Holocaust Survivors in Boro Park Receive Special Shabbos Meal Packages - Thanks to The Blue Card

Brooklyn, NY— The Boro Park Jewish Community Council in partnership with the Boro Park Y has launched a new project for Holocaust Survivors. The uplifting new initiative is funded by The Blue Card, a national organization providing assistance to Holocaust survivors in need, and provides Holocaust survivors with special monthly Shabbos Meal packages for free. 

Originally launched to encourage and support COVID-19 vaccinations, Holocaust survivors who received the vaccine, were able to sign up for monthly catered meal packages. The program has continued, providing ongoing support for Holocaust survivors through the monthly food packages.

“I am so thankful to be receiving these special food packages,” says Helen Rubin, a Holocaust survivor who receives the packages. “Not only is the Heimishe, delicious food appreciated but the way it’s presented makes it  even more  enjoyable. It is a beautiful and welcome idea.”

“Ensuring the well-being of Holocaust survivors and helping them get back to a feeling of normalcy is The Blue Card’s top priority. This is why The Blue Card is proud to partner with Boro Park Jewish Community Council to provide post-vaccine food assistance and Shabbas meals to Holocaust survivors,” says Masha Pearl, Executive Director of The Blue Card. 

“We created this program to assist Holocaust survivors who went through so much,” says Avi Greenstein, CEO of BPJCC. “We want to thank The Blue Card for the funding for  this project and for the Boro  Park Y for partnering with us in helping Holocaust survivors enjoy Shabbos after the harrowing experiences they survived.”

“Since the program started, I have Holocaust survivors stop me to thank us for the program,” said Ellie Kastel, Executive Director of the Boro Park Y. “I was told by one survivor what a wonderful Shabbos she had with the food we sent. She said it made her feel the true Shabbos spirit and joy. Another survivor told me it had been a long time since she was able to set a Shabbos table with traditional food and the taste she had been used to. It’s comments like these that let us know that we’re doing something right.”

All three organizations have robust Holocaust survivor programs that have helped 1,000’s of survivors throughout Boro Park and beyond and which they continue to do through unique programs like this one.

If you know of a survivor who might benefit from the Shabbos Mevorchim food package program, please call the BPJCC at (718) 972-6600.