Article by: Yaffa Podbilewicz-Weinberg, Ph.D.,
Director of Holocaust Survivor Care at JFS Dallas

We all know just how necessary and important it is to be able to provide financial support for the needs of Holocaust survivors in North Dallas. I’d like to share one experience I personally had this past year that illustrates the impact of this program. 

During a home visit in a very small one-bedroom apartment with a Holocaust survivor couple new to our area, I was asked to sit on one of two wooden chairs by their small square table. His wife sat on the other wooden chair, and the client went to sit on an old loveseat covered with many blankets. As he sat down, the couch gave way and he ended up crouched very close to the floor, still on top of the blankets. The couch was unusable. He had a hard time standing up from that position and shared that his wife could only sit on their bed or the wooden chairs.

We decided to reach out to KAVOD SHEF, a funder of the JFS Dallas Holocaust Survivor Care Program, to explore providing financial assistance for a new couch, and he was agreeable.

They were both very touched by our offer to help, and as we were preparing to leave, I asked if there was anything else they needed. He mentioned his dentures were so bad he could hardly eat and was losing weight, and he could not talk or smile properly. So we also moved forward to secure dental care support.

A few months later, I saw both clients at a Jewish community event, which they were attending for the first time as sponsored guests. The moment he saw me, he gave me the widest smile, proudly pointing to his new dentures and saying, “Look at me, I have a beautiful smile! We came, and we’re having dinner with all these people. I am making new friends.” He also thanked us for the couch, sharing that he and his wife can now sit together.

What began as a simple home visit became so much more– a reason to smile, a chance to connect, and the confidence to be part of a community again. This is just one example of the profound impact the Holocaust Survivor Care program can have on health, nutrition, socialization, well-being, relationships, and even fall and injury prevention.

Note: The KAVOD SHEF initiative multiplies the dollars and vital services reaching survivors in the DFW area and it is based on a 50% match structure. Our community raises these funds every year and ensures our survivors can age with dignity. Thank you to all our private donors for ensuring our work can continue to have the greatest impact.