Vision 2040 Care Services

Paul Berman, Chairman of Care Services

– new structure for welfare services for the Jewish community

“Central to our identity as Jews is the principle of Tikkun Olam – the obligation to repair the world. It is a calling deeply ingrained in our tradition, guiding us to extend a helping hand to those in need, to uplift those disadvantaged by circumstance, and to advocate for justice and compassion in all our endeavours.” These are the words of the newly appointed Chairman of Care Services, Paul Berman, who has announced the reorganisation of the various care services within our community.

Currently, the demand for care services among the Jewish community of the Western Cape is growing all the time, while at the same time we are seeing a contraction in our community’s numbers, as well as greater financial pressures. As a result, the community has to do more with what we have, eliminate duplication and pool resources to make them stretch further.

It is against this backdrop that changes have been made to the care structures in place. The seven welfare bodies in the community will now fall under the umbrella of Care Services. Care Services replaces Jewish Care Cape, and a new Care Services Board will direct the strategic leadership of this organisation.

Core to the new structure is a focus on greater efficiency. With this in mind, a shared services model has been introduced, geared to reduce costs and to deploy resources to the greatest effect. A further priority is on streamlining administrative processes and functions to allow member organisations to focus on their core work and service delivery.

As this new structure is implemented, a key concern will be that everyone in our community in need of care will benefit from the services and that nobody slips through the net. This involves refining the mandate of each of the seven organisations so that clients are assigned to the right organisation and that the maximum impact can be achieved.  

“I am immensely honoured to have been appointed as the Chairman of the Care Services Board,” says Paul Berman.

The following initial appointments have been made to implement the Care Services mandate:

●  Hazel Levin: Chief Operating Officer (Hazel Levin retains her role as Executive Director of Jewish Community Services)

●  Karen Borochowitz: Central Care Services Manager

This will be in conjunction with the Chairpersons of the seven care organisations, who form part of the Care Services Board.

Paul concludes: “As the newly established Care Services, we hold the fates of the vulnerable and destitute members of our community in our hands, not just in the present, but for the future. Our task is to transform the system as we know it, to ensure it can continue to care for people in need in the long term and in spite of the constraints we face. We must make the best use of the resources available to deliver a consistent standard of care and ensure no one is left out.”


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