Hamodia Magazine January 6, 2010 12 The economic Recession hiTs haRd Since the current recession began in December 2007, more than 37 million Americans do not have enough money to take care of the basics, such as clothing, housing and food. One out of eight Americans and one out of every four children in the United States are on food stamps. While use of government subsidies such as food stamps is greatest in areas deeply riddled by poverty, what is different about the current economic crisis is that there has been exponential growth in once affluent cities hit by the housing bust. These are staggering numbers, and Orthodox Jews are not immune. A survey conducted by the Metropolitan Council of Jewish Poverty in 2004 showed that within the five boroughs of New York City, as well as Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties, almost a quarter of a million people live in Jewish households with incomes under 150% of
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HHaammooddiiaa MMaaggaazz iinnee Januar y 6 , 201012
The economic Recession hiTs haRd
Since the current recession began inDecember 2007, more than 37 millionAmericans do not have enough money totake care of the basics, such as clothing,housing and food. One out of eightAmericans and one out of every four
children in the United States are on foodstamps. While use of government subsidiessuch as food stamps is greatest in areasdeeply riddled by poverty, what isdifferent about the current economic crisisis that there has been exponential growthin once affluent cities hit by the housingbust. These are staggering numbers, and
Orthodox Jews are not immune. A survey conducted by the
Metropolitan Council of Jewish Poverty in2004 showed that within the five boroughsof New York City, as well as Nassau,Suffolk, and Westchester counties, almost aquarter of a million people live in Jewishhouseholds with incomes under 150% of
the Federal Guidelines. This constitutesabout 15% of all Jewish households livingin New York. Chareidi Jews make up 27% ofJews living below the poverty line in NewYork City. Within the eight countiesdiscussed in Met Council’s survey, thehighest poverty rate is in Brooklyn, whichis home to 30% of New York City’s Jews
living below the poverty line . The 2002 Federal Poverty Guideline for
a family of three was set at an annualincome of $15,020. These guidelines helpdetermine an American’s eligibility for agreat number of programs. However, MetCouncil’s 2004 study considered NewYork City’s high cost of living and
adjusted the poverty guideline to 150%above the poverty line, setting it at $22,350.In 2009, that original Federal guidelinewas increased by a mere $3,290 to $18,310for a family of three. That means anAmerican family of three is onlyconsidered poor when their earnings are$18,310 a year or below.
Your neighbor, who lives in a two-bedroom apartment with eight children, places amattress in the bathtub every night so that his five-year-old has some room to
sleep. Your teacher, who was always so impeccably dressed, now waits in the back ofthe line so that no one can see her using food stamps. Your cousin, a computerprogrammer and father of seven, is desperately looking for work so that he can staveoff those nasty eviction notices. Your classmate, a single mother living in a crammedbasement with her four children, is eagerly waiting for that anonymous donation of cashso that her kids will finally stop nagging for necessities. Your old friend secretly wishesyou had gotten married in some far-off country because now she has to scrape up thefunds to buy you a wedding gift.
This is the new face of Jewish poverty. You might recognize yourself or people you know, not from a distance but from up
close and personally. But they are not telling you because they are ashamed. They arekeenly aware of the stigma that attaches itself to those who are in need, and so theyare in a bind. Yet they need help, so they need you to know. They need you to reachout, lend them a hand, give them a break — to tell them that it is okay and that thereare many ways to get help. They desperately need to know that they are not alone.
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Mr. William Rapfogel, CEO ofMetropolitan Council of New York,describes these numbers as “whollyinadequate.” After all, “a family of threeliving in New York City can’t live onAlabama guidelines.” Accordingly, MetCouncil addresses the needs of not onlythose who are considered poor under theFederal Guidelines, but also the 104,000individuals who are considered to be “nearpoor” or “working poor.”
The UniqUe challenges oF The FRUm Jew
The “working poor” have acompounded problem in that althoughthey are working, they cannot make endsmeet, and because they are working theyearn too much to be eligible for governmentprograms. To aggravate matters, frum Jewscontend with unique challenges thatdifferentiate them from the non-Jewishpoor: they have large families and mustbear the costs of kosher food, yeshivos andcamps, as well as housing that needs to bewithin walking distance of their shul.
In the secular world, there is this greatmomentum to donate money for the poorwho can’t afford the turkey and meat forthe festive meals they prepare about two tothree times a year. Little do they know thatfrum Jews are required to prepares suchmeals every week, and that many simplycan’t afford to do so. Too many Jewishfamilies don’t have the means to providechicken soup and gefilte fish for Shabbos.Quietly, on Friday night, they sit down after
having opened several cans of sardines fortheir meal. On a daily basis, there arefamilies that cannot afford fish or chickenand use peanut butter as their daily sourceof protein. This is happening every day to afriend or relative living in yourneighborhood.
The shame FacToRYes, there are outstanding organizations
and private donors who do everythingpossible to ensure that people have themeans of putting food on the table. Just lastmonth an anonymous donor gaveMehadrin Kosher Poultry a large sum ofmoney to deliver 6,000 pounds of chicken tothe Jewish Community Council in BoroPark.
But the shame factor cannot beoverstated. Orthodox Jews who may beeligible for some sort of aid refuse to applyfor it because their pride does not permitthem to classify themselves as poor, or evennear poor. These are the people who do notwant anyone to know of the horriblepredicament they are in. It is much betterfor the representative at Visa or MasterCardto be aware of the enormity of theirfinancial cirisis than it is for anothermember of the community to know. This isbased on the very palpable fear that aneighbor or friend might view financialtroubles with scorn or judge them as beingless worthy, less respectable.
It isn’t only a feeling. A family’s financialstatus is an important factor when it comesto shidduchim. How many wonderful sons
and daughters have been passed upbecause they didn’t make the financial cut?In a world where even children of affluentparents are in a “shidduch crisis,” theproblem is immense for children of thepoor. How quickly we all forget thatparnassah is allotted by Hashem on RoshHashanah and is certainly not in anyperson’s control. We forget and we label,and then people in this situation have nochoice but to keep it a secret.
Until the current economic upheaval,American poverty was rarely openlydiscussed. There used to be this conceptthat the Jewish poor lived in Eretz Yisrael,in Yemen, in Russia, and that in Americadollars rolled in the streets. It was, after all,the “goldeneh medinah.” The poor inAmerica were thought to be part of adifferent creed or nationality — povertyhad little to do with America’s OrthodoxJews.
“Jewish poverty was an oxymoron,”says Mr. Rapfogel. “It wasn’t real inanyone’s eyes.” But it is real — very real.
Drive by dumpsters on Boro Park’sThirteenth Avenue at midnight and youwill receive a rude and shockingawakening.
“I have seen horrific scenes — peoplepicking food from dumpsters in Boro Park,people picking up bread from the groundthat was meant for the birds,” saysAlexander Rapaport, executive director ofMasbia, a free, full-service kosher soupkitchen located in Boro Park. With thepartnership of Met Council, Masbiarecently opened two more kitchens inFlatbush and Williamsburg, and may soonopen a kitchen in Queens. Whereas MetCouncil used to believe its forty foodpantries scattered throughout the city weresufficient to handle the demand, poverty inthe Jewish community has so deepenedthat the need for people to actually feel freeto enter a full-service kitchen at any timebecame obvious.
The hunger problem has gotten soenormous that in May 2008 Masbiapurchased a large number of high chairs, toaccommodate the children who were beingbrought there by parents who could nototherwise feed them. At Masbia of BoroPark, approximately sixty children were
Hunger drove this man to rummage through boxes fordiscarded fruit.
seated on one particular night. Just after thegrand opening in Flatbush, three teenagerswalked in by themselves. The waiter wasdevastated to hear that their parents werewaiting in the car because they were tooashamed to walk in. These parents hadfigured out a way for their children to eatwithout embarrassing themselves, but whatabout the children of parents who aren’tvisiting Masbia because they are tooembarrassed to be seen even walking in thevicinity? What about the children of amother who walks by Masbia thinking thatshe is fortunate to be far removed from thistype of situation— because her husbandhas been too ashamed to tell her that hecannot make ends meet? And so, while thehusband struggles with the idea of reachingout for help, his wife is so oblivious that shecontinues shopping at Saks and Bergdorf’s.
“We have noticed that most people seemto be waiting three to six months beforecoming for help because of denial,” saysMr. Rapfogel. Eventually, though, they dorealize they need help and, as such, Met
Council and other non-profit organizationshave seen a thirty to forty percent increasein requests for services.
Because the Census Bureau collects theirdata once every ten years, it is difficult toascertain the exact numbers of today’s poorand near poor. Yet Mr. Rapfogel estimatesthat while the number of poor peopleremained the same, the number of“working poor” probably increased by150,000.
Job losses FoR The well-oFF What makes this economic crisis so
different is not only the dramatic increase inthe number of poor, but the suddenappearance of formerly successful people,some of whom had earned six-figuresalaries, who are now living dangerouslyclose to the poverty line. Sadly, it isn’t sounusual to find people who in previousyears might have been donors, but todayfind themselves in need of donations.
“We have seen nothing like it,” Mr.Rapfogel said of the increase. “People who
were previously on a good financial footingare now coming to us for help because theycan’t make ends meet.”
Over the past four months the UJAFederation of New York’s Connect to Carehas come to the aid of about 430 upper- andmiddle-income clients in Brooklyn withcash assistance, financial counseling, legalreferrals and career services. Additionally,the Emergency Parnossa Initiative (EPI), ledby Rabbi Zisha Novoseller and foundedwith the support of Gedolei Yisrael and keylay leaders, is a campaign to help familiesthat have lost their livelihood in theeconomic crisis. EPI has set up a service tohelp find respectable paying positions forpeople who were formerly successfulbreadwinners, by hiring a team ofprofessional headhunters to help withinterviewing and networking skills,videotaped interviews and job placement.To emphasize the importance of thisendeavor, EPI added a $1,000-incentive toanyone who refers a job that leads topermanent employment.
T he Metropolitan (Met) Council of New York was created
in 1972 to coordinate the human service efforts of the
numerous Jewish Community Councils (JCCs) throughout
the city. Each JCC is independent and Met Council believes
in the JCC’s self-determination. Met Council addresses the
basic needs of poor and “working poor” families and now
also the upper- and middle-income individuals who are in
trouble, with services ranging from kosher food pantries to
kosher food vouchers, crisis
intervention, career training and
assistance, affordable housing,
health insurance enrollment,
home care and home repairs and
furnishing, mental health counseling, and domestic violence
counseling. Met Council’s forward-thinking approach to
poverty has resulted in innovative ideas, such as creating a
curriculum for bar mitzvah-age students that aims to teach
them about giving back to their community through
tzedakah; and the Handyman Program, geared to senior
citizens in which handymen make household repairs and
install bathtub grab bars, window
guards, and linoleum, and lower
peepholes for seniors who are unable
to reach the typical heights of front-
door peepholes.
Met Council and the JCCs’ fundamental
mantra is that they provide the needy with
comprehensive and long-lasting solutions to
complex problems. The goal is to
ensure that each individual gets
back on his or her feet and
becomes independent as soon as
possible. In this current economic
crisis, “services have grown beyond any of our
expectations,” says Mr. Rapfogel. “In the [entire] year 2000
Met Council provided 200 people with groceries, whereas by
October of 2009 the number [had already] surged to 15,000
families.” In the current economic crisis, Met Council
remains committed to creating solutions for the increase of
needy people within the Orthodox Jewish community.
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whaT can a laid-oFF PeRson do?
Consider Avi, a computerprogrammer and father of seven,earning $110,000 a year gross. Adecent salary, you think. But he is thefather of seven. Every penny heearned was spent ,and every pennyhe did not earn was charged to theircredit card. As for his wife, she is toobusy to work, because in addition tocaring for her children, she also has tocare for an elderly mother. Now withthe loss of a job and no savings, Avi isforced to confront the increasinglysteep costs of housing in Flatbush,health care, food, yeshivah tuition,and interest payments on his creditcard— all while he has the job oflooking for a job.
Without a comprehensiveapproach to dealing with theseinsurmountable costs, this formerlysuccessful computer programmermay be left with a home inforeclosure and children who arefeeling the pangs of hunger. He hasno choice but to reach out for help,
and he must do so immediately. As Mr. Rapfogel stated succinctly, “We
are trying … to get them in more quickly toavoid them burning down savings andfalling into credit-card quicksand.”
Avi, however, is not going to visit hisnearest JCC. He will find it exceptionally
painful to accept a box of groceries or adonation from a friend. But Met Counciloffers a food voucher program, whichentitles him to a certain amount of groceriesfrom one of approximately forty groceries.This method maintains the family’s dignitybecause the individual simply submitswhat appears to be a gift card and noquestions are asked. Still, for someone likeAvi, the process of reaching out isunbearably difficult.
There are other effective ways to easeAvi’s burden. Met Council can provideAvi’s mother-in-law with a home attendantso that his wife can now try to find part-time work. In addition, there are statehealth-care programs such as Child HealthPlus, which include even those withincomes above 400% of the povertyguidelines, meaning that a family of threecan make approximately $73, 240 and stillbe eligible. This program alleviates theonerous burden of health care, and enablesparents to utilize their funds for other basicneeds. This way, the cycle of dependence isbroken, and families are able to find ameasure of control once again.
One of the most essential programs thatAvi can benefit from is career counseling,which includes resume and interviewpreparation, job training, and access toextensive job databases such as that ofFEGS, the Federation Employment andGuidance Service. In the last year, the careercounseling services at Met Council has seenabout seventy new clients every month,and now they are seeing ninety to onehundred new clients monthly. EPI, theemployment service previously described,which only opened its doors in April 2009,has 800 applicants in its database, and 163have already been successfully placed inpermanent jobs.
Hopefully, Avi will be back on his feetwhen he finds a job, but if he does face thethreat of foreclosure on the family home, hewill be able to turn to Met Council and theJCC’s emergency crisis interventionprogram, which offers families lump sumsto cope with crises in housing and utilities.EPI also has a program in which they matchthe funds of every shul’s kupas tzedakah, forexmple, if a shul’s kupah sends out $500 perfamily, EPI will send an additional $500.
These are ways to give people such as Avisome breathing space, so that they canregain their bearings.
The Formerly SucceSSFul BuSineSS owner
While most major commercial streets inBrooklyn appear to be pretty busy, mostpeople seem to be doing a lot of walking,but not much shopping. Ask any storeowner how business is, and you will mostlikely hear the person let out a painfulkrechtz and sigh.
Take Moshe, the former owner of aclothing store on a bustling street. Heearned a nice living and wasn’t reallyworried about finances until the currenteconomic meltdown, when people stoppedbuying clothes. His store was losing moneyevery day, and his accountant advised himto close. Now he is using up his smallamount of savings.
One idea for Moshe might be to takeadvantage of EPI’s business gemach, whichlends money to qualified individuals tohelp them start a business. He can also askfor organizations to provide him withcareer services and sound financial advice.
There is no doubt that at this late point inhis life, working for someone else is goingto be excruciatingly hard. Moshe is going toneed a lot of strength to start anew, but hemust do so, because he has to pay yeshivahtuitions and marry off his children.Otherwise, he and many others in hissituation are in serious trouble.
For now they persevere, day by day,without a plan or a vision for the future. It isonly their shame that prevents them fromreaching out for help. But now you know —and as a cohesive community, we have toreach out and help them, no matter what.
underSTanding yourPerSonal FinanceS
The problems do not end when thefinancial emergency is over. Ironically,many people who used to be financiallysuccessful have no idea how to maintain abudget. In the past it was easy to get credit,and people began to live way beyond theirmeans. They purchased beautiful homesand luxury cars — items that they cannotnow use to buy food. However, money for
food can be realized if the owner of theLexus trades it in for a Honda, or if parentssend their kids to day camps instead ofovernight camps. Therefore, manyorganizations quickly realized that theyhave a responsibility to become personalfinancial advisors, because if they do not,the credit hole just gets deeper and deeper.
Of course, every generation wants thenext generation to live better than they did,and that might be a reason why theyounger generation was encouraged tospend. Mr. Rapfogel points out that thereality is that “parents of today aregrappling with the fact that the nextgeneration will have it worse or will bestruggling.” To hold on to the status andlifestyle of their parents, the youngergeneration has no problem swiping thatcredit card. That is why it is so important toteach the next generation that APR credit-card rates are not just a curious and weirdset of numbers. The numbers are real andthe percentage rate that seems small has thepotential of wreaking havoc on their lives.
Without the convenience of a credit card,parents will have to learn how to give upcertain luxuries, which were “necessities”before this economic downturn. Overnightcamps, certain after-school programs, cars,bungalows, designer clothing, are notnecessities. Some of these luxuries are goingto have to go, not only because parentscannot afford them, but because parentshave the enormous responsibility to teachtheir children about budgeting. This is the
only way to prevent the next generationfrom sinking into debt as well.
The FuTureThe nationwide ten percent
unemployment figure reached in October arecord high, challenges the forecast by someanalysts that the recession is nearing anend. Nevertheless, Mr. Rapfogel prefers toremain “cautiously optimistic.”
Although the economic meltdown isquite depressing, there is hope. People aregetting jobs, organizations are helpingpeople get back on their feet, and the chessedof our Jewish community cannot beoverstated. Non-profit organizations andprivate philanthropists are workingtirelessly to help their fellow Jews. Theconcept that Jewish people are responsiblefor one another is deeply embedded in ourcommunal psyche, and there areindividuals who will not rest as long as theyknow that fellow Jews are struggling.
While the noose feels as if it’s tighteningaround the necks of many, the Jewishbond actually grows stronger and firmer.That is why the poor, near poor, and theupper- and middle-income individualswho cannot make it have to reach out andask for help ... because help is available.They are fortunate to be part of a peoplewho will do everything to ensure that theyget it. And perhaps that is reason enoughto realize that the picture of the future isnot all that bleak. ❚M
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It Isn’t All thAt BleAkPoverty can envelop you like a thick fog
closing down around you when you aredriving. It’s hard to see through it. Itsmothers you. You feel like you have nodirection. You just continue driving at 20miles per hour, hoping that the sun willshine, the fog will lift, and you will finallybe able to see two feet ahead of you.
Last week I described the fog ofpoverty as ominous, dark andimpervious. And for people who areliving through it, that is an accuratepicture. Yet, somewhere from withinthere has to be some way of rising above
this tough challenge, some way of findinghope.
And there are ways of finding hope. Consider the problem of homelessness,
a serious issue afflicting the world at large,but an issue that has not touched the frumJewish community. One approximation ofthe annual number of homeless inAmerica is between 2.3 and 3.5 millionpeople. Another way of expressing thenumber of homeless is that an estimated675,000 people experience homelessnesson any one night. What is exceptionallyshocking is the fact that homelessness haseven hit suburbia.
Fortunately, the problem of homelessnesshas not hit the Jewish community because asfrum Jews we genuinely feel responsible forone another. Mr. William Rapfogel, CEO ofMet Council of New York, notes,“Homelessness is not a major problem —largely due to the tight-knit Jewishcommunity taking care of its own, throughfamily connections, community resourcesand synagogues that deal with theproblem…. In other instances, we helppeople transition from one home to anotheror find emergency shelter for victims of fireor other disasters. Frum Jews do a very goodjob of taking care of each other.”
Yes, there are serious issues affecting us,but at the very least let’s take comfort in thefact that our levels of poverty have notreached the dramatic levels of the world atlarge. Our children are not seriouslymalnourished, we have avoided thehomeless epidemic, and our leaders,laymen, and organizations work tirelesslyto alleviate the problems that do plague ourcommunities: poverty and unemployment.
thOse whO cAreThere are many examples of people
finding jobs and receiving anonymousdonations, and of organizations helping
people get back on their feet. There arewidows and orphans who are basicallytaken care of for life by benefactors whohave created trust funds for them. There areprivate donors who convene regularly asboard members of various organizations tobrainstorm and devise solutions toeffectively deal with the current financialcrisis.
The following are just some of theinspiring examples of innovativeorganizations dealing with poverty in theJewish community today.
EPI, the Employment Parnossa Initiative— an organization discussed in last week’s
article — focuses on finding jobs for thewave of unemployed individuals who arevictims of unstable financial markets. Inaddition to developing an extensivenetwork to locate available jobs, this monthEPI is opening the doors of anentrepreneurial college, which will offer abusiness education (valued at $25,000) toapplicants who pass an aptitude test and aseries of interviews.
There are novel organizations likeShairis Haplate, directed by Mr. BennyWechsler, who also heads Met Council’sFood Distribution Program (see sidebar).This organization collects and distributes
In Part I of this article, the writer painted a dark picture of the manyfrum families who face poverty because their incomes have been
drastically reduced in the economic downturn. This week, the writerpoints out that there is hope, especially in light of the numerous ways inwhich Jewish organizations have attempted to breach the gap with amultitude of financial and social assistance programs.
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extra food from upscale weddings, dinners,conventions, weekend gatherings, and barmitzvahs at fine hotels within a 50-mileradius of New York City.
When Shairis Haplate hears from acaterer that a lavish event is going to takeplace at a location that does not have in-house kosher facilities, they send in a crewto repackage the food and distribute it topeople in need. They even go so far as tovisit Miami hotels after Pesach to packageextra food for redistribution.
Tomchei Shabbos is anotherorganization, well established in the frumcommunity, that provides food for Shabbosmeals as well as food and supplies for YomTov to any family in need. It has branches innumerous regions including Boro Park,Flatbush, Monsey, Northern New Jersey,Queens, and Los Angeles. Volunteers packthe food on Thursday, and late at nightvolunteer drivers deliver the packages todesignated addresses, where they try toleave the box discreetly at the front door.Branches in other cities, althoughindependent, operate similarly.
There is Mesila, which operates intwenty-five locations in Israel, includingbranches in the Gur, Stolin, Belz and ToldosAharon neighborhoods, and is currentlybranching out to the United States. Mesilaworks to educate the community indeveloping attitudes and habits that willlead to financial stability, such as drawing
up and maintaining a budget, and providesguidance in creating and implementinglong-term financial solutions.
Ezras Yisroel, originally formed byHarav Avrohom Pam, zt”l, donates moneyto those in need in a most discreet manner.
Gomel Chesed of Boyan, with RabbiMattisyahu Salomon, shlita, as one of itsleaders, organizes campaigns before everyYom Tov to ensure that families have thebasic necessities such as food, clothing andshoes for the children. To meet these goalsthey either provide discount coupons to beused at stores or supply money to familiesin need. This Pesach they distributedcoupons to approximately 1,800 families.
the rIPPle eFFects OF POverty
Additionally, many organizationsrecognize the serious ripple effects ofpoverty on the mental and emotionalhealth of individuals and families andprovides therapists and counselors to helppeople deal with these challenges. Povertyand unemployment have a harrowingeffect on families, causing problemsranging from behavioral issues in childrento shalom bayis issues in the home.
A. The ChildrenThe silent victims of unemployment
and poverty are children. Children seeand internalize everything around them,
even when they don’t admit to it. Astressed-out parent results in a stressed-out child, and the problems surface in thechild’s interaction with friends, teachersand parents. Indeed, a December 2009 pollconducted by the New York Times/CBSNews reported that about four in tenparents noticed behavioral changes intheir children that they believed are aresult of their own unemployment.
Studies show that poverty exacerbatesevery single domestic problem, fromdrop-out youth to marital discord.
It is also known that learningdifficulties are a large factor in predictingchildren who will be at risk. Whiletutoring can improve a child’s learningdifficulties, poor parents or parents whoare suddenly struggling financially cannotafford to hire top tutors for their child. Thegovernment does provide some tutoringfor children who need help, but mostqualified tutors will not work for whatgovernment programs pay. While affluentchildren receive individualized attention,the poor ones remain at a seriousdisadvantage, despite several chessedprojects aimed at providing this much-needed help.
Some struggling families that cannotarrange for sufficient levels of tutoringsimply hope that somehow the child’sresulting behavioral issues will clear upon their own. Not dealing with the child’sunderlying issues doesn’t make theproblems disappear, however, andeventually a frustrated child may verywell become a child at risk.
B. Shalom BayisThe stresses and guilt associated with a
husband’s inability to provide for his familyare bound to lead to marital tensions. Mr.Rapfogel says couples in the OrthodoxJewish community who may never havedealt with any domestic violence issuesmay suddenly find themselves dealingwith just that. Most debilitating to themarriage is the depression and lack of self-esteem that prevails among men who feelthey are no longer capable of providing fortheir families.
There is no easy way to deal with ahusband who is unable to get out of bed in
the morning because he can’t bear to facethe world. Government unemploymentbenefits — payments of a percentage ofwhat was previously earned — are not acure-all. Far from it — in fact, the CBSNews poll found that 61% of respondentsstated that unemployment benefits werenot enough to cover the costs of even basicnecessities. When there isn’t enoughmoney, stresses are high, and the firstthing that generally goes is the semblanceof unity in the household.
C. Health and Wealth Aside from the detrimental effects of
sudden poverty on the emotional stabilityof the family, it is no secret that stresscontributes to a number of health-relatedproblems. Stress causes heart problems,anxiety, and a compromised immunesystem. What makes it so damaging and
cyclical is that now this same person, whois suffering from high blood pressurebrought on by the loss of a job, has topersevere and muster enough energy tofind a job so that he can support hisfamily. His wife can help, but today adouble income is necessary just to stayafloat, and in most cases her incomedoesn’t replace the husband’s salary.
Some people under stress suffer panicattacks, an anxiety disorder that causesrepeated, unexpected episodes of intensefear. These attacks may last from minutesto hours, and during that time the personfeels as if he is actually experiencing thesymptoms of a heart attack or a nervousbreakdown, although in reality he is not. Itis a frightening experience, and the fear ofa recurrence is often so paralyzing that thepatient never wants to be left alone. Thisdisorder is not happening to a few
isolated people — speak to anyneighborhood pharmacist and you’ll hear,without names, that it is happening tomany more people than are willing toadmit it.
Moreover, the patient isn’t the only onesuffering, because those around himsuffer too. One wife describes herdilemma succinctly: “I have no choice butto be with my husband 24/7. How is itremotely possible for me to work, if myhusband needs me and only me to be nearhim around the clock?”
Fortunately, numerous organizationssuch as Met Council, the JCCs, EPI, andmental health organizations haverecognized the ripple effects of povertyand have social workers and therapistsavailable to treat these problems. In fact,the organizations try to make sure thatwhen someone comes in for financial help,
How long have you been with Met Council? I’ve been with Met Council for about eleven years, and in
the food rescue and distribution business for eighteen years.
How do you distribute food? Met Council distributes food to about thirty-five pantries in
New York City. Most of the Jewish Community Councils thathave food pantries do not have the capacity to store all thefood. Met Council stores the food in an 11,000-square-footwarehouse in which volunteers repackage the food and thenbring it to the councils, where the food is distributed toclients.
How many clients do you have? We have approximately 14,000 clients every month. In
addition, we distribute other food in our warehouse toorganizations such as Tomchei Shabbos and Oneg Shabbos.
Where do you get food? We have private donors, and we also get food from the Food
Bank of New York City, which in turn gets its food from theDepartment of Agriculture. For example, in terms of private
donors, we received a donation last year from Empire Poultryof 4,000 pounds of chicken every month.
How do you decide how to distribute food? Various food pantries tell us how many clients they
have, and we provide for those needs. Met Council makessure that there is a complete distribution every month. Wealso get private referrals, and in these situations we try tobe as discreet as possible.
What effect has the recession had on the volumeof your food distribution?
We have had a 10-percent increase in demand, andmost importantly, we now have situations wheredistribution is much more difficult because we are notdealing with a single person or small families. In thesecases, the packages have to be a lot more extensive.
And the numbers will only be increasing. When I was a child,a poor person was someone standing on the corner begging.Unfortunately, today a poor person is probably your neighbor.Very soon, when people see that it is okay for their neighborsto ask for food, there will be an explosion of requests.
HHaammooddiiaa MMaaggaazz iinnee 27 Teves 5770 23
Interview with Benny WechslerDirector of the Food Program at Met Council
HHaammooddiiaa MMaaggaazz iinnee Januar y 13 , 201024
the case workers look out for any physicalor emotional problems so that they can betreated as well.
An alternative to organizationalassistance is family support. Rabbi Dr.Abraham J. Twerski suggests that if at theonset of the crisis parents sit down withtheir children and discuss the newbudgetary needs and the difficultiesanticipated in cutting down on theirexpenses, the family members will findstrength in each other.
Most important is the parents’ attitude.A parent’s sense of self-worth and agenuine interest in his children is moreimportant than monetary satisfaction. Byimparting the right values andmaintaining a positive and strongoutlook, a family will be able to getthrough these difficult times, howevertough they may be.
whAt cAn we DO? So how do we deal with the
issues at hand? What can we, whoare not part of any majororganization, do to help thosewho are needy or unemployed?
1) Share your knowledge. Ifyou know of someone who justlost his business and isn’tparticularly computer savvy,teach him how the computerworks. If you know of someonewho wants to take a test in yourarea of expertise, such asinsurance or real estate exam,help him acquire the knowledgehe needs to earn that license.
2) Listen, listen, and listen.People need to vent, they needsomeone to listen intently, kindly,and seriously, and that means itcan’t be with half an ear. If you’vebeen unemployed at some point,invite others who are now in thatsituation to speak to you, so youcan share tips on how to survive.
As one struggling personstated, “Sometimes I just want to talk, tovent. But it’s hard when some of myfriends begin to vanish as though beingunemployed or suddenly poor issomehow contagious.”
3) Become good customers. If youknow of people who are strugglingbusiness owners, urge your friends toshop at their stores. One of the mostpoignant moments I have everexperienced was meeting a woman on aBrooklyn city bus. We began to speakand when she told me that she wasoriginally from Chicago, I couldn’t helpbut ask if she knew my grandmother,who had lived there.
“Of course! Of course I remember her.I will never forget her.” She thenproceeded to tell me a story I had neverheard. “While I was growing up, yourgrandmother was one of the fewHolocaust survivors I knew. She came toChicago as a refugee with her husbandand two babies. A few months after herarrival, she tried to open a tiny candystore in her house. At that point, the
rabbi of our congregation got up in shuland in front of a huge crowd asked thateveryone make it a point to buy at yourgrandmother’s store, even if our noshclosets were already filled with chocolatebars. Everyone made it their obligationto give your grandmother somebusiness, and what was once a little shopbecame quite big.”
You cannot underestimate the powerof buying at your local store, even ifyou’re only buying sour sticks.
4) Offer to help. Ask your friend if shewould like your cleaning lady for a fewhours at your expense. When you knowsomeone is poor or unemployed, you canassume the couple has no quality time tobe together, so invite their children toyour house to play so that the couple canhave time to take a walk. Or take care ofthe kids so that the couple can pursue aninterest they never had the chance to.Maybe that interest will spark an idea fora business — you never know.
5) Be sensitive about how you lendyour money. If you offer a friend a loan,make sure to give him the most optimumterms possible. The last thing the personneeds is an additional individualhounding him for money.
If the loan doesn’t make a dent in yourpocketbook, suggest that the terms forrepayment will be agreed upon onlyonce he re-establishes himself. Theutmost kindness is lending someonemoney without conveying the feelingthat the debt will be hovering over himlike a hammer ready to drop on his head.
And if you can, suggest that he repaythe loan by making a similar loan tosomeone else in need in the future.
6) Don’t ask too many questions.Don’t keep asking how the job search isgoing. When they have something goodto tell you, they will. Talk to them, givethem options, but don’t bug them. Yourgenuine interest will be touching, butpersistent questioning is humiliating.
7) Surprises are good. Send anunexpected gift card from a grocerystore or clothing store so that they canpurchase something special, or,alternatively, you might want to send
Unemployed workers hoping for a job wait on a longline during the Great Depression. During those years(1929 to the mid-1930s), unemployment peaked atabout 25 percent. Today, the unemployment ratehovers at 10 percent .
them a surprise bag of kids’ clothes (inexcellent condition only), letting themknow that you found them whilereorganizing your closets, and they’redoing you a favor by accepting them orpassing them along to others.
8) Confidence is even better. Do andsay anything that will boost yourfriend’s self-esteem. A person lookingfor a job needs an extra boost ofconfidence because he has to go aroundselling himself. Since confidence mightbe difficult to maintain when you feellike the whole world is going about theirlives except you, a good word doeswonders.
9) Offer to help with resumés. Whilemany organizations, such as EPI,Connect to Care, and Mesila, will do this,you know your friend best. You knowwhat he left out because he didn’t thinkit was important enough or because hejust didn’t know how to express it. Helphim clarify his goals and go through theresumé with a fine-tooth comb. You willbe surprised how a little editing can go along way.
10) Keep your eyes and ears open forjob opportunities. You might be able tohelp someone find a job, and the onlyway you can do so is if you focus on thesearch. Listen for openings. You justmight be able to save an entire family. Inthe meantime you can help your friendby developing a focused and methodicalsearch plan.
11) Volunteer. Money isn’t the be-alland end-all. Sometimes your time is evenmore valuable. There are manyopportunities available, such as makingup food packages for Tomchei Shabbosand other organizations, and helpingpeople who are waiting in line at yourlocal JCC with their paperwork.
If you have your own creative ideas,Met Council can help you put them intoaction. They can direct you in how tocollect food, toys and clothes, and if youhave a unique project in mind, they canimplement it for you. For example, manyteachers have worked with Met Councilto create projects for their classes thatwill help other kids in need. In another
case, a website designer offered to help awoman in need start an online business.Remember, volunteering isn’t only a giftyou give someone else, it’s also a gift youreceive.
hOw cAn Frum Jews DeAl wIth the FInAncIAl
meltDOwn? Despite this tough economic situation,
there are lessons to be learned from whatwe are all experiencing, and ways to riseabove this challenge.
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, in hisbook The Sun Will Shine Again, deals withnumerous approaches to coping andpersevering in troubled economic times.One topic Rabbi Twerski addresses isemunah and bitachon.
“Having sincere emunah and bitachonin the belief that everything — no matterhow trivial — is wrought solely by theHand of Hashem enables one to accepthis present state with equanimity.” Asfor the concept of suffering, he says webelieve that “Hashem loves us and everychallenge we experience is for our owngood. He does not subject one tosuffering as a punishment but rather …to spur the individual to greater levels.”Thus, it is important to believe that one isnot suffering because he is bad.
Rabbeinu Yonah writes in ShaareiTeshuvah (Shaar Beis) that if one improveshis ways as a result of suffering “… it isproper for him to rejoice in hissufferings, for they broughthim great benefit, and heshould thank G-d forthem as he would forother successes ... andone who truly trusts inGod should hope inthe midst of hisdistress that thedarkness will be thecause of his light. …As our Sages ofblessed memory
said, ‘If I did not fall, I could not havearisen; if I had not been in darkness, itwould not have been light for me’(Midrash Tehillim 22).”
Another word of advice from RabbiTwerski is to make an effort to find thesilver lining in the cloud, because apersonal crisis is often the catalyst forsomething positive. Rabbi Twerskisuggests that the silver lining in thistroubled period may very well be thatthis is the first time that a family realizesthat they are indeed a unit — that theycan rely on and support each otherthrough difficulties.
We can find many words of chizuk inour sefarim to build our emunah and ourunderstanding of suffering. We are notthe first generation to grapple with thesetopics. After all, it was not that long agothat our parents and grandparents weredealing with the barbarity of theHolocaust. The Jewish nation hassurvived tumultuous times and, b’ezrasHashem, so will we.
As difficult as it is right now, themarket will recover. Once the economyimproves and we’ll have money in ourpockets, what will remain of this timewill be our strengthened character, ourbitachon, and the chessed we did. Andperhaps, considering all the examples ofchessed we have seen in these hardtimes, we have already found a silverlining. ❚M
One of Met Council’s foodpantries, from which tons offood are distributed to New
