From visits to meals, Jewish Alliance helps local seniors in need

The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island does more than provide access to Jewish life for our community. Did you know that, among many other things, we help those in need in our own backyard? The National Conference of State Legislatures noted in January that Rhode Island’s unemployment rate is 5.3 percent, and although it demonstrates a declining trend, there are still many people in our community who need help getting by on a daily basis.  

The Rhode Island Jewish community is also aging. A 2013 study by Brandeis University found that 27 percent of the R.I. Jewish community was 65 years of age or older, while only 25 percent was younger than 23 years old. Fortunately, the Jewish Alliance provides funding for two agencies that help our seniors: the Jewish Seniors Agency and Jewish Family Service.

The Jewish Seniors Agency helps the growing Rhode Island senior population to thrive and enjoy a full Jewish life. The JSA is located in Providence but has a bandwidth that reaches throughout the state. Its goal is to care for elderly Jews who are frail, poor or emotionally vulnerable, providing them with a continuum of care.  Through a variety of programs, the JSA serves over 4,100 clients annually. 

The JSA also helps the community by putting together an annual Purim Mitzvah Day, and is currently in the process of planning 38 mock Passover seders for seniors, which will be held at various assisted-living facilities and nursing homes.  

Two JSA programs that benefit from funds raised by the Jewish Alliance Annual Campaign are The Louis & Goldie Chester Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry and JERI, the Jewish Eldercare of Rhode Island Outreach Program. 

At the Kosher Food Pantry, the JSA helps alleviate the strain on Jewish families who face tough choices in a less-than-ideal economy. Kosher food is undoubtedly more expensive than non-Kosher food, and the pantry ensures that it is available to those who need it. From July 2015 to December 2015, the Kosher Food Pantry distributed 16.83 tons of food to 593 households, demonstrating the demand for Kosher food for those in our community who are struggling. Additionally, the Kosher Food Pantry delivers food to those who are homebound, making more than 950 visits in the last year. 

JERI’s mission is to provide a Jewish connection to Rhode Island seniors who live in their homes, nursing homes, and assisted-living facilities, or are patients in hospitals. Susan Adler, director of many of the JSA’s programs, remarked, “As people age, their traditions and customs are something that becomes vital for them to hold on to.” JERI prides itself on making sure that seniors have access to Jewish life: it provides countless visits to nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and hospitals, as well as programs and Shabbat and High Holy Day services. One senior expressed her gratitude to JERI in a letter that said, “Thank you very much for your card and goodies sent to me for Hanukkah....  I want to commend you for the thoughtfulness you show for senior citizens, especially at holidays. I am a resident of Scandinavian Home in Cranston. The home is a nursing facility, and there are perhaps 3 or 4 Jewish people in residence. I’ve just enjoyed my 98th birthday and it gives me much pleasure to see visitors …. In closing, let me say thank you again.”  

The partnership between the Jewish Alliance and the Jewish Seniors Agency, through the Annual Campaign, helps these programs remain viable, and demonstrates the community’s commitment to seniors, one of Rhode Island’s largest demographics.

 Jewish Family Service, in Providence, aims to sustain, nurture, and strengthen the emotional and general well-being and stability of families and individuals within the framework of Jewish traditions and values. JFS saw over 4,700 clients in 2015 – a staggering 26 percent  increase from 2012. The Jewish Alliance works with JFS to help fund some of its programs, including the Counseling Center, Home Care Solutions, Kesher, Kosher Nutrition, and Case Management.

The Counseling Center at JFS provides counseling for a broad range of clients, including homebound community members.  Thanks to an allocation from the Annual Campaign, the Counseling Center is able to help those who cannot afford this service. 

The center assists clients with a wide variety of issues, providing desperately needed care. One mother told JFS, “My son had an accident last year and became terribly anxious. He had moved home and was having trouble going to work and was jumpy all the time. I didn’t know where to turn to get help …. Now he is so much better. He still has his job, spends time with his friends again, and is looking for an apartment. I’m truly not sure what would have happened if we didn’t have someone help us at that crucial time.”

Along the same lines, JFS’s Kesher program aids those who are in need - financially, mentally, or physically - but cannot afford or find the resources they need. Kesher is a synagogue-based program that brings social workers on-site for both immediate and long-term support for congregation members in Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts. Currently, the program is active at Congregation Beth Sholom, Temple Emanu-El, Temple Torat Yisrael, Temple Am David, and Congregation Agudas Achim. One rabbi expressed his gratitude for the Kesher program by saying, “Without Kesher, I felt alone in addressing the psychosocial needs of my congregants. Now I have a partner who can help me by accessing more professional and varied services. My congregants - many of them - have seen improvements in their lives at the times they are most vulnerable. Kesher is invaluable.” 

Home Care Solutions at JFS offers home care through a Jewish lens, providing many observant and non-observant Jewish community members with services they could not otherwise receive. The partnership between JFS and the Jewish Alliance allows community members in low-income brackets to receive high-quality care. One client’s child thanked JFS for services, saying, “Your care made it possible for [my mother] to stay in her home, according to her wishes.” 

JFS also provides Kosher meals with the Kosher Nutrition program, which includes Kosher meal  sites and Kosher Meals on Wheels. The Kosher Senior Cafe meal sites, in Providence and Cranston, offer a hot meal and an opportunity to socialize. One senior expressed gratitude for the meal sites by saying, “I look forward to seeing my friends at the Kosher Senior Cafe every chance I get. The food is great and the company is even better.” 

Kosher Meals on Wheels delivers to any homebound person who needs food, regardless of financial situation. This program allows many Jewish seniors to live comfortably and Jewishly. 

The Jewish Alliance’s partnership with Jewish Family Service through funds raised by the Alliance Annual Campaign is crucial for the Jewish community. JFS Executive Director Erin Minior said, “The agency needs dollars to reach the most needy Jewish members in the community.” 

Minior added, “We are lucky that there is synergy in the missions of the Alliance and the Jewish Family Service.”

HILLARY SCHULMAN is a development associate at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.