Jewish Family Service Gets

 Grant For Needy Holocaust Survivors

WOODBURY — Brownstein Jewish Family Service of The Federation: Jewish Communities of Western Connecticut is honored to be one of five Jewish Family Services in the state to be sharing an $86,000 grant this year to help needy Holocaust survivors.

The funds for this program are provided by The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, Inc. This organization, which is commonly known as The Claims Conference, has worked for financial benefits on behalf of Holocaust survivors since the early 1950s. The goal of the grant is to help needy survivors to stay in the community as they age and their need for assistance increases. Services for which the grant pays are intended to help people to avoid premature nursing home placement.

Among the items the grant covers are providing for one day of adult daycare per week; paying for the services of a caregiver for up to five hours per week; and paying for handyman services twice per year. In addition, there is also an Emergency Assistance Program for needs that are not covered by insurance, such as hearing aids and medical equipment, or even other expenses such as rent, utilities, and groceries. This program can consider expenses up to $1,500 per 12-month period.

For the purposes of this grant, The Claims Conference defines a survivor as any Jew who was living in a Nazi-occupied area at the time of the occupation. This includes those who were able to escape from their country to safety, those who lived in ghettos or in hiding, and those who survived concentration camps. Financially, each survivor will be considered individually to determine eligibility for the program as well as what services are needed. The names of all program participants will be confidential.

For more information, contact Debby Horowitz, Brownstein Jewish Family Service Program Director, at 263-5121, extension 304.