Supporting Those on the Edge of Vulnerability: ‘No One Left in the Rain’

By ROSELLE UNGAR

There were many things on my mind the morning of Sunday, April 6, but at the top of the list was the delivery of kosher meals from Kosher Cajun (New York Delicatessen and Grocery).

Volunteers form the annual Bruce Levy Memorial JFS Passover Food Basket Program. (Courtesy Roselle Ungar)

My main concern was getting the food inside before the heavens opened and drenched us all. Twenty-five wonderful staff and volunteers met me at the Goldring-Woldenberg Jewish Community Center to load boxes of food and hospitality bags into their cars.

From Metairie, these kind-hearted volunteers would deliver the parcels to recipients of the 2025 Bruce Levy Memorial JFS Passover Food Basket Program. This nearly 40-year-old tradition, a program of Jewish Family Service (JFS) of Greater New Orleans, ensures that Jews in the Greater New Orleans area have access to the food and ritual items necessary for a meaningful Passover seder.

In Judaism, celebrating Passover (or Pesach) is not just a rich tradition—it is an obligation.

However, for some in our community, the preparations for the seder, including obtaining the necessary food and ritual items, can be a barrier. This is especially true for those who struggle financially, have mobility challenges, or are dealing with mental health diagnoses.

Passover is a time that binds Jews together, an expression of our shared identity, and no Jew should ever feel excluded from the seder table.

A new study from Tulane University and Rosov Consulting – “On the Edge: Voices of Economic Vulnerability in U.S. Jewish Communities” –  reveals many American Jews face not only exclusion from the seder table but also from the community at large.

The findings of this study may surprise some, but to those of us working at Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans, they merely confirm what we witness every day: members of our community are struggling. People come to our door burdened with debt, mental health challenges, housing insecurity, health issues, and more.

A common thread in their stories is isolation—not just from society but from our own community. Economic vulnerability can be invisible, but it is closer than we realize. It’s our responsibility as a community to reduce stigma and extend a helping hand. No group within the Jewish community is immune to economic vulnerability. This issue transcends age, denomination, and identity—and it’s happening right here in New Orleans. Nearly half of JFS’s Jewish case management clients are low-income seniors, and over 15% are households with children.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, JFS can support members of our community when they are at their most vulnerable, helping them regain stability and self-sufficiency. While the majority of JFS programs serve the entire Greater New Orleans area, some are dedicated specifically to the Jewish community, such as the Passover food baskets, the Adele K. Cahn Catch-a-Cab Program, Bikur Chaverim, and our Financial Resource Center. Our Financial Resource Center, Case Management, and Affordable Counseling programs form the backbone of our efforts to keep vulnerable individuals off the edge and firmly supported by their community.

You can join us in this important work by volunteering, donating, and spreading the word. We all share the responsibility of ensuring that no one in our community feels isolated or left out—especially when it’s pouring rain.

Roselle M. Ungar is the executive director of Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans.