ECJC – European Council of Jewish Communities

A new reality appears in many communities including job losses due to redundancy and closure of businesses which has created a new layer among our communities which has lost some of their previous comfort. How to deal with this reality? What support can we offer?

With presentations by Debbie Sheldon, CEO from Work Avenue, UK and Uriel Perugia, General Secretary from the Union of Italian Jewish Communities – UCEI

Work Avenue, is the UK’s leading charity helping people with essential lifelong skills to support themselves and their families through helping people in to work and building sustainable businesses. In 2019, Work Avenue helped 1911 employment clients and 875 entrepreneurs with their business. Specifically during COVID-19 Work Avenue is supporting clients through an uncertain employment landscape and helping them retrain and navigate their job search during this uncertain time. The business support team have been helping entrepreneurs diversify and pivot their businesses, meeting current market demands.
Work Avenue has been keeping extremely active to provide services during these difficult times and has been part of a conglomerate of funding bodies to support the British Jewish Community.

UCEI, the Union of Italian Jewish Communities has been dealing with the impact of COVID in the different communities all over Italy. From cities such as Rome, Milan and Venice where job losses devastated a whole sector of the community dealing with tourism to smaller communities spread all over the country.
Now, on the way out from the pandemic, Uriel will update us on their strategy for getting back on their feet and the new realities which they are finding in the different sectors.

How we, providers of Jewish Welfare services could be better prepared to provide services to a new group demanding support which before the crisis was self supporting?

Which other cases would be generated by this situation?