Caring for one another
isn’t just what we do.
It’s who we are.

For many older adults, participating in synagogue life can become difficult when transportation is no longer simple. Through a JewishColumbus Community Innovation Grant, Wexner Heritage Village and Tifereth Israel are working together to change that.

This new pilot initiative provides coordinated transportation for WHV residents to attend Shabbat morning services at Tifereth Israel, helping open the doors of Jewish communal life to seniors who might otherwise be unable to participate. But the impact goes beyond getting from one place to another, because apparently sometimes the most meaningful Jewish connection starts with a ride in a van.

Through shared prayer, Shabbat lunches, and time spent with congregants of all ages, residents are building relationships, reconnecting with community, and experiencing the joy and dignity of Shabbat together.

Rooted in the Jewish values of honoring elders and caring for one another, the pilot is expected to provide 500–600 rides while testing a model that could expand access across the Columbus Jewish community.

At its heart, this grant reflects a simple belief: every member of our community deserves to experience Jewish life with dignity, connection, and a true sense of belonging.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day marks 81 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. Here in Columbus, remembrance is not only about looking back. It is about taking responsibility for the survivors in our community today.

JewishColumbus helps ensure that Columbus’ 140 Holocaust survivors can live independently with dignity, respect, and meaningful connection to Jewish life. The need is urgent: 135 local survivors live well below the poverty line, and the services that support them are truly life-sustaining.

This year, JewishColumbus invested nearly $300,000 to support this vital work. Through Jewish Family Services, survivors receive food assistance, transportation, care management, help navigating reparations, digital skill-building, socialization, caregiver support, and ongoing educational and cultural programming.

Many survivors also live at Wexner Heritage Village, where staff provide not only clinical care, but also spiritual connection through Shabbat services and holiday celebrations.

As one survivor, Lyudmila, shared after moving to Columbus, “It was the best day when I came here. Thank you for everything that you did for me.”

For JewishColumbus, honoring survivors means more than remembering their past. It means helping them live today with care, dignity, and connection.

The Central Ohio Jewish Seniors Aging in Community Fund was created at JewishColumbus to help charitable dollars go further, with greater flexibility, efficiency, and long-term impact.

For donors, establishing or transitioning a fund at JewishColumbus offers the ability to recommend how funds are used, while benefiting from the simplicity, oversight, and reach of a public charity. Because apparently even generosity comes with paperwork, and this makes the paperwork much less ridiculous.

This year, the fund is supporting some of the most vulnerable members of our community: older adults who rely on strong social services, meaningful connections, and safe pathways to age with dignity.

JewishColumbus managed the process from planning through grants administration, allowing fund advisors and community partners to focus on impact rather than administration. By bringing together community planning, grants management, and collaboration, JewishColumbus ensured that these resources were invested strategically and transparently.

Through this fund, Central Ohio’s Jewish seniors are better supported as they age safely, confidently, and connected to the community they helped build.

To learn more about creating a fund with JewishColumbus, please contact Lori Maier Wishne.