Leaders of the Jewish communities of Italy have held a broad virtual meeting to recap the communities’ response to the coronavirus, including review of several life-saving initiatives. The Jewish leaders also discussed the next steps forward for the community, as social distancing restrictions begin to ease in the hard-hit country.
The meeting opened with remarks from WJC Executive Member and President of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI) Noemi Di Segni, UCEI Secretary-General Uriel Perugia, and UCEI board member Davide Romanin Jacur.
Throughout the crisis, UCEI implemented several fundraising initiatives to assist Jewish communities with the support of several prominent organizations, including the Jewish Agency, Jewish Foundation of San Diego, and the Lev el Lev collection. The organization also activated a national hotline for psychological and medical support.
The organization also implemented several programs to make those stuck at home as comfortable as possible, including online activities for children, as well as workshops to help people become more efficient with technology. One workshop, which was launched with the help of the Israeli non-profit Machshavah Tovah, teaches users to navigate popular applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Youtube.
