The generation of those who lived through the horrors of the Holocaust is a very precious group of elderly Jewish people. They are truly unique. Having survived ghettos and concentration camps, they have fears of the past that are still fresh in their memories. The trauma of losing loved ones has left deep, lifelong scars in their hearts, the effects of which have prevented many of them from having a family of their own. Consequently, they now face a reality of solitude in their old age.
With immigration to Israel still ongoing, today there are more than a hundred thousand survivors of the Holocaust, of which 30,000 are Russian-speaking, living in the Land. For that reason, our fellowship has been actively involved in providing help and taking care of those who have been affected by the atrocities of World War II.
For many Holocaust survivors, the reality is that they spend most of their time within the confines of their homes, having rare occasions to get away. Hence, our ministry has been hard at work trying to reach out to them and doing our best to brighten up their lives in various ways. So far, we have been ministering to about 400 people who live in Haifa, Krayot and Nazareth. Four to five times a year we organize events dedicated to celebrating the biblical feasts. In addition, during the year we invite them to a number of other special events that take place in our congregation, including day trips around our country.
But we don’t stop there, and we are always ready to help them in other aspects of their daily living, including renovation work on their homes when the need arises. By God’s grace, we have managed to do this for more than seven years, and as a result, many wonderful relationships have been built through this ministry. On a few occasions, members of our team have been asked to pray for some of the survivors as they carry on in their search for God. It is truly amazing to see the changes happening in their lives, given that most of their generation have been brought up in an atheistic environment.
There is still so much to be done; therefore, we invite you to join our effort in reaching out to Holocaust survivors and demonstrating the love of the Messiah. Please prayerfully consider supporting the work of our ministry here in Haifa.
