COMMUNITY NEWS
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia mobilizes
financial and volunteer resources to address the
communities’ most critical priorities locally, in Israel and
around the world.

Latet Aid for Life Program Supports Impoverished
Holocaust Survivors in Israel
“SOMEBODY HAS TO HELP the Holocaust survivors in their last days,” said Dov
Yakubovitch z”l, a survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp. “If there are people
who care about them, the smallest gesture can help. It warms my heart to know
someone cares.”
Sadly, Yakubovitch passed away earlier this year. He is one of approximately
40 Holocaust survivors to die every day in Israel. Despite living in poverty, losing
his wife and going blind, Yakubovitch did know the care that he wished for other
survivors. As a client of Latet’s Aid For Life program, Yakubovitch received support,
community and essential items.

Funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Latet is the largest
nongovernmental organization combating poverty and food insecurity in Israel.

Acting as an umbrella organization for 180 local associations, Latet operates the
leading national food bank and runs holistic aid programs for thousands of people
in need.

In 2007, Latet introduced the Aid for Life program to specifically address the
needs of Holocaust survivors. The initiative provides a wide array of services,
including food, dental, eyeglasses, hearing aids, diapers, home repairs and volunteer
companionship. For Gabrielle Pittiglio, Latet’s international resource development director, Aid
for Life is meant to be a “family” for survivors who are in desperate need of help.

After the Holocaust, droves of survivors came to the Holy Land to find refuge
as Jews. Now, many are living out their old age alone and in poverty. According to
the Knesset, around 170,000 to 180,000 Holocaust survivors live in Israel. Of that
number, approximately 45,000 survivors lack the means to live with dignity.

In all, the local Jewish Federation serves about 15,000 Holocaust survivors in
Israel through its various supported programs, such as Latet’s Aid for Life.

Pittiglio calls the high poverty rate among Holocaust survivors a “scandal.”
“They’re elderly people, and we have a moral duty towards them,” explained
Pittiglio, whose own grandmother survived the Holocaust in France. “They went
through the Shoah, they built the country with their bare hands and, today,
one-quarter of them live in poverty.”
David Wagner, 94, is one of many survivors who built the “country with their
bare hands,” but is now impoverished and relies on Aid for Life.

After surviving the death marches in Ukraine, Wagner moved to Israel and
fought with the First Artillery Corps of the Israel Defense Forces, fighting in three
wars: the War of Independence, the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War. As a
commander of his unit, Wagner saved 18 of his soldiers’ lives during the Yom Kippur
War. Following the army, Wagner “worked hard and earned [his] money honestly.”
“There is not one job I didn’t do in Israel. Agriculture, carpentry, fishing,”
Wagner said.

But it wasn’t enough. Wagner struggles financially, living off his social security
stipend and the little he receives as a Holocaust survivor.

“I fought for this country and didn’t receive anything in return,” Wagner said.

More important than the tangible assistance Wagner receives from Aid for Life,
he appreciates how the program makes him feel less alone.

“Latet doesn’t give me just a box of food. The girl who’s bringing the box isn’t
leaving right away,” Wagner said. “She sits with me, we talk, we’re friends.”
Each Holocaust survivor is paired with a dedicated volunteer who visits them on
a regular basis. Volunteers are screened and selected on their level of commitment,
reliability and aptitude to connect with older populations, particularly those who
have faced insurmountable trauma.

20 APRIL 29, 2021
A volunteer brings food and companionship to a Holocaust survivor through Latet’s Aid for
Life program.
Courtesy of Latet
“Everywhere in the world, the No. 1 problem with elderly people is loneliness. It
has an effect on psychological health and even on their physical health,” said Pittiglio
of Latet, which means “to give” in English. “A lot of them are living alone in their
houses and they have no contact with the outside world, so it’s important for us to
alleviate their loneliness.”
Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated isolation among
aging populations. In addressing this need while maintaining safety practices, Aid
for Life volunteers increased their contact efforts through phone calls. Some have
even had conversations through closed doors as a safe alternative to speak with
survivors. Typically, Aid for Life serves around 1,000 Holocaust survivors. Within the first
three months of the pandemic, that number rose to 3,300. This is in addition to the
15,000 elderly people who are not Holocaust survivors that Latet serves.

On top of annual funding, the Jewish Federation proudly gave Latet multiple
rounds of emergency funds to meet the growing needs of its clients during the
pandemic. The Jewish Federation also allowed Latet to allocate its overall funds to
areas that needed the most support — such as the Aid For Life program.

“It was incredible to have that trust and to be able to use the funds where they
were needed most,” said Pittiglio, noting that the Jewish Federation is one of Latet’s
main and oldest relationships. “That trust is the best you can ask for from a partner.”
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C ommunity / mazel tovs
ENGAGEMENT GRANT-SCHLESINGER
Deborah and Lawrence Grant of Newtown and
Ellen Murphy of New City, New York, and
Howard Schlesinger of Fair Lawn, New Jersey,
announce the engagement of their children,
Rachel Shelbi Grant and Jeffrey Louis Schlesinger.

Rachel is a graduate of George Washington
University and The Wharton School of Business. She works as a human
resources director at Comcast. Jeffrey is a graduate of Ithaca College and
works as a commercial project manager at PCI Pharma Services.

Rachel is the granddaughter of Phyllis Grant, the late Seymour Grant and
the late Ruth and Harold Gittlen. Jeffrey is the grandson of David Berman,
the late Barbara Berman, the late Rhoda Berman, Edythe Schlesinger and
the late Marvin Schlesinger.
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COMMUNITYBRIEFS Jewish Groups Condemn State Sen.

Cris Dush For Second Time in a Year
Several Jewish organizations across Pennsylvania
condemned state Sen. Cris Dush on April 23 for using
Holocaust analogies when he questioned whether
nursing homes were used as “death camps” to reduce
the costs of caring for COVID-19 patients.

“Senator Dush clearly has learned nothing,” the
statement reads. “His rhetoric has no place in political
discourse or debate; these comparisons are offensive and
wrong. Repeated misconduct of this nature cannot be
righted by after-the-fact apologies and non-apologies.”
“We call on the leadership of the Pennsylvania
Senate to take meaningful action to clearly and loudly
demonstrate that they reject Senator Dush’s outrageous
rhetoric.” The statement was signed by the Anti-Defamation
League, the American Jewish Committee, the
Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish
Federation of Greater Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania
Jewish Coalition and eight Jewish Federations from
around Pennsylvania.

Dush (R-Jefferson) was criticized a year earlier
when he compared Gov. Wolf and his administration
to Nazis for a lack of transparency in releasing infor-
mation on the state’s business waiver process.

State Rep. Jared Solomon met with Dush, who did
issue an apology on the House floor several hours
later, the next day to convey the impact the analogy
had on Jewish Pennsylvanians.

Dush tried to explain to Solomon that it had not
been his intent to evoke Holocaust imagery. He’d only insecurity with young adults while also training
meant to analogize the present transparency concerns young adults to be the next generation of anti-hunger
to the Nazis’ notorious suppression of information.

advocates, Challah is not only addressing immediate
needs but also creating the next generation of Jewish
leaders,” Rhein said.

Challah for Hunger Names New Board Chair,
The new board members are Amy Zitelman, Janu
Five Board Members
Mendel, Eden Gobuty, Maurice Baynard and Nathan
Challah for Hunger elected Wendy Rhein as its board Shapiro, and the student board representatives are
chair, along with five other board members.

Erica Friedman and Isaac Kravatz.

Rhein comes to Challah for Hunger with more
than 20 years of experience in nonprofit management Lisa Scottoline to Speak at FamilyMatters’
and fundraising and is chief of staff of World Food ‘Spring Into Summer’ Event
Programme USA. There she leads the strategic plan Bestselling author Lisa Scottoline is slated to speak
and its implementation and oversees organizational at the “Spring into Summer” virtual luncheon by
culture, a multi-year growth plan and management FamilyMatters, a JAFCO Support Network, at 10 a.m.

of the president’s office.

on May 26.

She is a graduate of the University of Michigan
In addition, the event will honor Andrew S.

and Columbia University’s School of International and Margolis of A Margolis Realty Co.

Public Affairs and has spent much of her career in
The event also will feature raffles, a silent auction,
development with large and small organizations. Rhein shopping opportunities and an update highlighting
serves on the boards of the Freedom Network USA FamilyMatters’ services in the community.

and the Alliance to End Hunger, and chairs the Youth
FamilyMatters provides intensive support to
Committee and co-chairs the Racial Equity Action families in times of crisis, and those facing the
Group at Temple Emanuel in Kensington, Maryland.

impact of trauma or challenging life transitions, such
Challah for Hunger is a 501(c)(3) national as mental health and substance abuse issues, divorce
nonprofit leadership development organization based and custody issues, single parenthood, grandparent,
in Philadelphia. Its mission is to build communities or other relative caregivers, and raising children with
of leaders to take action against hunger, particularly special needs.

college hunger. It has 90 campus and community
Register for the event at FamilyMattersNetwork.

chapters across the country.

org/events. l
“By drawing attention to the crisis of food
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
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APRIL 29, 2021
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