment room
|
|
10:00AM
|
|
Aspen Sports- Equipment
Rental-Ski/Snowboard
|
|
12:00PM-12:45PM
|
|
Lunch TBD by
instructor/buddy/participant
|
|
1:00-3:30 PM
|
|
Skiing
|
|
3:30PM
|
|
Depart Snowmass
|
|
3:30PM
|
|
Return to
Chabad
Center
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|
4:00PM-7:00PM
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|
Rest and Relaxation
|
|
7:00PM
|
|
Dinner (open to all and CA
staff- must RSVP)
|
|
|
|
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Thursday, February 18th
|
|
|
|
7:30-8:00 AM
|
|
Breakfast
|
|
8:15 AM
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|
Travel to
Buttermilk
Mountain
|
|
9:00 AM-12:00 PM
|
|
Meet with Instructors, Skiing
|
|
12:00-12:45pm
|
|
Lunch at Bumps (from Chabad)
|
|
1:00PM-3:00PM
|
|
Skiing
|
|
3:30PM
|
|
Return to
Chabad
Center
|
|
4:00PM-7:00PM
|
|
Rest and Relaxation
|
|
6:30PM
|
|
Dinner
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friday, February 19th
|
|
|
|
7:30-8:30 AM
|
|
Breakfast
|
|
8:15 AM
|
|
Travel to
Buttermilk
Mountain
|
|
9:00 AM-12:00 PM
|
|
Meet with Instructors
Skiing/Snowboarding
|
|
12:00-1:00 PM
|
|
Lunch at Bumps
|
|
1:00-3:00 PM
|
|
Skiing
|
|
3:30PM
|
|
Return to
Chabad
Center
|
|
4:00PM-7:00PM
|
|
Rest and Relaxation
|
|
6:30PM
|
|
Shabbat Services followed by
dinner at 7:00pm - Open to all - RSVP
|
|
Saturday, Shabbat February 20th
- Free Day & Evening Bowling
|
|
|
|
9:00-10:00 AM
|
|
Breakfast
|
|
10:00AM
|
|
Shabbat Service
|
|
*12:00PM
|
|
Lunch at
Chabad
Center
|
|
6:00PM
|
|
Dinner
|
|
7:30PM
|
|
Depart for El- JeBowl- Bowling
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|
Sunday, February 21,
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|
7:30-8:00 AM
|
|
Breakfast
|
|
8:15 AM
|
|
Travel to Buttermilk
|
|
9:00 AM-12:00 PM
|
|
Meet with Instructors, Skiing
|
|
12:00-1:00 PM
|
|
Lunch at Bumps
|
|
1:00-3:00 PM
|
|
Skiing
|
|
3:30PM
|
|
Return to
Chabad
Center
|
|
6:00PM
|
|
Dinner Shlomo & Peggy
|
|
|
|
|
|
Monday, February 22, - Free
Day/optional ski day & Evening Reception
|
|
|
|
7:30-8:30 AM
|
|
Breakfast
|
|
All Day
|
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*Optional Ski Day
|
|
7PM
|
|
Cocktail Reception at
Chabad
Center
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, February 23rd
|
|
|
|
7:30-8:30 AM
|
|
Breakfast
|
|
10:00AM
|
|
*Gondola Ride up to
Aspen
Mountain
|
|
1:00PM
|
|
Check out and return clothing to
Challenge Aspen
|
|
4pm
|
|
Departure
|
|
Breakfast & Dinner at Chabad Center unless otherwise
noted. Lunch on Mountain.
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 Arrival, Room Assign, Clothes Fitting,
Dinner
|
|
|
|
7pm
|
|
Arrival and check-in L'Auberge -
Chabad
Center
|
|
8pm
|
|
Dinner and Outfitting for Ski Clothes
|
|
Wednesday, February 17th
|
|
|
|
7:30-8:30 AM
|
|
Breakfast
|
|
8:45 AM
|
|
Depart for
Snowmass Mountain
|
|
9:30 AM
|
|
Meet with Sarah and CA Staff-CA Equipment room
|
|
10:00AM
|
|
Aspen Sports- Equipment Rental-Ski/Snowboard
|
|
12:00PM-12:45PM
|
|
Lunch TBD by instructor/buddy/participant
|
|
1:00-3:30 PM
|
|
Skiing
|
|
3:30PM
|
|
Depart Snowmass
|
|
3:30PM
|
|
Return to
Chabad
Center
|
|
4:00PM-7:00PM
|
|
Rest and Relaxation
|
|
7:00PM
|
|
Dinner (open to all and CA staff- must RSVP)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thursday, February 18th
|
|
|
|
7:30-8:00 AM
|
|
Breakfast
|
|
8:15 AM
|
|
Travel to
Buttermilk
Mountain
|
|
9:00 AM-12:00 PM
|
|
Meet with Instructors, Skiing
|
|
12:00-12:45pm
|
|
Lunch at Bumps (from Chabad)
|
|
1:00PM-3:00PM
|
|
Skiing
|
|
3:30PM
|
|
Return to
Chabad
Center
|
|
4:00PM-7:00PM
|
|
Rest and Relaxation
|
|
6:30PM
|
|
Dinner
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friday, February 19th
|
|
|
|
7:30-8:30 AM
|
|
Breakfast
|
|
8:15 AM
|
|
Travel to
Buttermilk
Mountain
|
|
9:00 AM-12:00 PM
|
|
Meet with Instructors Skiing/Snowboarding
|
|
12:00-1:00 PM
|
|
Lunch at Bumps
|
|
1:00-3:00 PM
|
|
Skiing
|
|
3:30PM
|
|
Return to
Chabad
Center
|
|
4:00PM-7:00PM
|
|
Rest and Relaxation
|
|
6:30PM
|
|
Shabbat Services followed by dinner at 7:00pm - Open to all -
RSVP
|
|
Saturday, Shabbat February 20th - Free Day & Evening Bowling
|
|
|
|
9:00-10:00 AM
|
|
Breakfast
|
|
10:00AM
|
|
Shabbat Service
|
|
*12:00PM
|
|
Lunch at
Chabad
Center
|
|
6:00PM
|
|
Dinner
|
|
7:30PM
|
|
Depart for El- JeBowl- Bowling
|
|
Sunday, February 21,
|
|
|
|
7:30-8:00 AM
|
|
Breakfast
|
|
8:15 AM
|
|
Travel to Buttermilk
|
|
9:00 AM-12:00 PM
|
|
Meet with Instructors, Skiing
|
|
12:00-1:00 PM
|
|
Lunch at Bumps
|
|
1:00-3:00 PM
|
|
Skiing
|
|
3:30PM
|
|
Return to
Chabad
Center
|
|
6:00PM
|
|
Dinner Shlomo & Peggy
|
|
|
|
|
|
Monday, February 22, - Free Day/optional ski day & Evening
Reception
|
|
|
|
7:30-8:30 AM
|
|
Breakfast
|
|
All Day
|
|
*Optional Ski Day
|
|
7PM
|
|
Cocktail Reception at
Chabad
Center
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, February 23rd
|
|
|
|
7:30-8:30 AM
|
|
Breakfast
|
|
10:00AM
|
|
*Gondola Ride up to
Aspen
Mountain
|
|
1:00PM
|
|
Check out and return clothing to Challenge Aspen
|
|
4pm
|
|
Departure
|
|
|
|
|
