(Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Krivoi Rog, Donetsk, and Kyiv) Report of a ...

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seniors purchase in order to receive discounts at a specific chain of
supermarkets.
In all, 1,300 people, almost all of them elderly, receive homecare through the
hesed, Mr. Murashkovsky stated. Two hundred of these individuals are bedridden
and almost totally isolated, he continued. He believes that expanded
homecare services should be a priority for the hesed, but resources are
lacking for further development of homecare services. As he had done in
previous years, Mr. Murashkovsky bemoaned the difference in care available
to Holocaust survivors and those of comparable age and need who were not
in an area occupied by the Germans during World War II. Those ineligible for
Claims Conference support are aware that others in more-or-less the same
health situation are receiving more services; the former are very resentful of
the latter, he said.
In addition to caring for Jewish elderly, Mr. Murashkovsky continued, the
hesed provides some assistance to approximately 1,500 Jewish children,
including youngsters with developmental disabilities and psychological
issues. They also have begun to work with autistic children. Major forms of
aid include material support to impoverished families, periodic day care of 80
children in groups according to need, and working with parents to help them
understand their children’s needs and provide a supportive home atmosphere.
Mr. Murashkovsky stated that the new JDC facility 57 should provide more
space for various welfare activities, including a senior adult day care
program that will operate in shifts. Some attendees will come by van, he
said, and others will take public transportation. Expanded space in the new
building also will permit the operation of more special-interest clubs for
Jewish elderly. Because the new facility is equipped with an elevator and
handicapped-accessible lavatories, JDC also will be able to offer more
programs for people with disabilities, he continued. In response to a
question, Mr. Murashkovsky acknowledged that, notwithstanding the new
building with its great potential, no budget had yet been designated for any
new welfare programs.
Synagogue-Related Programs
38. Rabbi Moshe Moskovitz and his wife Miriam Moskowitz have served the
Jewish population of Kharkiv for 20 years; a native of Caracas, Rabbi
Moskovitz is among the veteran Chabad rabbis in the post-Soviet states and
is highly respected in the city and beyond. Mrs. Moskovitz, a native of
Australia, also is very active in the community and highly regarded.
57 See pages 65-66.