We found that the areas where we could improve most were with our immigrant Survivors. Many of our Survivors have immigrated to Israel within recent years, and of our roughly 40 Survivors who regularly visit the Holocaust Survivor Day Center, 20 are new Russian immigrants.

Over the years, our Holocaust Survivors have had a difficult time making the cultural transition of being “Israeli.” It’s not for lack of trying; adjusting to a new language, culture, and country at an old age is incredibly challenging. In addition to the adjustment hurdles, many of our Survivors miss their previous countries’ various culinary and cultural luxuries.

In typical Meir Panim fashion, we quickly got to work to go above and beyond for our Survivors. Many of our participants have had trouble with reading and understanding Hebrew. To that end, we established Hebrew language classes for our survivors. It is incredibly inspiring to see these Survivors progressing in their Hebrew language skills.

To meet the needs and requests of our Russian immigrant Survivors, we hired a Russian professional to help prepare meals and build social activities for our participants. Our participants were delighted to taste familiar foods and enjoy the cultural experiences of their history.

Through our various initiatives centered around supporting those in need, we are constantly working to give our local clientele the most dignified service possible. Whether it be someone in need of a warm meal or a Holocaust survivor in need of extra care, we are always there to ensure that those in need are cared for.