The Jeff Pulver Blog: From Jerusalem: Lifeline for the Old (Yad Lakashish):

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December 26, 2005

From Jerusalem: Lifeline for the Old (Yad Lakashish):

Yesterday I met and visited with Nava Ein-Mor who is the Executive Director of Lifeline for the Old, also known as Yad Lakashish.

After visiting Yad Lakashish, I was a bit taken back by the tireless efforts of Nava and all of the volunteers in Jerusalem who give their time and expertise to this organization whose mission is to provide a "Lifeline" for the elderly of Israel. In essence, every day, Nava's team gives a quite number of elderly people a reason to get up in the morning and a place to go and share their artistic talents in a productive and meaningful way. While I was not aware of the work of Yad Lakashish until yesterday, this organization has been servicing the elderly of Israel since 1962.

"Lifeline's philosophy and programs are based on the principles that through work, purposeful recreation and activities of self-help can the elderly and disabled lead a life of meaning and dignity. Founded in 1962, Lifeline is a voluntary community agency in Jerusalem that integrates the needy elderly and disabled, especially recent immigrants, into the mainstream of Israeli society.

Presently, several hundred men and women come to Lifeline daily from all over Jerusalem. They are from varied ethnic and social backgrounds, speaking many languages, and include immigrants from the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia and South America. All the elderly workers receive a small stipend for their work and benefit from a wide-ranging social support network. A unique feature of Lifeline's programs is the unrestricted acceptance of individuals, regardless of their difficulties and problems, and the emphasis on adapting the work environment to the capacities and limitations of each individual. “

In my tour of the workshops I saw quite a number of people working on various products, all of whose projects end up for sale in the Yad Lakashish gift shop. After being around since 1962, I was surprised that this organization hasn’t gotten more recognition from the outside world. I was told that part of this had to do with the fact that they were a “private charity.” I have to believe that the work they are doing reflects a model that can be used as a reference for others to serve the needs of the elderly in other cities around the world. To learn more about the work of Lifeline, you can visit their website.