Hundreds of thousands of elderly Jews in the former Soviet Union struggle just to survive
Imagine you are old and infirm, living on a meager pension of less than $100 per month. You need medicine to survive, but you cannot afford it because what little money you have goes toward food. A harsh winter is approaching, but you have no money to purchase heating fuel for your stove, the sole source of warmth in your tiny apartment. If you could only afford one of these - food, medicine, or heat - which would you choose?
The scenario above may sound shocking, but for elderly Jews in the former Soviet Union it is all too common. The Fellowship’s Isaiah 58 program helps these desperate people by providing them with food, clothing, medical care, and other essentials.
Isaiah 58 Success Stories
Susana, 85, lives alone in Tbilisi, Georgia. She has no living relatives, she never married or had children. Life as an elderly Jew is a constant struggle, filled with isolation and loneliness. Susana lives in a dilapidated, two room flat… Read More
Syla is a poor Jewish widow living by herself in a dilapidated, two-room shack in Ukraine. Her house has no electricity or running water and she suffers from numerous medical problems. You would not guess it from looking at her, but Syla is a true heroine whose inspirational story of bravery deserves to be told to the world… Read More
In 1942, Rachel Leah, a Russian Jew, lived through one of the most terrible chapters in all of World War II: the Nazi blockade of Leningrad (today called St. Petersburg). She survived the siege, but at the end of the war contracted polio and spent many years bedridden and totally dependent on her sister. When her sister died, Rachel Leah's hope died with her… Read More
Ruth, an elderly Ukrainian Jew, owns very little. Her most prized possessions are the old black and white photos that sit in her kitchen—the only pictures she has to remember her family, all of whom have passed away… Read more
Yida, born in Ukraine in 1931, grew up in a very religious Jewish family. Her parents strictly observed the Sabbath and other Jewish holidays, and took Yida and her three siblings to synagogue every week. Yida especially remembers the family's bright and joyous Purim and Hanukkah celebrations… Read more
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