Boris*, a 78-year-old Holocaust Survivor from Ukraine, moved to the United States four years ago. His recent move to the United States means he is not eligible for Medicaid, despite needing the benefits it offers. Boris faced numerous financial and health obstacles; he has low income with little assets, and suffers from heart and renal disease, arthritis, and osteoporosis. On top of all that, he is visually impaired, and has been in and out of the hospital for the past two years for varying conditions and surgeries.
The Holocaust Survivor Services (HSS) at JF&CS has been helping Boris with different services to help make his life easier, both physically and mentally. Boris received HomeCare caregiver services and house cleaning on a regular basis through Claims Conference funding. He also received quarterly gift cards to Kroger to help him buy healthy food. He also gets assistance with dental care from the Ben Massell Dental Clinic. He even had meals delivered to his home recently through the Holocaust Survivor Support Fund (HSSF), which JF&CS arranged for him.
Boris is also able to maintain a vibrant social life thanks to help from JF&CS and HSSF. When he moved to the United States, he knew nobody and felt very isolated. But with some help from HSSF funding, Boris attends an adult day care facility for socialization. The program has been critical to helping Boris feel connected to the Atlanta community, and he was even able to connect virtually with the adult day program when the programs stopped due to COVID.
The Holocaust Survivor Services at Jewish Family & Career Services (JF&CS) offers compassionate and specialized care to an underserved population who needs help the most. With social programs like Café Europa, counseling, and One Good Deed to help the emotional and social needs of our Survivors, to more practical needs such as case management, reparations assistance, and in-home services, JF&CS serves as a leading support service for Holocaust Survivors in Georgia and other states in our regional program.
If you know of anybody who may need our assistance and services, please don’t hesitate to contact us today. You also have the choice to donate to our Holocaust Survivor Services program in somebody’s honor. Without help from our donors and our community, we would not be able to tell these stories.
* Names and other identifying factors have been changed to protect the Survivor’s identity