As the world’s largest local philanthropy, we respond quickly and effectively to the most pressing issues of the day — in New York, in Israel, and around the world. While we’re providing urgent relief to the people of Israel, here in New York, we’re combatting antisemitism, tackling poverty, confronting a mental health epidemic, and caring for the growing number of isolated elderly, including Holocaust survivors.
The Challenge: The statistics on the teen-related mental health crisis are staggering: Suicide-related emergency room visits increased fivefold from 2011 to 2020 among U.S. children and young adults ages 6 to 24.
A CDC report from February 2023 showed that 57% of high school females reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness — the highest rate in a decade.
The Response: UJA has pioneered new approaches to meet the unique mental health needs of teens, including age-specific group and individual counseling, a professional’s support hotline, peer-to-peer support groups, and specialty camps that focus on health and recovery from loss and/or substance abuse.
These services complement a robust set of mental health initiatives that were in place before the pandemic to address the stigma around mental illness and provide safe spaces for community members to share their experiences.
The Challenge: In the United States, 28% of seniors live alone, totaling over 14.7 million people (9.7 million of these are women).
There’s an established causality for older adults between loneliness leading to poorer health, and higher rates of mortality, and Covid exacerbated this connection. Also, the CDC reports that social isolation and loneliness increase the risk of dementia by 50% and stroke risk by 32%.
The Response: UJA expanded and launched brand-new programs for older adults, increasing access to health care, mental health services, affordable housing, home-delivered kosher meals, cultural offerings, and companionship.
They also boosted support for end-of-life care, including spiritual care, bereavement counseling, and hospice. Leaning into their government relations work, UJA has been actively scaling their advocacy efforts to secure additional government funding for senior services.
For more than a century, UJA has been a proud beneficiary of the New York Times Communities Fund, formerly known as the New York Times Neediest Cases Fund.
Campaign funds have enabled us to provide cash assistance to New Yorkers facing hardship served by our network of hundreds of nonprofits. Today, as the New York Communities Fund evolves to focus on impact, we’re delighted to participate in directing funds raised to two rapidly growing areas of need: teen mental health and social isolation among seniors
We’re immensely proud to be part of The New York Times Communities Fund — giving powerful voice to the struggles of those who might otherwise remain largely invisible. Our partnership represents the best of a compassionate, global community that is working together to build a better world.
— Eric S. Goldstein, CEO, UJA-Federation of New York.
Caring for Jews everywhere and New Yorkers of all backgrounds, responding to crises close to home and far away, and shaping our Jewish future.
Support UJA's Work
meals provided to seniors in New York and worldwide
Nearly
allocated in emergency relief funding for Ukraine
More than
hours of mental health services provided
pounds of food distributed to hungry New Yorkers
More than
people served in LGBTQ+ programs
Nearly
dedicated to meet the needs of the last generation of Holocaust survivors
Big challenges need big solutions. With hundreds of nonprofits in our network, we’ve got the leverage and relationships to move quickly and effectively to respond to ongoing needs and emerging issues. As the ultimate connector, we’re able to harness talent across our network to tackle the most pressing issues of the day.
A global pandemic. War in Ukraine. War in Israel. Antisemitism in our own backyard. We mobilize at a moment’s notice when crisis hits. And harness the right expertise and resources to respond to rapidly evolving needs.
We believe that when Jews of all backgrounds come together, we’re at our strongest. As a community convener, we bring together diverse Jewish voices around issues of common cause. We’re also striving every day to create a more inclusive and equitable Jewish community.
