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PAGE 6 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE August 29, 1986
Professional & Personal Home Health C are
9
• RN S. L PN'S, NA S
• Homemakers
NURSING CENTER • Live-in Companions
373-2858 — Decatur
351-0009 — Brook wood
767-7721 - S. Fulton
Hospital A rea
Elderly Person Aides
Critical Care
I. I' Therapy
Tender Loving Care
TAKE-OUT
CATERING
wsmwmtsmm
BUY ONE DINNER
GET SECOND ONE
PRICE—DINE-IN ONLY
SECOND DINNER
EQUAL OR LESS
EXPIRES 9/30/86
mlt
Banquet Room Available for Parties!
FI LI BAR SERVICE
AVAILABLE
CLOSED Sl’NDAY
998-6868
8363 Roswell Rd . NE (Next to Krogeri
The Royal
Treatment
Banquet room available
for large parties.
Private Party rooms also available.
Reservations on parties of six or more.
"Fast take out service”
AUTHENTIC MANDARIN
AND SZECHUAN
CUISINE
EMPRESS of CM IN A M
4251 North Peachtree Rd., (V 4 mi. inside 1-285, exit 22)
CHAMBLEE 451-1216
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The cutting edge
The new Jewish poor
by Edwin Black
At the turn of the century. New
York’s Jewish ghettos were mo
rasses of poverty. Children begged
in the streets and fought over crusts
of bread. So many impoverished
children populated Jewish districts
that ad hoc Jewish do-gooders
shipped them back to Europe in
cattleships “for their own good."
After both wars, the Jewish chil
dren of poverty continued in the
main to be children of immigrants
and refugees. Lacking in material
needs, they nonetheless flourished.
Growing up in homes that were
humble, but stable, family values
were stressed and the spirit of Jew
ish survival dominated. Because
these children were imbued with
Jewish ideals and family ethics,
most of them overcame their pov
erty and became strong-willed and
highly successful citizens.
But that pattern is changing.
The faces of today’s Jewish child
ren in poverty and near-poverty
come not from a background of
family perseverance but from fam
ily disintegration. The accelerating
Jewish divorce rate, approaching
the national average, is suddenly
impoverishing thousands of Jew
ish women. They and their child
ren are the new poor among the
Jewish people.
The national statistics for soci
ety at large are sobering. Half of all
first marriages end in divorce. Only
14 percent of divorced mothers are
awarded alimony. Of those only
three-fourths actually collect any
portion of their judgment. Child
support numbers are no better.
About half of divorced women are
granted any child support, and
only half of those collect their full
award; the rest collect little or
nothing. In fact, the average annual
child support payment is slightly
more than $2,300. No wonder, the
average divorced woman's stand
ard of living declines 73 percent in
the first year after the decree.
How many Jewish women are
suffering this economic hardship is
not known. Observers estimate the
Jewish statistics are still below the
national figures. But most agree
that Jews are quickly catching up.
The Jewish divorcee “almost always
ends up on the losing edge of a
settlement,” according to Elliot
Rubin, executive vice president of
Jewish Family Services of Metro-
West New Jersey. “Suddenly they
have a radical drop of income,” he
says, “and now they have all the
paraphernalia of middle class liv
ing, but no money to support.
They are not as impoverished as
black poor or Hispanic poor. But
they are the Jewish poor—meaning
$ 10,000 to $ 12,000 annual income.”
“The Jewish poor may not be
poor by societal standards,” ob
serves Bert Goldberg, executive
director of the Association of Jew
ish Family and Children’s Agen
cies. an umbrella group. “But we
must understand, it takes more
money to be a Jew. to keep kosher,
send kids to Jewish day school or
maintain membership in a shul.”
Indeed, whereas immigrant pov
erty called upon Jewish identity
to pull them through, today’s poor
single mother can only make it if
she by-passes involvement in the
Jewish community. A recent sur
vey in Chicago revealed that single
parent households are the most
dependent upon Jewish charitable
services, yet they rank the lowest in
terms of Jewish involvement—that
is, engaging in any Jewish act —
from reading a Jewish magazine to
visiting Israel. Hence, the child
loses Jewish identity and upbring
ing.
Beyond the spiritual loss, today’s
poor or near-poor Jewish child
suffers a variety of personal disad
vantages, from occasional hunger,
to stunted physical or intellectual
development. Each case is special.
In Baltimore, for example. 7-
year-old Nancy Halper’s mother
was abandoned by her husband.
Quickly the mother could not afford
payments on the house. Public aid
would cover a new, cheaper apart
ment, but checks would not com
mence for several months. Balti
more’s JFCS helped the family buy
food and furniture until county
payments arrived. But welfare
hardly covers the cost of living.
“One week last winter,” recalls a
social worker familiar with the
case, “the mother had to choose
between buying Nancy extra win
ter clothing, or providing decent
dinners. She chose the clothing."
Jewish communities are just be
ginning to take notice of the poor
and near-poor among us. “Some
communities ignore people at or
near the poverty level,” explains
Bert Goldberg of the Association
of Jewish Family and Children’s
Agencies, “because it doesn’t fit
their economic stereotype of Jews.
Unfortunately, that same stereo
type exists in the minds of the
impoverished Jewish families them
selves. They automatically presume
that being at the poverty level, they
can’t participate in Jewish life. They
don’t realize that frequently there
are sliding scales at the Jewish
Continued next page.
1 The Jewish poor may not be poor by societal
1 standards, but we must understand, it takes
more money to be a Jew, to keep kosher, send
kids to Jewish day school or maintain
membership in a shul. ■
Bert Goldberg
ZUBIN MEHTA
MUSIC DIRECTOR AMD COMDUCTOR
CL AG DIO ARRAG
SPECIAL GUEST SOLOIST —
SPONSORED BY
DAYS INN
ABTIBTB
PRESENTS
An Atlanta Landmarks Concert
The Fabulous Fox
September 3, 8 PM
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Available at The Fox Box Office and all SEATs Outlets including Turtles Records
All seats are reserved; $30.25, $3035. $25.25, $15.25 (includes 25 :
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Order Today QQ-f 4077
Charge By Phone OO 1“ I f l
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includes select seal location and reception To order call 262-5006
We are happy to announce that Randy
Dodd has joined our staff. So for the latest
hairstyle for the entire family call Randy for
an appointment. You’ll be happy you did.
Ansley Square W # *>% 1
1510 J. Piedmont Ave., NT. O#0 H 0ww“