In 2005, B’nai B’rith Lodge Serbia 676 has initiated a project “Help to clean Apartments” as a humanitarian social activity within the Belgrade Jewish Community.

The project consists of cleaning once a month a number of apartments occupied by Holocaust survivors, living alone with very little financial means.

The Belgrade Jewish Community numbers 1800 members, among them four-hundred-eighty Holocaust survivors. Some two hundred sixty live with their spouses in one hundred thirty apartments and two hundred twenty members live totally alone. Most of them are over 70 years old.

When Lodge Serbia started this project they could only finance the cleaning of six apartments, which was of course not sufficient. Thanks to Brother Hans Joosten of Holland, a member of B’nai B’rith Europe’s Permanent Commission for Central and Eastern Europe, additional financial help was secured to allow the increase of the number of apartments cleaned with a further thirteen.

The criteria to obtain help is very strictly adhered to and checked both by Lodge Serbia and by the Social Commission of the Serbian Jewish Community.

Only survivors of the Holocaust of advanced years, suffering of poor health, and the fact that they have no other help such as children or family and no other financial means would allow them to benefit from the scheme.

Lodge Serbia is appealing to other Lodges in Europe to join them in this humanitarian project by offering financial support and assist the scheme to enable the Lodge to help more people.

Lodge Serbia is now urgently seeking a third partner (two lodges may become a third partner) in this project with a contribution of EURO 1900, which would enable another 8 apartments to be cleaned monthly for a period of 12 months.

What a wonderful way to express our solidarity with our Jewish sisters and brothers and help the needy!

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