Yad LaKashish: Lifeline for the Old

Yad LaKashish: Lifeline for the Old gives 200 of Jerusalem's needy elderly and disabled a sense of purpose and self-worth through creative work opportunities, essential support services and a warm community environment. The needy elderly artisans receive specific financial benefits in return for making a wide variety of beautiful artistic products which are sold in the on-site gift shop and online gift shop. These much needed benefits also make the elderly feel like they're employed in a workplace, like any other adult in society. Benefits include a monthly stipend, a monthly bus pass, a snack and hot lunch on-site, subsidized eye and dental care and holiday bonuses. The elderly generally come with no prior artistic experience and simply 'learn on the job'- beginning a new stage of life rather than simply waiting for the end to come. They also enjoy the opportunity to socialize with each other and speak their native languages, since most of them are immigrants who came to Israel late in life. The elderly artisans feel at the peak of their pride when visitors from around the world come to tour the workshops, talk to them, and purchase the products they made by hand from clay, paper, fabric, metal, and silk.