Strengthening Communities Facing Historic Challenges and Rising Antisemitism

In the past year, Argov and her team have partnered with community professionals in six countries — Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, and Turkey — to boost their professional capacity through in-person and online resilience-building sessions. In addition, more than 80 participants from 19 countries came together for a welfare conference in Rome, organized in partnership with the European Council of Jewish Communities. A subset of these Jewish professionals convened again for a follow-up optimal aging workshop in partnership with ESHEL, the JDC-Israel division focused on the elderly.

In Greece, JDC helped the Athens Jewish community’s welfare department create a database that enables social workers to better track cases, and with our assistance, they strengthened their connections with the local Jewish school, creating a framework to more easily identify at-risk children and families.

As part of the initiative, a community social worker visits the school twice a week to consult with educational staff, which in 2024 alone helped 60 vulnerable students get quicker access to assistance.

“Our collaboration with JDC has been key to our achievements, providing guidance, training, and professional support,” said Elsa Pougkakioti, supervisor of the community’s social services department. “We no longer settle for quick fixes but ask … what’s the real challenge here? What’s most important is to continue to listen to the needs and use what we learn to adapt our actions.”

In a post-October 7 context, the needs of Israelis living in Europe have also become increasingly visible, prompting JDC to organize a first-of-its-kind forum in Berlin for representatives of 11 partner communities across the continent. Participants mapped needs, brainstormed ideas for engaging with and welcoming this population, and engaged in critical networking and knowledge-sharing.

“Meeting other people who are doing the same thing gives you a sort of vitamin boost,” said Zhira Beck, a volunteer with the Norwegian Jewish community. “It’s an inspiration to keep working.”

For JDC, the chance to learn from the lived experiences of Jewish communities and work with them to chart an uncertain but nevertheless optimistic new course is a profound and precious opportunity, said Julia Dandolova, the organization’s director of community engagement and programming for Europe, Africa, and Asia.

In response to emerging needs, we’re also deepening our engagement with Jewish communities in Western Europe, which are navigating significant turmoil and increased fear. With lay leaders and psychosocial service agencies raising red flags about new vulnerabilities, there’s a renewed recognition of JDC’s role as a trusted partner with global expertise.

JDC is currently piloting interventions in France, Germany, and the Netherlands centered on security, mental health support in schools, and assistance to vulnerable populations like the elderly and at-risk families. In addition, we’re monitoring the needs of all European Jewish communities — and in some cases, providing support or inviting them to join pan-European networks.

“We bring proven expertise in crisis response, along with a powerful network of partners, to help communities not only weather this storm, but turn it into a moment of healing, building, and long-term resilience,” said Stefan Oscar, JDC’s executive director for Europe, Africa, and Asia programs.

We are also addressing new challenges within our flagship legacy programs like Szarvas, the JDC-Lauder international Jewish summer camp in rural Hungary, which hosted 1,400 children from more than 25 countries during summer 2025.