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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 ^Sagg5aS2S2S2SaaSZS25?gS?l5Z52SiS2S252S2gS2S2SZS2525ZSZ5aSZ5ZS2S2SZSt52S2S2SZSaii? 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 : Fox Restoration Fee). Discounts available to groups of 25 or more Order Today QQ-f 4077 Charge By Phone OO 1“ I f l S125 special tickets available to benefit the Orchestra s Endowment Fund 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“