For many Holocaust survivors, the challenges of aging can be compounded by loneliness and social isolation. Through Connect2, a unique volunteer-driven initiative, the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island (JCCGCI) is helping ensure that survivors remain connected, supported, and valued members of the community.

Connect2 provides volunteer-based visiting services for Holocaust survivors, creating meaningful relationships that offer companionship, emotional support, and a vital connection to the outside world. Through regular visits, phone calls, virtual connections, and community engagement opportunities, volunteers help survivors combat isolation while enriching their daily lives.

At the heart of the program is a simple yet powerful mission: fostering genuine human connection. Connect2 carefully matches volunteers with survivors, creating friendships that often span years. These relationships provide survivors with opportunities to share their stories, experiences, wisdom, and memories while building lasting bonds with caring community members.

The program is designed to meet survivors where they are most comfortable. Whether through home visits, outdoor visits, friendly phone calls, meal or package deliveries, virtual socialization programs, or participation in educational and community events, Connect2 offers flexible opportunities for connection tailored to each survivor’s needs and preferences.

Beyond reducing loneliness, Connect2 helps strengthen intergenerational understanding and preserve Holocaust memory. Survivors serve as invaluable teachers, sharing firsthand accounts of history while inspiring volunteers with their resilience, courage, and perseverance. These interactions create meaningful learning experiences that benefit both survivors and volunteers alike.

For many participants, the relationships formed through Connect2 become a source of comfort, companionship, and support. The program provides survivors with a trusted connection to the community and reassurance that they are not alone. At the same time, volunteers gain the privilege of learning from individuals whose lives represent extraordinary strength in the face of adversity.

JCCGCI extends its sincere gratitude to Elisheva Lock, MPA, LCSW, Director and Educational Coordinator of Connect2 for Holocaust Survivors, whose leadership, compassion, and dedication have helped make the program such a meaningful resource for survivors and volunteers alike. Through her guidance, and the assistance of Sarah Lieberman, Connect2 continues to foster relationships that enrich lives, strengthen communities, and ensure that Holocaust survivors remain connected, supported, and celebrated.

As one of the largest providers of Holocaust Survivor services in the world, JCCGCI is proud to offer programs like Connect2 that address not only practical needs, but also the emotional well-being and social connectedness of those we serve. By bringing people together through friendship, compassion, and shared experiences, Connect2 demonstrates the profound impact that one meaningful connection can have on a person’s life.

To learn more about Connect2 or volunteer with the program, visit Connect2 and discover how you can help make a difference in the life of a Holocaust survivor.

👉 Want to get involved with JCCGCI? Visit https://www.jccgci.org/programs/partner-with-us/

ABOUT JCCGCI

Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island (JCCGCI) is a community-based organization with a citywide scope, providing a wide-spectrum of senior citizen, career, educational, crime-reduction, mental health, community revitalization and related services benefiting all segments of the population. JCCGCI is also a technical assistance provider, offering capacity building services to nonprofits in all five boroughs through its NonProfit HelpDesk division (www.nphd.org). With 40 program sites throughout New York City staffed by almost 400 social service professionals, JCCGCI assists an average of upwards of 2,500 needy individuals and families each day.

JCCGCI’s Holocaust Survivor Support Services is one of the largest in the world, providing critical assistance to over 4,000 Holocaust Survivors annually. Services include Homecare, Transportation, Case Management, Friendly Visiting, Medicaid Appeals, Socialization, and Home Delivered Meals.