According to the Jewish Federations of North America 2009 Report on the Israeli Economy, 22.7% of the elderly are poor in Israel. Of this population, a shocking 40% of Holocaust survivors live below the poverty line. Of the 400,000 Israeli Holocaust survivors, 170,000 have come from the former Soviet Union in the past 10 years. This group is particularly vulnerable because they aren’t eligible for monthly pensions from Israeli organizations, or their countries of origin.

Believe it or not, Israel tends to have severe winters with rain, low temperatures, a high wind chill factor, and even snow. Unfortunately, every year some elderly actually perish from sickness caused by lack of proper heating apparatus. The Jerusalem Institute of Justice, together with volunteers and activists from communities and municipalities in Israel, has addressed this problem in the past by distributing thousands (and sometimes tens of thousands – depending on your donations) of brand-new down blankets to needy elderly and holocaust survivors in Israel to help them get through the winter comfortably. In 2009, we tailored this project to Holocaust survivors specifically, by distributing new, warm coats to this grossly underserved population.