(Sacramento, CA) – The Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California (JPAC) is pleased to announce the award of $3.6 million in grants from the California Department of Social Services to six Jewish Family Service agencies. The grants will provide badly needed support for elderly Holocaust survivors who are struggling to live out their days in dignity.

The grants were awarded to Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco, Jewish Family Service of San Diego, Jewish Family and Community Services of the East Bay, Jewish Federation and Family Services of Orange County, and Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley. The monies will ensure that Holocaust survivors are able to live in dignity in their communities and will prevent the very conditions survivors should never have to face again – eviction, hunger, inadequate medical care, loneliness, social isolation, and despair.

Expressing gratitude for the grants, JPAC Board Chair Cece Feiler, said: “Holocaust survivors faced death so many times without dignity. We as a state are giving them the dignity they deserve in their final days. We live in a great state that prioritizes humanity. I am grateful to the Governor, the leadership of the Legislative Jewish Caucus, and Assemblymember Richard Bloom for this achievement.”

Julie Zeisler, JPAC’s Executive Director, thanked “The California Department of Social Services for working closely with JPAC to ensure that the money went out in an expeditious manner to impact the lives of the thousands of Holocaust survivors in California for the better.”

JPAC is the largest single-state coalition of Jewish organizations in the nation. It represents Jewish communities and nonprofit organizations throughout California including Jewish Federations, Jewish Community Relations Councils, Jewish Family Service agencies, and other Jewish community-based and advocacy organizations. JPAC advocates on behalf of the interests of both the Jewish community and the broader community in California.