From Our CEO
A New Lease on Life
March 12th, 2021

A few months ago, The New York Times published an op-ed by Toby Levy, an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, who poignantly captured what many other survivors have likely felt this pandemic year. She wrote: “A full year is gone. I lost my childhood, I never had my teenage years. And now, in my old age, this is shortening my life by a year. I don’t have that many years left.”

When you’re in your 80s and 90s, every visit with family, every holiday, every hug is precious. This year can’t be re-lived; these losses can’t be un-lost.

Not only are survivors dealing with this sense of lost time, they also carry with them memories of early traumas that have been retriggered by the months of lockdown, the early run on food and basic supplies, the sense that they must stay “hidden.”

The vaccine is liberation.

For all these reasons, UJA has been intently focused on getting survivors and the frail elderly vaccinated as quickly as possible. Since I last wrote about our vaccine efforts, we’ve coordinated eight pop-up vaccine sites at locations across New York, facilitating 3,355 vaccines for eligible elderly, including 2,535 Holocaust survivors.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting a pop-up vaccine site at the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC on Long Island, a UJA partner, where the mood was truly festive. With balloons festooning the entrance area, high school student volunteers from HAFTR and the JCC staff greeted each person with fanfare as they arrived. One of the students played Israeli and Jewish music on piano in the post-vaccine waiting area, and others distributed mishloach manot gift packages as each newly vaccinated person left the building.

An elderly woman with smiling eyes told me that she felt like she had a new lease on life. Sharing that same sentiment was a couple married 75 years, Bonnie and Jack, both in their late 90s and Holocaust survivors. The stars of the day, they were captured on film and pictured in The Wall Street Journal. Jack was elated to be back at the JCC and kept repeating how the JCC staff has always been there for him and his wife. It felt like we were witnessing a family reunion, and I was reminded of just how much our JCCs are anchors in the lives of survivors, integral to their emotional and physical well-being.

Many of the elderly who showed up had been identified through the Gural JCC, which runs frequent programs for survivors; others through Selfhelp and the Mid-Island Y, also UJA partners. Between the JCCs, the Jewish day school, and Selfhelp, the UJA network was out in force. And this Sunday, with the mayor's support we're organizing a pre-Passover pop-up in Borough Park, this time with the help of many of our partners in Brooklyn, all working together for the sake of the elderly and survivors among us.

When we talk about survivors, we’re talking about the 36,000 who live in the New York area, 40% at or near poverty. Every year, through our Community Initiative for Holocaust Survivors, UJA provides funding for essential services to care for survivors, from cash assistance to help accessing benefits to recreational activities. In addition, we advocate for government dollars to support these services. In recent years, our advocacy has increased city funding to $4.5 million. State funding, though, is currently at $400,000.

In an effort to better address the current need, we’ve begun an online petition in advance of the April 1 state budget deadline, urging New York State lawmakers to add $2.5 million in case management services for Holocaust survivors. This funding will pay for social workers and other staff, like the ones Jack spoke of with such love and gratitude. Please join us and sign our petition so we can secure these critical funds.

As we approach Passover, the holiday of freedom, we are deeply gratified that Bonnie and Jack, and all the survivors we’ve helped vaccinate, will be able to celebrate more freely, unburdened by the fear and uncertainty that clouded last year’s holiday.

After a youth that was stolen and a year that was lost, our goal is simple: to give survivors the opportunity to unabashedly enjoy every hug, every gathering, every moment of life.

Shabbat shalom