Summer 2020 | Kayitz 5780
The COVID Crisis
How Jewish Family Service of LA Helps Families in Need by Shana Passman, Director at JFSLA
Over the last couple of months, we have all experienced the immense anxiety of the COVID-19 public health crisis changing the way we must conduct our lives – and yet the impact is far greater for the most vulnerable people in our Los Angeles community. People have felt the world turn upside down – suddenly they don’t know how they’ll feed their families, make ends meet, stay in their homes, or just stay healthy and safe. Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles has responded with expanded services, comprehensive support, and added capacity to meet the needs of all those who depend on us. We have ensured that our critical, life-sustaining services remain available to those who need them most, including: ∙ Delivering over 8,000 meals each week to over 800 seniors. ∙ Providing nutritious groceries to over 3,000 families a month at our SOVA pantries. ∙ Keeping our three domestic abuse shelters open and safe at this time of critical need. ∙ Mobilizing our 55 social workers to provide phone and telehealth support to over 2,000 individuals. ∙ Keeping our JFS Community Resource Line open and available to anyone in need: 877-275-4537. We have been able to do this thanks to the outpouring of generosity and compassion from the Los Angeles community. If you would like to contribute to the JFS Emergency Response Fund, you can do so by visiting www.jfsla.org/emergency-response-fund. You can help support our mission of creating a kinder, more compassionate Los Angeles where no one must navigate life alone.
Organizing to Survive and Thrive Tzedakah U’mishpat by Diane Vanette, Volunteer Leader at One LA-IAF
One LA-IAF organizes people across lines of race, class, ethnicity, religion, geography and political perspective to fix the deep and deadly holes in the fabric of our society. Since COVID-19, we have been training new leaders to address the inequities that have become even more visible and face the new challenges before us. Having met with over 350 diverse families in the last two months, we hold house meetings to listen, deliberate and organize as One LA. It is institutions, like Temple Emanuel, that pay dues to One LA, so that we can build the relationships necessary to acquire sustainable power to create the Los Angeles and California that we all deserve. We are currently fighting to support all essential workers, including undocumented workers, so that they can be safe and so no one gets left behind. Undocumented workers contribute $3 billion in state and local taxes in California. Providing them with economic relief is both a matter of justice and sound public policy. At a statewide action, we asked the Governor to permanently expand the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) to include any tax filer who uses an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). We are working with city and county leaders to provide COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, supportive isolation, and work force development to help revive our economy as well as working on the plan to help renters and landlords survive the crisis. I began this work with Rabbi Geller in 2004 and welcome all interested in helping.