JDC-ESHEL is the Association for the Planning and Development of Services for the Aged, which has transformed the quality of life available to Israel’s seniors since its inception in 1969.

JDC-ESHEL strives to improve the status of the elderly population in Israel, developing conditions and services to guarantee better quality of life for the elderly, and to improve the image of older people to society as a whole. Programs include daycare centers, employment programs, volunteer programs, health promotion programs, projects for the Ethiopian elderly, housing and supportive communities, programs for Holocaust survivors, publications and videos, and the Audiovisual Center for the Elderly.

Through JDC-ESHEL, Fellows will be volunteering with Idan, a partner association providing community-based services for the elderly in Jerusalem. Idan runs four homes for the elderly in Jerusalem, providing 850 people with a safe home and a community. Some of these homes also function as daycare center, where elderly people still living at home come for the day and receive services such as food, medical attention, educational program, sporting activities, and more.

The elderly residents staying at Idan were mostly born in the 1920’s-1930’s, many of whom are Holocaust survivors. These residents have rich life stories, some of whom fled from Muslim countries, faced anti-Jewish persecution and or have lived under oppressive communist regimes for decades.

All of this history and all of these memories will soon disappear with the passing of this generation. Now is the time to capture their stories, before it is too late. Through one-on-one interviews, Fellows will assist residents at Idan with writing these life stories. Fellows will also have the opportunity to facilitate other activities including sports and music.