UJA federation: 74,000 Jewish households in New York set to lose food assistance due to US government shutdown

Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.

The UJA-Federation of New York says 74,000 Jewish households in New York City are set to lose food benefits due to the federal government shutdown.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for lower-income families will expire on Saturday, according to the US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program.

Recipients of the program receive an average of $187 a month for food. Around 42 million Americans use the program.

UJA thanks New York Governor Kathy Hochul for allocating $65 million in emergency funding for food providers, including food pantries affiliated with the federation.

UJA says it drew the statistic from a 2023 report on poverty in the New York Jewish community. The survey found that 12% of Jewish households in the area are defined as poor and 8% near poor.

The families in those categories tend to be large, so the percentage of the Jewish population that is poor or near poor is around 24%.

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