Though he has worked hard and accomplished much in his 78 years, Arkady struggles just to put food on his table.

Born in 1936 in Kyrgyzstan, Arkady worked as a doctor until he and his family – his wife and two daughters – moved to southern Russia. There he was appointed head of a medical facility, where he worked until his retirement.

Despite his lifetime devotion to his profession, Arkady’s pension is only about $300 a month, which hardly covers his expenses. Arkady now lives alone, and because he suffers from limited mobility and must walk with a cane, he needs assistance with some daily tasks.

Today Arkady relies on regular homecare help and food packages from a local Fellowship-sponsored social services agency. "Thank you so much for the ongoing support,” Arkady says. “Without it I would have struggled to survive on my small pension.”

This help means even more to him with the upcoming High Holy Days – Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. “We are getting ready to welcome Rosh Hashanah and I recently received a special food package with honey and other products I could never afford on my own that will allow me to celebrate. I am immensely grateful to The Fellowship!"

You can help elderly Jewish people in need, like Arkady, who desperately wish to celebrate the Jewish High Holy Days as the Bible commands but lack the funds to do so. On the heels of the war in Israel and with the ongoing unrest in Ukraine, the needs are even greater this year..

When you give to our High Holy Days Campaign, you help ensure that Jews in Israel and the former Soviet Union will receive food boxes or food cards that will alleviate their hunger, help them celebrate these holy days in obedience to Scripture, and remind them they are not alone and not forgotten.