Night 4: Seniors

December 2020

This Hanukkah we are taking a moment to shine a light on the resilience of our community throughout this past year. Tonight, we light the 4th candle of the menorah and  read how our community brought light and hope to our senior population.

Gloria, a frequent participant to the JCC said it best, “I did not realize how important the JCC was to me until COVID-19. I miss my days at the J.” For years, the JCC has engaged the senior community to minimize isolation and loneliness with programming, socialization, and engagement opportunities, including essential services of transportation and kosher lunch. When the pandemic hit, the impact on the senior community was crushing. The JCC has remained a virtual light to this treasured population through lunch/delivery of over 1041 meals, ongoing phone calls and outreach, and a plethora of virtual programming. 

Jewish Family Service is providing a light to seniors every day, especially during this trying year. “JFS has done so much to make my life better from counseling to social services. Providing for both my mother and myself on a single income is hard. The only reason I was able to seek counseling was because of the payment income sliding scale and the Victims of Crime Act program. My therapist helped me build resilience and guided me through the toughest time of my life. Recently, the JFS Social Service team helped us with utility, food and household expenses. For people in our financial position, especially in a pandemic, this was a huge help.” – JFS Client 

San Antonio Jewish Senior Services (SAJSS) has been bringing light and joy to the community’s older adults one challah at a time. Since the beginning of April, SAJSS’s list of households has grown exponentially. Each week, SAJSS has purchased, and wonderful volunteers have helped deliver, up to 100 challahs on a rotating basis, enriching Shabbat for older adults living independently and those in senior living facilities. “We want to let all of them know they are in our thoughts while we are apart. For the High Holidays, we delivered a robust gift bag to more than 300 households!  The feedback has been amazing, and we look forward to continuing this connection, “ said Stacey Kline Schwartz, Executive Director at SAJSS. 

In these trying times, Congregation Rodfei Sholom has found that the best way to bring light toseniors is through their stomachs. Throughout the year, their Café Rodfei Kosher take out program has been providing challahs, kugels and cakes for delivery to the community’s seniors.  We were especially proud to participate in the community Rosh Hashanah gift baskets. 

“While it has not been possible to pay a visit to seniors as in past years, TASA still wanted to remind them that we are thinking of them through these challenging times,” Jessica Diric, Director of General Studies at TASA said. In collaboration with SAJSS, TASA Students contributed to a meaningful Mitzvah by designing Rosh Hashanah drawings that were transformed into beautiful holiday cards signed by each student to be placed in the Rosh Hashanah gift baskets. 

NCJW San Antonio, working with JFSA and SAJSS, successfully delivered over 650 applications for mail-in ballots to area Jewish seniors to get a jump start on this year’s elections.  Each senior received a brief letter with explanation, mail-in application to vote by mail, and a postage paid envelope addressed to the Bexar County Election Clerk.   Members also participated in the BIG SEND. The goal of this initiative was to encourage under-represented groups in TX to get out and vote. Through virtual letter writing parties, collectively, NCJW TX send out over 5,000 letters. 

Temple Beth-El strives to maintain connections with seniors and help them keep relationships with their peers. Many have found the Shabbat Chavurah luncheons especially helpful in maintaining those connections. The pandemic has been incredibly difficult for seniors who are challenged by technology. Volunteers called every congregant to check-in and saw if anyone needed help with the technology to view the Holy Day services or needed a viewing device. Temple Beth-El provided devices and technological support for those who needed it and arranged for senior living facilities to show services for the Jewish residents. They also provided them with prayerbooks and a ROKU device if required.