Every day we thank G-d for providing us with food, clothing, and the necessities of life. And yet, thousands of Jewish Americans will go to bed hungry tonight. They are not only the homeless or those on welfare. They are working families and elderly people who do not have enough income to supply their basic needs. They could even be the people sitting right next to you in your synagogue. Their plight is not understood because, according to the Federal Government, they are not poor enough to need help. We know it is our responsibility to provide them with the food, clothing, and other resources they need to survive and thrive, but we are failing.
What is Poverty?
A single person under the age of 65 who earns a penny more than $8,980 a year is not poor according to the Federal government. A family of four with an annual income of at least $18,851 is similarly not considered poor. Given the high costs of housing and groceries alone, especially Kosher food, the challenge of fighting poverty is complex and compelling. The only way to fully understand the issues associated with poverty is to break them down into their key components.
Most Americans do not realize that the Federal Poverty Level is not adjusted for regional costs of living. A family living in New York City where the average rent for a two bedroom apartment is well over $1,000 a month is held to the same income standards as a family in rural Idaho where the cost of apartments is very low. This means that people living and working in more expensive regions of the country such as New York, Chicago, Miami, New England or the West Coast are even poorer, and are suffering even more with the exact same income as those in other areas.
It is critical to note that the expensive regions are historically the epicenters of Jewish culture, education and community institutions, and therefore have the largest percentage of Jewish families. This, of course, is one of the reasons that it is not always an option for a poor Jewish family to simply move to a less expensive region of the country. Particularly for affiliated Jews, it is crucial to live in communities where there are synagogues, yeshivot, and Kosher food available. And as we all know, these communities are almost exclusively located in the most expensive regions of the country.
Finding Affordable HousingThe disappearance of affordable, comfortable housing is a key problem in the urban areas of the working poor. For most, the housing market costs have far outstripped their ability to pay. For the elderly and those with large families this is the single largest factor keeping them in poverty. Remember that living in or near a Jewish neighborhood is usually even more expensive. Keep in mind that even if you have an income equal to the Federal Poverty threshold, it is still not likely enough to pay your rent for a full year in New York City.
The Working PoorIt is painfully obvious that individuals living below the paltry Federal Poverty level are in dire straights. But what should be just as obvious is the plight of those people who live just above this threshold in what is best described as “near poverty.” These individuals, often called the “working poor,” are in similar straights since they are not eligible for most government benefits but still do not have enough money to provide for their families' needs. Consequently, they have very few options.
Take, for example, a family of four with an annual income of $18,850. This family is eligible for Food Stamps worth $471 a month, public assistance worth $307 a month, a Home Energy allowance of $68.70 a month, a maximum shelter allowance of $450, Medicaid worth thousands of dollars a year, and various other benefits including refundable tax credits. Most importantly, this family is assured access to food, healthcare, shelter and all the other necessities required for a healthy and safe life. Now take a family of four with an annual income of $28,275—150% over the poverty level—and assume this family does not receive employee sponsored health care benefits. If rent is $1,200 a month for a 2 bedroom apartment (vastly underestimated in most urban areas), health insurance is about $450 a month (also an underestimate), and utility bills including gas, electric, and phone are at least $200 a month, that leaves only $6,075 for an entire year's supply of groceries, clothing, transportation and all other expenses.
The Federal Poverty guidelines determine whether families are eligible for Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Section 8 rent subsidies, reduced-price or free school meals, Food Stamps, and a variety of other health and social service benefits. Those living below poverty almost always qualify. Those who live just above this level often do not, and yet, they are still too poor to provide these necessities for their families. For many families, this means having to choose between basic necessities such as food or rent, healthcare or childcare. It is in this critical category, the” Working Poor” or the “Near Poor,” into which many Jewish families fall.
Jewish Poverty Is No OxymoronMore than one-third of New York City's Jews live in or near poverty! About 226,000 Jewish New Yorkers live below the paltry Federal poverty level, and another 200,000 live in near-poverty, which can make them worse off since they are not eligible for most government benefits. But even this is an underestimate since the Federal Poverty level has not been adjusted in over a decade to account for price changes and regional variations in living expenses.
Percentage of Population Living Below the Federal Poverty Guideline:
|
1991 |
2002 |
Change |
Jewish Community in New York City |
145,000 7% |
226,000 13% |
+ 81,000 + 6% |
Total New York City
|
1,808,673 24.7% |
1,641,696 20.5% |
- 166,976 - 4.2% |
Source: Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty and UJA-Federation of New York's 2004 Report on Jewish Poverty
The Jewish poor and near-poor might be: a son of Holocaust survivors living in a cardboard box alongside the F.D.R. Drive because he cannot cope; a family of refugees from Uzbekistan who were burned out of their new, noisy home near LaGuardia airport just as they had adjusted to a new way of life; a frightened young mother and her children escaping an abusive husband in the middle of the night; a frail elderly couple struggling to care for each other because they just barely missed qualifying for Medicaid; a religious family with many children and limited employment opportunities; elderly new immigrants with no place to live; or the once prominent woman who fell on hard times due to divorce and mental illness.
The Change in Jewish Poverty from 1991 to 2002:
Borough |
Number Of People In Poor Jewish Households 1991 |
People In Poor Jewish Households As % Of People In All Jewish Households
1991 |
Number Of People In Poor Jewish Households 2002 |
People In Poor Jewish Households As % Of People In All Jewish Households 2002 |
% Change In Jewish Poverty From 1991 To 2002 |
Bronx |
7,200 |
8% |
10,400 |
19% |
+ 11% |
Brooklyn |
101,200 |
26% |
156,200 |
30% |
+ 4% |
Manhattan |
14,400 |
4% |
12,800 |
4% |
0% |
Queens |
19,000 |
7% |
42,700 |
19% |
+ 12% |
Staten Island |
3,200 |
9% |
3,900 |
8% |
-1% |
NYC TOTAL |
145,000 |
13% |
226,000 |
20% |
+ 7% |
Source: Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty and UJA-Federation of New York's 2004 Report on Jewish Poverty
For most of this population, poverty is no self-afflicted condition. Physical or mental illness, old age, frailty, families in crisis or children born in need require our steadfast advocacy and focus. So what can we do to help?
Our Polices Must Be Based In Our Values And BeliefsMaimonides states that the highest form of tzedakah is to enable someone to become independent on his or her own. This is why our policies and programs must help those who can achieve self-sufficiency do so. If we reach those who can get back on their feet, our energies and long-term efforts can support those too frail or too at-risk to go it alone. We must focus our energies on helping people return to the level that they were at before crisis struck.
Tzedakah and Gimilut ChasadimThe Jewish community is known for giving tzedakah, what many people refer to as charity. When there is a crisis in Israel, the American Jewish community holds fundraisers, sends money, stages rallies and lobbies Congress. American Jewry needs to improve in the area of Gimilut Chasadim —acts of loving-kindness.
It is not enough to simply pull out the checkbook and think we have fulfilled the mitzvah of tzedakah . Particularly when it comes to alleviating poverty, writing a check is not enough to solve the problem, because money alone is not the answer. We also need volunteers to deliver meals to the homebound elderly, to provide career counseling, to prevent at-risk youth from getting into deeper trouble, to help with housing, and to help with countless other initiatives.
The word V'nitnu ????? is translated to mean “and they shall give.” Spelled the same backward and forward in Hebrew, it means that even as you give and help others you shall in turn receive. We must create opportunities and programs for volunteers that give and that allow recipients to give back in a way that restores their dignity.
As Jews We Are No Strangers to Crisis
There is always a child, a family, a Jewish community that needs our help: Israel, Argentina, the former Soviet Union and your next door neighbor. And as Jews we are always up to the task of the new crisis. We will rise to the occasion and meet its challenge; we move easily to the new challenge and the new issue. What we don't do is continue to support the old challenges once they are no longer new. Ameliorating poverty in our own communities takes a daily commitment. Delivering food and visiting a homebound senior are not seasonal activities. Building affordable housing takes years, not months. To fight poverty, an annual mitzvah day or an annual donation and a toy drive are not enough. The commitment needs to be realized every day of every year.
The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty has a coordinated network of comprehensive and effective services and programs. We partner in advocacy with large regional and national organizations such as United Jewish Communities and JCPA, and locally with UJA-Federation of New York, Tomchei Shabbos and Hatzolah. At the same time, we have created a network of 25 grassroots Jewish Community Councils throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Utilizing the administrative, financial and organizing powers of the larger organizations, and the local expertise of the community councils, we are able to effectively reach out to more than one hundred neighborhoods with a comprehensive continuum of programs and services.
Met Council has built a vibrant social service network providing home care to some 3,000 elderly poor each and every day, many of whom are Holocaust survivors. We have built or renovated nearly 1,300 apartments for the elderly and special needs individuals. More than 10,000 families receive Kosher food every single month; 10,000 households received furniture last year; more than 20,000 got clothing; some 900 immigrants from the former Soviet Union were placed in jobs last year; hundreds have found jobs after completing their Employment and Training classes; our crisis intervention team dealt with more than 100,000 cases last year; and our network of 25 local Jewish Community Councils serves as the first line of defense for thousands more in need.
Jewish Social and Human Needs Should Drive the Jewish AgendaOur advocacy and agenda must flow from the needs of our community; the concrete needs of those we serve must come first. We must resolve to do better even at this most challenging time. As the Talmud says, “ Aniyeh Ircha Kodmim —The poor of your town come first.” If we are ever to achieve Shalom , peace with the world, we need to make sure to take care of everyone, while making our own community a priority.
Anywhere you are, alone or a member of a group, you can help in the fight against hunger and poverty. We can all learn from the vision that Joseph had in Egypt when preparing for a famine during the years of plenty. He knew the time was fast approaching that all people would need his help. He took care of his own people, and all others by planning in advance and creating policies to ensure that all people would get what they needed, and no one would go hungry. As he told his brothers when he revealed himself to be their long lost brother, not just the Egyptian viceroy: “It was to preserve life that G-d sent me here before you.” We must all look at ourselves from that vantagepoint and seek to preserve the lives—and quality of life—of those less fortunate than we.
William E. Rapfogel is the Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, which runs social service programs for the needy and serves as the coordinating body for a network of Jewish Community Councils throughout