JDC Voices Blog

In response to the massive floods spreading across Pakistan, leaving destruction and desperation it its wake, JDC is collecting donations for its emergency Pakistan relief fund. Equipped with extensive disaster relief expertise, including humanitarian and development work after the 2005 and 2008 earthquakes in Pakistan, JDC is working closely with our partners on the ground to assess the most pressing needs in the affected areas.

The Hamptons—New York’s most desirable beach destination—is playing host to an exciting summer event: the JDC-supported Limmud FSU, an educational experience designed to grow cultural identity among Russian Jews. On August 15, The Hampton Synagogue will welcome numerous speakers from around the Jewish world including Matthew Bronfman, Dr. John Ruskay, and guest presenter, Jewish NASA astronaut, Dr.Garrett Reisman.

NPR’s “Morning Edition” program recently aired a piece about a common situation experienced by India’s elderly citizens. Many Indian children ride the wave of globalization to Western countries where they pursue academic and job opportunities. While their successes are a major source of pride for the parents, their decision to start their adult lives outside of their homeland leaves aging parents in a precarious situation; no one is around to help when older family members can no longer take care of themselves.

It’s widely accepted that a nation’s prosperity depends greatly on the activity and viability of its workforce. To that end, a recent Bloomberg article raises the concern that high levels of unemployment among the growing Haredi (ultra Orthodox Jews) population in Israel—currently at more than 60% among Haredi men—pose an untenable economic burden on the State and Israeli taxpayers.

For the first time in JDC’s 27 years of field work in Ethiopia, a team of Short-Term Service participants touched ground to support our humanitarian work running in the country. Currently, a group of students/Hillel members from the University of Washington are volunteering their time with various JDC programs in Addis Ababa and Gondar, including the medical clinic in Gondar run by the renowned Dr. Rick Hodes.

In times of sadness or crisis, the saying that “all Jews are responsible for one another” always seems to ring true. The tragic crash of an IDF helicopter in Romania was met with a response from a nearby Jewish camp run by JDC. Campers brought food, coffee, and other snacks for the Israeli search and rescue teams. This small gesture, much appreciated in a time of need, is a fitting reminder that anywhere in the world, Jews are intertwined, interconnected.

Prague’s joining the kosher party? Perhaps. In a city of just a few thousand Jews, two brothers are working to ensure that there is enough babka and kreplach to go around. The NY Times travel section recently featured a blog post about the Gunsberger brothers and their new kosher shop, King Solomon’s Bakery and Deli, the first of its kind since WWII. The brothers are hoping their store services anyone looking for “a taste of something Jewish.”

As an organization with deep, historical roots to the European Jewish experience, especially during some of the most challenging times of the 20th century, we here at JDC are excited about a new online resource that depicts the story of Eastern European Jews from the nascent days of their lives in the region right to the present.