Our Adopt a Bubbe (or Zayde) program reaches out to elderly Jews and the handicapped in Ukraine and Belarus.
Above: Ninety-two year old Clavdia Ohinchenko sits at a Warm House table in Zhovty Vody, Ukraine, where she and several friends received a hot meal thanks to Action for Post-Soviet Jewry.One could almost say that APSJ works with clients one shovel – or one fresh chicken, or one pair of eyeglasses – at a time. Founded in 1975 to assist “refuseniks” (individuals refused the right to emigrate) and prisoners of conscience, APSJ changed its name and redirected its energies when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Able to contact and work inside of whole Jewish communities, APSJ now aids some of the most vulnerable and impoverished citizens – e.g., the elderly, the handicapped, et al. Its main project is “Adopt a Bubbe (bubbe means “grandmother” in Yiddish) because so many elderly are women; of course many Zaydes (grandfathers) and others are helped as well. Operating in 44 communities – 22 cities, 22 villages – volunteer coordinators find out where needs are not being met. Medicine for a pressing illness, a hearing aid, new socks or underwear, coal for the winter, repair of a broken refrigerator, new boots or a shovel for gardening – these small things can make a huge difference, and most requests can be met with a modest expenditure. When a gift of sugar enabled some villagers outside the city of Dnipropetrovsk to make preserves, they donated a portion for distribution to indigent pensioners in the city. They understood only too well the meaning of simple gifts. Here you can make a huge difference.
From the 2002 MA Catalogue for Philanthropy Pg 57. catalogueforphilanthropy.org
We provide food, medicine, bed linens, clothing, eyeglasses, hearing aids, utility payments, and other items for those unable to exist on their pensions. Since the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991 with the resulting hyperinflation, pensions have become almost worthless. At the same time, food, clothing, medicine and apartments are no longer subsidized by the government, and the prices for these have risen beyond the reach of most pensioners.
Volunteers administer the program in each major city. It is the volunteers who identify the most needy pensioners, are in touch with them to see what they need, and arrange delivery of the items purchased. We receive photographs of many of our elderly clients accompanied by thank-you notes.
We encourage and financially support the formation of Warm Houses, an apartment where the elderly can meet, enjoy a meal together, celebrate a Jewish holiday and discuss topics of interest. This is a concept originally developed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which we have expanded on in out-lying areas. Those pensioners who are housebound can host a Warm House, which gives them a chance to socialize and, with our help, provides everyone with a nourishing meal.
We also raise mone through our bubbe handicrafts program.
The program currently helps people in the following cities and villages in Ukraine:
* indicates villages with a few Jewish families
We help Jews in the following cities in Belarus:
We help Jews in the following city in Moldova: