Selwyn Isakow, community member and Founder of the Kindness Initiative couldn’t help but notice that, over the years, he kept being approached for assistance by vulnerable members of the San Diego Jewish community. This led him to wonder if the issue of poverty was more prevalent than what was being acknowledged.
He joined forces with the Jewish Federation of San Diego, the Jewish Community Foundation and Jewish Family Service to sponsor a study on poverty amongst Jews in San Diego. The findings were staggering, as Selwyn had long suspected.
About 20% of total Jewish households in San Diego are “touched by poverty,” however, this study was concluded in early 2020, just before the pandemic hit.