JFSCNJ Holocaust initiative celebrates first anniversary
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JFSCNJ Holocaust initiative celebrates first anniversary

Seth Huttel and his children, Moshe, Leora, and Shoshi, with Holocaust survivor Vladimir Masch of Berkeley Heights. (Photos courtesy JFSCNJ)
Seth Huttel and his children, Moshe, Leora, and Shoshi, with Holocaust survivor Vladimir Masch of Berkeley Heights. (Photos courtesy JFSCNJ)

Jewish Family Service of Central New Jersey’s Union County Holocaust survivors enjoyed a special Chanukah as the JFSCNJ’s Adopt-A-Holocaust Survivor Initiative celebrated its first anniversary.

The program, spearheaded by Seth Huttel, a JFSCNJ board member, includes more than two dozen volunteers from Congregation Israel of Springfield, where he is a member. The volunteers visit and deliver gift packages to their paired survivors monthly.

The intergenerational program aims to foster meaningful, lasting relationships between survivors and volunteers. Volunteers act as special companions to their paired survivor. The ongoing relationships let the survivors know that they are not forgotten. The visits are especially impactful for survivors who do not have family, or who have family who live far away and are unable to visit often.

Volunteer Ariella Konigsberg, left, with Joseph and Anna Vozhik, all of Springfield.

The program recently became part of the B’Yachad Program — Bringing Communities Together, a JFSCNJ program funded through a grant from the Grotta Fund for Older Adults, to engage intergenerational volunteer activities in the Jewish community.

Seth Huttel coordinates the program with Debbie Rosenwein, JFSCNJ’s director of Holocaust programs, who also is a Congregation Israel member, and Danielle McLeer, JFSCNJ’s director of outreach and volunteers.

The Springfield shul volunteers include the Agress, Babich, Bell, Blank, Bresler, Covkin, Daitch, Erez, Fried, Gerson, Gidalowitz, Huttel, Hoffer, Khaimov, Konigsberg, Levy, Pearlman, Shatashvili, Sheps, Stimmel, Wizenfeld, Wittenberg, Apsan, and Zeffren families.

Plans are underway to expand the program to several other Union County synagogues.

For information on this JFSCNJ program or other volunteer activities, email Ms. McLeer at dmcleer@jfscentralnj.org or call (908) 352-8375, ext. 238, or email Jill Dispenza jdispenza@jfscentralnj.org or call (908) 666-7033.

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