$100,000 Grant to Aid Jewish Foundation

A $100,000 grant from a national Jewish organization will translate into more services for elderly and disabled refugees and legal immigrants living in the Valley and throughout Los Angeles, officials said.

The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, which received the grant, will use the money to expand its citywide programs assisting legal immigrants with citizenship applications and tests, disability waivers and Immigration and Naturalization Service interviews, officials said.

The federation was one of 15 groups nationwide to receive a grant from the Council of Jewish Federations to bolster naturalization programs in areas with high immigrant populations. The money was part of a $1.3-million grant awarded to the council by the Emma Lazarus Fund of the Open Society Institute, a philanthropic organization created by financier George Soros.

“We are delighted that the funds received from the Emma Lazarus Fund will enable us to expand our services to allow elderly and disabled refugees immigrate to the United States,” said Miriam Prum Hess, an administrator with the Los Angeles Federation.

Part of the grant will go toward increased services at Temple Beth Hillel in North Hollywood, an approved INS interview sight, Hess said.

“This provides a much more comfortable setting. People can be more relaxed when they have their actual citizenship exam at a place that they are familiar with,” she said.

For more information, call Jewish Family Services, an agency of the Los Angeles Jewish Federation, at (818) 587-3333.