Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., February 18, 2009 Shvat 24, 5769 | | Israel Time: 12:10 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Joy of Giving Travel Week's End Anglo File
Volunteers at the Uptown Cafe (Jewish Agency / Washington, D.C.)
Last update - 00:00 16/11/2007
Study claims Jewish poverty rate in the U.S. is higher than in Israel
By Ruth Sinai, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: poverty, Israel, Jews 

Every day at 6 P.M. 72 Jews come to the Ezra Center in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. They come to eat dinner. Although the meal is provided by a respectable caterer and served in a place called Uptown Cafe, this is unmistakably a soup kitchen.

Many of the diners are elderly immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Others are homeless people living in the Jewish community center's basement, released prisoners, illegal aliens, including Israelis, and the poor.

"We found abysmal poverty," says Anita Weinstein, founder and director of the Ezra Center, which provides social services to some 4,000 needy Chicago Jews living in the area. The Ezra Multi-Service Center (MSC) is a collaborative project of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF) and is administered by the Jewish Community Centers of Chicago (JCC). It was founded 23 years ago for distressed middle-class Jews who lost their jobs in the recession.
Advertisement
"We asked ourselves, if this could happen to middle-class Jews, what was happening to other people?" says Weinstein.

In addition to some 7,000 middle-class Jews who needed help, some 3,000 Jews were receiving welfare. "We discovered an entire community of poor Jews of all ages who have been living here for a very long time," she says.

Today many of the needy are elderly, including Holocaust survivors, large ultra-Orthodox families and minimum-wage earners. "It's harder to be poor today," says Weinstein.

One of the main problems is shelter. Some Jews live in cars. The disability stipend is $623 a month. Rent, even for a modest room, is at least half of that. The federation provides homes for some 800 homeless people, about half of them Jews, in five buildings it rents in Uptown. About a third of them have jobs.

Steven Nasatir, JUF / Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago president, says one of every five Jews among Chicago's 270,000 Jews is poor or almost poor according to the federal government's definition. He says there are no figures for the general poverty rate among Jews in the United States, but according to the federations' umbrella organization, the UJC, 15 to 20 percent of American Jews are poor.

In fact, the Jewish poverty rate in the United States is higher than that in Israel. In Israel 24 percent of the population is considered poor, but about half is not Jewish.

New York also has a high rate of Jewish poverty. "Usually the words 'Jewish poverty" are seen as a contradiction in terms, says William Rapfogel, CEO of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty. "It's not. More than a quarter of the members of the world's richest Jewish community live close to the poverty line."

A survey conducted for the federation five years ago showed that 350,000 Jews in New York City and state live close to the poverty line. The highest poverty rate is in Brooklyn. Ultra-Orthodox families make up 27 percent of those living below the poverty line, 23 percent are Russian speakers under the age of 65, 21 percent are Russian speakers over 65, 13 percent are non-Russian speakers over 65 and 16 percent are unemployed or handicapped.

The poverty line for a family of three is set at an annual income of $15,000 but in New York and other large cities it is adjusted to the higher cost of living and set at $22,530.

For every 100 housing units the community builds for the poor, mainly with state funding, there is a waiting list of 6,000, Rapfogel says. The apartments are raffled among the eligible recipients.

More Jewish World news and features
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
Calm before the storm
Obama officials meet U.S. Jews to explain their Durban II policy.
Apple of their eye
Israel resumes its annual shipment of Golan apples to Syria.
  1.   and so? 06:13  |  Dee 16/11/07
  2.   Of course, their leaders send all their money to Israel 07:13  |  peacelover 16/11/07
  3.   Kind of meaningless 08:35  |  Colin Wright 16/11/07
  4.   To #1: Don`t you get it? 08:36  |  HH 16/11/07
  5.   people are people 08:45  |  democrat 16/11/07
  6.   Zionist Media Lies 08:46  |  Mearshimer & Walt 16/11/07
  7.   Poor Russian Jews 08:57  |  Itzik Fefer 16/11/07
  8.   The Center Of The Jewish World Is In Israel 09:07  |  Yishai Kohen 16/11/07
  9.   Why don`t they go to the Jewish state? 09:21  |  keith 16/11/07
  10.   Rich Greedy Selfish Jews 09:24  |  keith 16/11/07
  11.   Keith- American Jewish taxpayers do more than their share 09:33  |  Dani 16/11/07
  12.   big lie :) 09:55  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 16/11/07
  13.   #11 Say Ben Jabo, where are you? 10:10  |  ballistic 16/11/07
  14.   Jewish poverty rate higher in Us then Israel 11:25  |  Carolyn 16/11/07
  15.   Of course, American Jewish money goes to Hill Tops Jews 13:53  |  El-Birawi 16/11/07
  16.   and still they wont consider going to Israel 15:04  |  Doris Keating 16/11/07
  17.   13 say Ballistic your ilk fills up the poverty and welfare rolls 15:07  |  The Equalizer 16/11/07
  18.   Colin 15:18  |  What 16/11/07
  19.   Usual skewing of facts 15:25  |  Mikesailor 16/11/07
  20.   Half-Jews Didn`t Count for a Hill of Starbucks 15:44  |  Dave Levy 16/11/07
  21.   Who Cares = USA Jewish Poverty is of NO IMPORTANCE!!!!!!!!!!! 15:59  |  POP 16/11/07
  22.   poverty? 16:08  |  marbpl 16/11/07
  23.   What a weird article.... 16:31  |  Tess 16/11/07
  24.   I won`t expect 16:33  |  Chris Linthwaite 16/11/07
  25.   Jewish Poverty in US 16:46  |  Ramachandran Nair 16/11/07
  26.   It`s the stereotype, stupid! 16:47  |  D.R. Zukerman 16/11/07
  27.   #12 Im pissing myself ;-) 16:57  |  Leor 16/11/07
  28.   Poor Jews 17:01  |  A-hole Yoni 16/11/07
  29.   poor of america 17:11  |  yaweh 16/11/07
  30.   What is needed 17:12  |  Danite 16/11/07
  31.   ayran lovers programe 17:13  |  yaweh 16/11/07
  32.   welfareless jews 17:15  |  yaweh 16/11/07
  33.   FBI surveilance service 17:19  |  j edgar hoover 16/11/07
  34.   Jewish poverty - and the reverse 17:40  |  Palestinian Brit 16/11/07
  35.   fabricated information 17:41  |  Chicago Jew 16/11/07
  36.   Atill Karagozoglu 18:25  |  Boris S. 16/11/07
  37.   To Carolyn 18:26  |  Boris S. 16/11/07
  38.   #15 El-Birawi Global Jihad`s WICKED LIE of Occupation 18:32  |  Linda Rivera 16/11/07
  39.   And I thought all US Jews were rich and ruled America 18:34  |  Dakkar 16/11/07
  40.   #15 El-Birawi - Before 1948 JEWS were Known as the Palestinians 18:35  |  Linda Rivera 16/11/07
  41.   34 million Americans live in poverty 18:36  |  Marilyn 16/11/07
  42.   If this could happen to Jews what could happen to others? 18:42  |  HuH?! 16/11/07
  43.   #15 El-Birawi.Torah: YOU SHALL NOT MURDER. Islam`s War On G-D 18:43  |  Linda Rivera 16/11/07
  44.   To US Jews, the issue is Jewish poverty in US 19:26  |  El-Birawi 16/11/07
  45.   Jewish poverty rate in Israel is 16% and is higher than in the US 20:23  |  Marik from the US 16/11/07
  46.   # linda rivera 21:10  |  Axel 16/11/07
  47.   You hear that, American Jews? Come home! 21:15  |  Chaim 16/11/07
  48.   Can we somehow get Germany to pay for this? 23:03  |  Shlomo 16/11/07
  49.   Absurd but not surprising. 23:08  |  Arik 16/11/07
  50.   #46 Special UN Decree-Arabs Refugees After ONLY 2 Years in Palest 00:48  |  Linda Rivera 17/11/07
  51.   #46 PLO Leader:Palestinian PEOPLE Does NOT Exist - March 31 1977 00:53  |  Linda Rivera 17/11/07
  52.   One Million JEWISH Refugees Violently Ethnically Cleansed from Ar 00:57  |  Linda Rivera 17/11/07
  53.   Muslims already Have an Arab Palestinian State 80% of Jewish Pale 01:00  |  Linda Rivera 17/11/07
  54.   comparable poverty 01:02  |  rich 17/11/07
  55.   Amazing what draws out the Haters! 01:19  |  Scharker Yid 17/11/07
  56.   Jewish American Poverty 02:06  |  Tilford Bartman 17/11/07
  57.   time to spend more resources in N.A. too, although many Jewish 02:22  |  Smadar 17/11/07
  58.   WE ALL NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB HERE 04:01  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 17/11/07
  59.   So what? 04:04  |  Mark Lincoln 17/11/07
  60.   Ultra-Orthodox Jews may be Ascetic, Others... 05:40  |  Efox 17/11/07
  61.   re: Axel 05:42  |  Efox 17/11/07
  62.   Wacko Primo! 06:27  |  Double Click 17/11/07
  63.   To get worse! Your fault too. 06:45  |  Omran 17/11/07
  64.   poverty in chicago 06:51  |  ploni 17/11/07
  65.   #14 Carolyn, I agree. Chicago Jews generally well off 06:52  |  Chana 17/11/07
  66.   There are 11 Askanazi Jewish genetic deseases 06:58  |  Omran 17/11/07
  67.   chicago jew....I agree. 07:01  |  maria 17/11/07
  68.   mark Lincoln 07:17  |  Danite 17/11/07
  69.   Comparing apples to apples 09:48  |  Javier 17/11/07
  70.   Only Jews were Palestinians before 1967? No 15 12:31  |  Palestinian Brit 17/11/07
  71.   #7: In other words 12:51  |  Bottom Line 17/11/07
  72.   25# Being fair 14:08  |  Teacher 17/11/07
  73.   Poor Russian my ass IT"S BUSH"S WAR FOOL! 14:31  |  Petra 17/11/07
  74.   DANI thank you!! truth, and shalom 14:48  |  Petra 17/11/07
  75.   Less corruption in Israel, more empathy with the Poor 14:48  |  Benlolo 17/11/07
  76.   Ultra Orthodox & Hasids not working 15:29  |  DrSteveb 17/11/07
  77.   #6 Mearshimer & Walt: YOU ARE CORRECT 15:45  |  Christian Crusader 17/11/07
  78.   #48 Hey Shlomo 16:22  |  ballistic 17/11/07
  79.   #17 Say Equalizer 16:25  |  ballistic 17/11/07
  80.   This says something about the state... 17:18  |  Ofer 17/11/07
  81.   # 50 linda rivera 18:05  |  Axel 17/11/07
  82.   # 61 efox 18:06  |  Axel 17/11/07
  83.   82 YES GERMANS MUCH SMARTER THEN AMERICANS 18:30  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 17/11/07
  84.   Ultra-Orthodox 18:37  |  Yosef 17/11/07
  85.   insights 23:44  |  from the 17/11/07
  86.   #15 00:28  |  Moshe 18/11/07
  87.   #83 Jon Feigenbaum 00:54  |  ballistic 18/11/07
  88.   # 83 feigenbaum 00:56  |  Axel 18/11/07
  89.   THE great lie of the antisemites ALL Jews are rich. 01:16  |  PETER S.M. 18/11/07
  90.   I have NOTHING but Admiration for Modern Germany 02:15  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 18/11/07
  91.   Axel, a follow up 02:20  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 18/11/07
  92.   Axel RE;Merkel, your opinion 02:34  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 18/11/07
  93.   Poverty 14:42  |  Bob 06/12/07
  94.   Jewish Poverty Rate` 19:38  |  Nancy Leah Dudwick 10/12/07
  95.   American Jewish Poverty 04:37  |  Charlie 21/12/07
  96.   Poverty in US is this a new phenomenon 08:27  |  Andrew 31/03/08
  97.   Poor Jews Are Invisible To Jew and Non-Jew 07:30  |  Jacqueline S. Homan 28/04/08
  98.   I am a poor jew, a victim of circumstance for sure 14:22  |  Susan 05/02/09
 Haaretz Hot Topics
Israel 2009 election results: Voter breakdown
Israel goes to the polls
Conflict in Gaza
Israel vs. Hamas
Iran: Nuclear and regional ambitions
More Headlines
10:56 Cabinet meets on Shalit deal and Gaza truce
08:59 Which will come first - Gaza truce or Shalit deal?
09:45 IDF bombs seven Gaza tunnels, Hamas post; Qassam hits Negev
09:01 Peres to consult parties on prime minister pick
10:10 Ex-envoy: Netanyahu-Lieberman is 'bad combination' for U.S.
08:42 Layoffs hit record high as 20,000 Israelis lose jobs in January
10:18 Syria reportedly stepping up production of chemical weapons
09:56 Manila arrests Islamist over plot to attack Israeli, U.S. embassies
08:12 Israeli chemist arrested for selling cyanide to Palestinians
23:00 IDF: Hamas seized unexploded ordnance fired during Gaza op
23:45 Assad: Gaza offensive won't derail our peace talks with Israel
01:33 Key U.S. Jewish groups praise Obama's economic stimulus plan
05:45 Three dual-citizen MKs ordered to annul their foreign passports
06:04 Export of Golan apples to Syria: 'Doing business with an enemy state'
Previous Editions
Special Offers
Advertisement
Spring Specials-Dan Hotels
Jerusalem from 179$. Tel-Aviv from 223$. Herzliya from 336$
Dead Sea Skin Care
Quality cosmetics from the Dead Sea. Coupon code HAARETZ for 12% off!
Summer in Israel
Israeli style - Tzofim Chetz V'Keshet 2009
Passover Vacations
The BEST Passover Vacations around ? Mexico, Arizona and Florida
Camp Kimama Israel 2009
The best place for your children this summer
Eldan Rent a Car
Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations
Jewish Singles Personal Ads
Find the love of your life on JDate.com
Junkyard
Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | | Israel 2009 election results
Site rules | Makom: Engaging on Israel | Search engine marketing
Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved