Projects

Loneliness Projects

loneliness logo

In contrast to other people who in general are surrounded by family and friends, Holocaust survivors, by definition, are less fortunate. In many instances most of their families and friends did not survive the Shoah. The ability to rebuild their lives, to form new friendships was often limited. 

As these survivors age, there are fewer people around and loneliness sets in; the absence of a reason to get up in the morning, the difficulty in getting through the day, the lonely evenings, the empty weekends, and the solitary holidays. Depression descends and the will to live becomes weaker. Helping these people is one of Nini Czopp Association’s primary concerns. Together with the client’s social worker,  the Association develops a tailor-made plan to strengthen social contacts, pick up old hobbies and to seek new activities, even exploring the possibility of volunteering. In short, a program that includes a daily schedule that is established with the purpose of providing meaning and content to the life of the survivor. 

Relieving Loneliness

A new project has been launched for our clients in the north of Israel and for those who have been evacuated and still have not returned home,  spread out over a large geographical area. 

As a result of the war, they were confined to their houses, felt alone and often lonely. Because of security reasons our social workers have only very sporadically been able to visit these clients after  October 2023 and during the recent months not at all. 
In order to improve their situation a group of 13 Holocaust survivors has been formed, who together with their social worker, will meet at a private home 4 times a year. The purpose is to relieve these elderly of their loneliness, allow them to renew social contacts and initiate new ones. Suitable special and individual transportation is provided as is catering for the day.

We are very grateful to the “Christen an der Seite Israels” in Austria for fully sponsoring this new project.

Dementia among
Holocaust survivors

dementia logo

Holocaust survivors have learned, to the best of their ability, to deal with their traumatic experiences. But as they age and their physical and mental abilities are impaired, they have fewer emotional reserves to cope with the changes they experience.

One of the most difficult problems for them is having to deal with cognitive decline.  Some, upon reaching a point when they can no longer distinguish between present and past, they believe themselves to be back in the Shoah. They often relive their fears –  the dread in hiding, the horror of the camps, the fear of hunger and of cold. 

The Nini Czopp Association has spent a great deal of time and effort to create programs that alleviate the condition of the Holocaust survivors suffering from cognitive decline. From the moment of diagnosis, we provide them with advice, guidance, and professional care, as well as counseling provided to their families and caregivers. 

Supporting Family and Caregivers

caregiver logo

As people age, they may need diverse types of help. They may require supervision, or mere assurance that they can rely on somebody in case a problem arises.

This of course holds for everybody but when it comes to Holocaust survivors additional issues are involved. Because of their traumatic past, survivors are less able to cope with the challenges of aging. They are easily scared, feel helpless, and demand greater attention. And there are fewer family members on which to rely.

Spouses, children, and even grandchildren are asked to deal with all kinds of situations. Sometimes, these demands are daunting, are more than they can handle and there is a need for a professional caregiver.

The task at hand is not an easy one, and support is needed to make sure no additional difficulties arise. Nini Czopp provides assistance by supplying information about financial rights and on the prevention of physical and emotional exhaustion.

Elderly spouses of
Holocaust survivors

People who have been married to Holocaust survivors but have not themselves experienced the Shoah have had to cope with a variety of problems in their marriage. Their partner was always the identified patient, the one who had suffered most, the one who needed more attention. And they themselves often only came second. The relationships were often strained, lacking mutual understanding. 

The project focuses on the problems of these spouses, giving them center stage. They are now facing the difficulties of old age and we try to provide all the help and support they need: from practical solutions for daily problems to a listening ear.

Evacuated Holocaust Survivors

As a direct result of the enduring war that started on October 7th 2023, Nini Czopp has been dealing with the unexpected challenges that the Holocaust survivors, who were evacuated,  are facing.

These are the people who, as a result of the war, had to be evacuated from their homes in the north and in the south of Israel. This strongly impacted their physical well-being, but even more so their mental health. Having survived the horrendous Second World War, which in most cases included being displaced several times, this latest forced move opened old wounds. It has led to emotional hardship and the total upheaval of the survivor’s lives.

The task of Nini Czopp was to find them suitable housing and resettle them in government-sponsored hotels, old age homes or to relocate them to any other suitable alternative homes. Moreover, they needed and still need assistance in dealing with many of the war-related bureaucratic issues.

All of this in addition to answering the psychological needs, caused by another traumatic war and this time at a vulnerable advanced age.

These unexpected and thus non-budgeted endeavors by our social workers have seriously strained our budget.

We are therefore highly appreciative and grateful to the Bada Foundation of the Netherlands for financing this special project.

Activity Kits

The war that started on October 7th 2023 and has not come to an end yet as of July 2024, is a challenge for everyone. But it is especially hard for those Holocaust survivors who were evacuated and have been living in government sponsored hotels or were put up in old age homes. Uprooted from their familiar environment, away from what is known, without the routine of daily life and without their social contacts, they are as a result emotionally not in a good place.

But the group, about 200 people, that suffers most, are those survivors that are home-bound; either because they are afraid to leave their home or because their physical condition is such that they are not able to move outside their home. They are down, depressed, feel lonely or have difficulty getting through the days.

Especially for these people our occupational therapist has developed an activity kit that activates them and gives some content in their lives.

This project was realized thanks to the generous donation of the David and Fela Shapell Foundation of Los Angeles.