Russian seniors, Hasidim are poorest Jews in New York

According to a UJA-Federation of New York report, Jewish poverty in the New York area is on the rise.

More than 560,000 people live in poverty in the New York area, amounting to one in five New York-area Jewish households.

In addition, 45 percent of the children in Jewish households live in poor or near-poor households. Over the past 20 years, according to the report entitled Jewish Community Study of New York: 2011 Special Report on Poverty, Jewish poverty has grown much faster than the Jewish community as a whole.

The report found that factors that make a family more likely to be poor include having children under 18, households with seniors, households that include someone who is divorced, separated, or widowed, and education and employment are also associated with poverty. Poverty is also more prevalent among some national origins and religious groups.

Households with a respondent from the former Soviet Union and Hasidic households are more likely to be poor or near poor. The largest group of poor Jewish households in the New York area is Russian-speaking

seniors. With little or no work history in the United States, few in this group are able to access Social Security; and although many qualify for and obtain SSI, this entitlement does not provide an adequate income to meet basic needs, adding to the challenge of how to cope with the twin burdens of aging and poverty. Most Russian-speaking senior households are located in Brooklyn.

The Hasidic community has the second-largest number of poor households and the third-highest incidence of poverty of any group. They also rank near the top in the number of near poor and the incidence of near poverty. Contrary to conventional wisdom, most poor Hasidic households do have at least one person working full-time but they are seriously constrained by low levels of secular education. Many but not all poor Hasidic households are made up of large families. Virtually all Hasidic families live in a few neighborhoods in Brooklyn, reflecting the insularity of Hasidic communities. The large number of children in poor Hasidic families has undoubtedly contributed to the increase in the number of people in poverty.

Senior households that are not Russian-speaking rank third in the number of poor Jewish households and rank first in the number of near-poor Jewish households. Of households that include a person with a disability who is unable to work, more than half are poor. Nearly 40% of single-parent households are poor or near poor.

Responses from study's participants suggest that low-income housing, transportation for seniors, child care and other support for single parents could be areas where more public investment is needed.

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