When Eva Khaitman was four years old, she first learned the meaning of true hunger. Khaitman was fleeing Nazi-occupied Ukraine with her mother, a passenger on one of the last ships out of Odessa.
Khaitman doesn’t remember everything from that treacherous, fear-filled journey, being so young at the time.
“I just remember the starvation,” she said, “when I asked for a piece of bread.”
Many years later, in 1977, when Khaitman had a young daughter, she immigrated with her family to Philadelphia, and found herself hungry again. Relying on the local community for support, she sought assistance from the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, which helped Khaitman apply for food stamps and find employment.
“From day number one, the Jewish Federation helped us when nobody else did,” she recounted. “Through Jewish Family and Children’s Service, [a grantee of the Jewish Federation], we were given a social worker and rent money for the first year we were in our apartment. They even helped me go to school to study English. I don’t know where we’d be without the Jewish Federation.”
As a Holocaust Survivor, Khaitman understands intimately what it means to be hungry and what it means to be unable to practice her religion freely. That’s why it is so important for Khaitman to not only be a recipient of, but also a volunteer at the Mitzvah Food Program (MFP), the Jewish Federation’s four pantries across Greater Philadelphia that care for those who are food insecure.
This Passover, MFP is making sure that clients, like Khaitman, can celebrate the holiday with pride and a full Seder table by offering free Passover foods to those in need.
“It is essential that we support our local Holocaust survivors as best we can. They are older adults who have suffered enough hardship for a lifetime,” explained Whitney Drukier, MFP’s operations manager.
In preparation for the holiday, MFP distributed Passover boxes to 1,022 Jewish individuals in 667 households across Greater Philadelphia, 15% of which are households that include a Holocaust Survivor. Boxes included traditional and kosher items, such as matzo, grape juice, soup mix, borscht, gefilte fish, chicken and horseradish. Through in-kind donations, the boxes also included fresh produce and dried fruits for families to make their own recipes.
“MFP is committed to serving our local community nutritious, culturally-appropriate food in an equitable, dignified manner,” Drukier noted. “As we approach Passover, we are offering all of our Jewish families traditional foods so that they are able to celebrate and honor their heritage during their Passover Seders.”
In addition to providing kosher food during major Jewish holidays, like Passover and Rosh Hashanah, MFP works to combat food insecurity year-round for all who are hungry, regardless of race, religion or financial background. In 2023, MFP served 6,120 clients in 2,591 households. This also included 119 Holocaust Survivor households, an integral part of MFP and the Jewish Federation’s mission.
“The Jewish Federation is ensuring that Holocaust Survivors don't need anything, whether it’s a new roof on their home, or a complete and healthy meal,” stated Director of Local Grants and Partnerships Brian Gralnick of the Jewish Federation, which funds several direct service programs that help those in need. “And specifically as it relates to healthy food, the Jewish Federation through MFP is committed to making sure that we have an abundant amount of food for Holocaust Survivors that is not only fresh and nutritious, but is also culturally competent.”
Last year, MFP provided 875,171 pounds of food to the community. But this impact would not have been possible without dedicated volunteers like Khaitman.
“I’ve been volunteering at the pantries for twelve years,” Khaitman said. “Now there are so many people from all over the world and from Ukraine, like me, who come for food. All the food is free, and they are very, very grateful.”
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The Jewish Federation funds organizations that care for those in need – one of its main pillars. This includes organizations that fight food insecurity for the community-at-large and Holocaust Survivors, like the Jewish Relief Agency, KleinLife, Kavod Shef – with support from the Seed the Dream Foundation – and Latet-Israeli Humanitarian Aid.
For more information about the Mitzvah Food Program, visit jewishphilly.org/mfp, email mitzvahfoodprogram@jewishphilly.org or call 215.832.0509.