Voluntary organization says any survivor seeking aid will be assigned a volunteer to help improve health, quality of life.
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICHYad Sarah building Beersheba 311(photo credit: Yocheved Miriam Russo)
Holocaust survivors will now be eligible for special help, including free emergency beepers at home, from Yad Sarah, thanks to the voluntary organization’s collaboration with a company that locates and returns property confiscated from Jews during World War II.Yad Sarah said on Monday that every survivor who wants aid will be assigned a volunteer to improve his health, quality of life and personal security. The free service will begin in the Jerusalem area and be expanded gradually to other areas. The beepers function 24 hours a day and throughout the week. They can also borrow medical and rehabilitation equipment and get medical advice through Yad Sarah’s Da’at service, certain types of dental care, legal advice, the use of a gym and participation in various social activities – all at no cost.Survivors who receive monthly allotments from a variety of sources are eligible. Anat Ben-Zaken, head of Yad Sarah’s home and community services, said the volunteer coordinator will do the technical work to arrange for the services, some of which the survivor may not know about.
“Thus we will be able to improve the quality of life of the survivors and provide them with what they deserve. We owe it to them as a society, and we owe them a lot.”Yad Sarah was established 35 years ago by Uri Lupolianski in memory of his grandmother who died in the Holocaust, Ben-Zaken said.“It’s a privilege to help survivors at a critical time in their lives,” stressed Ben Zaken.Yad Sarah can be reached by calling *6444 or (02) 644-4444.The Jerusalem Municipality has also launched a campaign to provide services to survivors who have not taken advantage of privileges granted to them with support from volunteers assigned to them.
