of client services for the Jewish Relief Agency, which
helps hungry families within 150% of the poverty
line, infl ation is what people cite when they reach
out now.

In many cases, residents are on SNAP, or food
stamps, and they can get through the fi rst three
weeks of the month without a problem. But they need
help during the last week before they get their next
SNAP distribution.

JRA has averaged about 40 new clients per month
over the summer, according to Salz. In the past six
months, it has taken on 155 new people to bring its total
to more than 6,000. Sometimes, she notices on JRA’s
website that residents are requesting help with electric
or rent bills, too, even though JRA focuses on hunger.

“Food is expensive. Gas is expensive. Everything
has gone up,” Salz said.

Laura Flowers, the program manager for Jewish
Family and Children’s Service, an organization that
helps families in the fi ve-county area, said increased
expenses fall into four main categories for JFCS fam-
ilies: food, gas, rent and utilities.

Out of those basic needs, food is the one that peo-
ple most oft en skimp on, she explained. JFCS clients
will make sure they have gas in their car, a roof over
their heads and electricity in their homes before
focusing on food.

Th ey approach it that way because food, while
more essential than any of those, can also be more
fl exible. You can use whatever money you have left to
buy just enough. And that is what a lot of people are
doing, Flowers said.

JFCS works with low-income families, middle-in-
come families living paycheck to paycheck and
seniors with fi xed incomes, among others. Across
the board, Flowers is seeing people make tough deci-
sions. Sometimes, they skip a bill for a month and
KleinLife serves about 35,000
people per year, many of them
elderly Jews.

18 AUGUST 18, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
KleinLife often hosts meals for senior residents of Northeast
Philadelphia. pay for cash expenses. Th en the next month, they will
target a diff erent bill.

Credit card debt is mounting, according to Flowers.

“Th e person will say, ‘I’ll just use my credit card
and pay the minimum. Th at’s all I can aff ord,’” she
said. “A lot of our clients don’t have savings, and
that’s why they are coming to us in the fi rst place.”
Beyond basic needs, some Jews are being forced to make
diffi cult decisions regarding longtime staples of Jewish life
like summer camp and synagogue membership.

Justin Guida, the director of the Golden Slipper
Camp in the Poconos, said that 27 families canceled on
the 2022 summer due to issues stemming from infl ation
and COVID job losses. To help the camp’s hundreds of
families that still could send their kids, Golden Slipper
allowed payment plans to start as early as November. In
a normal year, those payments would be completed by
May 1. Th is year, some extended into June.

“Every year, there’s a few,” Guida said. “Th is was
way more than typical.”
Darchei Noam, an Ambler synagogue that opened
in the summer of 2021, did so without mandatory
dues because its founding group of women believe
that Jews should be able to practice their religion
without having to pay. But like any organization,
Darchei Noam needs money to operate, so its leaders
inform their members about what a sustaining rate
would be per adult.

It’s $731 per year, according to synagogue President
Brandi Lerner. And while all of Darchei Noam’s 212
congregant families pay something to help keep the
lights on, most do not pay $731.

“Paying those dues is a huge fi nancial burden to
many families,” Lerner said. “We had many families
join us because they can aff ord our dues model.”
“We have to change with the times,” she added.

What makes today’s infl ation problem particularly
diffi cult for local families is that it’s both day-to-day
and long-term. Th e Federal Reserve is slowly increas-
ing interest rates in an attempt to slowly bring down
infl ation. And from June to July, the rate did fall from
9.1% year over year to 8.5%.

But even as infl ation comes down, it remains a
daily problem, and even if it keeps going down, local
Jews are worried that the economy may fall into a
recession. Krug, Salz and Flowers all spoke of a gen-
eral feeling of anxiety among clients.

Krug said, “People get mentally impacted by this
whole thing.” Flowers mentioned that “people are
having trouble sleeping.” And Salz concluded that
they simply can’t aff ord to plan for the future.

“People are dealing with their immediate needs.

[Th ey say] I need to buy groceries now; I need to
pay rent now,” she said. “I don’t really think they are
projecting.” JE
jsaff ren@midatlanticmedia.com



food & dining
Best-Dressed Summer Salads
KERI WHITE | SPECIAL TO THE JE
W ith summer produce at its
seasonal peak, now is the
time to showcase it!
Salad for supper is a great idea when
the temperatures rise, and we all want
something light. Topping a salad with
a grilled protein is a great way to add
some heft to the meal, but sometimes
we just want the veggies.

Oft en the dressing is an aft erthought,
whether it is a bottled version, a splash
of oil and vinegar or something in
between. I know, I know, we are rushed,
we have hungry impatient families, we
don’t want to mess up the blender. But
hear me out.

I have found that when I devote
energy to a dressing and integrate
interesting and unique fl avors, the veg-
gies it is tossed over are less important,
and there is not as much need to add
so much to the salad itself. Suddenly, a
simple bowl of greens with a few toma-
toes and slices of cucumber is singing
under a delicious dressing and the
croutons, nuts, cheese, toasted chick-
peas, et cetera, are no longer needed.

Another key consideration: Salad
dressing keeps for several days, as vin-
egar is a preservative. So if you make a
large batch, it will get you through the
whole week, and suddenly that once-
used blender is not so burdensome.

Black Olive Vinaigrette
Dressing Makes a generous ½ cup or enough
for several large salads
Use the seasoned, pitted, oil-
cured olives here; this is a great hack
because the oil is already fl avored.

Photos by Keri White
¼ cup pitted olives
¼ cup oil from pitted olives
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Pinch salt
Generous sprinkle black pepper
In a blender or mini chopper, mix
all the ingredients until smooth. Pour
the dressing into a sealable con-
tainer, and refrigerate it until ready
to use.

Miso Ginger Dressing
Makes a generous ½ cup, or enough
for several large salads
¼ cup miso paste (I use white,
but any type is fi ne)
1-inch piece fresh ginger, fi nely grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
Mix all the ingredients well with a
fork, or puree them in a blender or
mini chopper, if desired. Refrigerate
the dressing in a sealable container
until ready to use.

Mustard-Onion Dressing
Makes about ¾ cup
This takes a bit longer than the
other two because it involves pick-
ling the onions fi rst, but it is worth it!
For the onions:
1 small onion, sliced
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Water, if needed
Pinch of salt
For the dressing:
Pickled onions
¼ cup grainy mustard
1 tablespoon honey
½ cup olive oil
Pinch salt
Generous sprinkling of pepper
Place the onions in a sealable con-
tainer. Sprinkle them with salt and
add the vinegar. If the onions are
not submerged, add enough water
to just cover. Refrigerate them for
several hours or overnight. The
onions should be soft and have a
pickled, mild fl avor.

Place the onions in a blender or
mini chopper with all the remaining
ingredients, and puree until smooth
and creamy. Store the dressing in
the refrigerator until ready to use.

Each of these dressings pairs
beautifully with simple greens,
fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and
shredded carrots. I’ve also tossed
in the occasional nasturtium (those
beautiful, orange edible fl owers),
some scallions or chives and what-
ever raw fresh veggies are lying
around, such as green beans or
broccoli. The true test was last week when
I had a family visit with their three
teenage boys — the kids all went
back for seconds and thirds on
salad tossed in these dressings,
even when mac and cheese was on
the table. JE
Complimentary Financial Planning Consultation
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virtual financial planning. It will be just you
and me in on a Zoom call.

We'll spend one hour discussing any financial
issues, questions, and concerns that matter
to you.

Services • Portfolio management
• Financial planning
• Goal setting & Prioritization
• Portfolio reviews/Second opinions
• Wealth management
• Distribution strategies
• Estate planning
• Retirement planning
• •
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One-on-One Financial Advice
Private and Confidential
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Founder MAR Financial Planning, LLC
p: 267.225.7685
Matt@MARFP.com | www.MARFP.com
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To schedule a meeting, please email me (Matt@MARFP.com) or call/text me (267.225.7685).

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 19