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Many Holocaust Survivors Live in Poverty Today

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, thinking of—and helping—survivors in need

by
Stephanie Butnick
January 27, 2015
Hyman Steinmetz, 88, of Kensington, Brooklyn. (Jason Florio)
Hyman Steinmetz, 88, of Kensington, Brooklyn. (Jason Florio)

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day of solemn ceremonies with heads of state memorializing the six million Jews systematically murdered by the Nazis as well as remembrances of victims and celebrations of survivors across the world and online (many using the Twitter hashtag #IRememberBy). But many Holocaust survivors have been painfully overlooked in recent years. Last year on this day we published “Soon There Will Be No More Survivors,” a searing portrait of nine Holocaust survivors living in poverty in New York City.

The statistics were staggering: one in four of the 140,000 Holocaust survivors in the United States are living at or below the poverty line. In response to the piece, many readers wrote in asking how they could help, so we compiled a list of some of the organizations helping Holocaust survivors in New York. What better day than today, Holocaust Remembrance Day, to make sure we don’t forget the Holocaust survivors currently in need.

Know of other organizations helping Holocaust survivors in New York or across the country? Share them in the comments and we’ll add them to the list.

Stephanie Butnick is chief strategy officer of Tablet Magazine, co-founder of Tablet Studios, and a host of the Unorthodox podcast.