Recently, our follow-up team had the incredible privilege of spending time with a remarkable elderly lady named Rachel, who has called Jerusalem her home since 1964. Rachel’s story is one that touches the heart deeply, as she is a child of the Holocaust — a survivor of one of history’s darkest chapters. In 1964, long before mass aliyah (Jewish immigration) to Israel began, she found her way to the Holy Land with forged documents, risking everything to be part of the land God had promised to His people.
Rachel shared with us that she often wonders why she was the only one from a family of five children who survived. Her entire family — her parents and all her siblings — were tragically killed during the Holocaust. The pain of that loss is something only God can fully comprehend. During those horrific times, a brave Polish priest, under the constant threat of death, took Rachel in. He hid her in a convent, where she lived as a young girl, working as a goat herder. She had no possessions of her own, no family, yet in the darkest of moments, God’s hand was over her life.
She spoke of her astonishment at how she found the strength to survive the Holocaust, reflecting on the fact that it was nothing short of miraculous. “How did I survive?” she asked, wondering how she could muster the will to go on. But we know that it was God who gave her that strength — He was her protector, even when she didn’t fully realize it.
After arriving in Israel, Rachel’s gift of languages (she speaks five fluently) became a tool through which she served others. She shared with us a particularly moving moment in her life when she found herself translating for a group from Germany. At one point, this group knelt before her, asking for forgiveness for the atrocities of the Holocaust. For Rachel, this was like a wave of healing washing over her. Through this act of repentance, she felt God’s hand leading her toward emotional and spiritual restoration.
Though she is Jewish by birth, Rachel confessed that she has never been religious. Yet, as she reflected on her life, she realized that God had been involved in her story all along. She acknowledged that the very fact she survived as a child during the Holocaust was nothing short of a miracle from God. His fingerprints were evident in her journey, guiding and protecting her even when she couldn’t see it.
Our team was deeply moved by Rachel’s story and the grace she showed in sharing it with us. We offered to pray for her, and despite not being a believer in Yeshua (Jesus), she graciously accepted our invitation to join us in prayer. Together, we prayed in the name of Jesus, asking for the comfort of the Lord to fill her heart and for new experiences with God to bless her life. Rachel gladly received our prayers, and we believe that God is continuing to work in her heart, drawing her closer to Himself.
Her testimony is a powerful reminder of God’s faithfulness, even in the midst of unimaginable suffering.
We are so grateful for the time we spent with Rachel, and we continue to pray that she will experience the fullness of God’s love and peace through His Son, Yeshua.
