Unfortunately, it is a passing generation and time is running out. In a few years, when the last of the survivors has passed, we will be left with only their stories, testimonies, memories, photos, and the deep mark they left on world history by simply surviving to tell the story.
Currently, less than 200,000 Jews who survived the Holocaust live in Israel, that includes those who survived concentration camps, ghettos, and pogroms; those who fled, hid and fought. It also includes those who were just small children and miraculously managed to survive. Some of their stories are both miraculous and terrible.
When we speak with a precious old woman and the lines on her face bear witness to her memories of all she went through in this lifetime, you cannot fathom that this woman was once a little girl whose mother was burned to death right in front of her, with her body thrown in a pile with the rest of the Jews that were murdered. That little girl survived, lived a long life, and eventually even returned to Israel.
You would think her struggle ends here. It doesn‘t.
These are the kind of stories we hear every day in our outreach work with Holocaust Survivors. When you realize the magnitude of what the person in front of you has lived through, and then you see they still struggle daily to survive in their old age, it breaks your heart. But it also gives a deeper sense of purpose and meaning to what we do.
Throughout our various humanitarian projects, our mission is clear: TO RESTORE DIGNITY TO HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS. As followers of Yeshua, our calling for compassion, kindness, love, and restoration resonates strongly through our relief work with these precious people.
This calling is something we always encourage our friends and partners to join with us in: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” (Isaiah 40:1)
A quarter of all the elderly Holocaust survivors living in Israel today are living below the poverty line. With the cost of living rising each year, social aid and government assistance some may receive isn’t nearly enough.
Statistics show that by the year 2025, about 102,000 are expected to still be alive, which amounts to half of the number of survivors still alive today, and all will be 85 years of age or older by then. By 2030, a quarter of the current number of Holocaust survivors, 53,000 in total, are estimated to still be alive, at which point they will be over 90 years of age.
So in these statistics, we see a picture painted of a dying generation that deserves to be honored, blessed, and experience a dignified and better quality of life.
Imagine what an impact it would make on these dear survivors if believers from the nations were to extend a helping hand to them, showing them the love of Jesus in a practical and impacting way?
Our work with them extends beyond just food packets or practical aid they so desperately need and are so grateful for. Our care ministry to the holocaust survivors also involves weekly house visits from our team, who check up on them, witness to them about the love of God, making sure they don’t feel lonely or forgotten.
Our humanitarian relief includes various projects:
- Monthly care packages that include non-perishable food items, personal hygiene products, clothing, and books
- Pharmacy voucher cards for their medicinal needs
- Excursions and day trips, including meals, to tourist sites to promote health, relaxation, and friendship between our staff and the survivors, as well as between the survivors themselves
Consider DONATING today in order to bring dignity to a generation the world owes a debt of gratitude to.
We are forever grateful for your faithful, loving, and generous support, whether in prayer or in sowing, it creates a big impact that advances the Kingdom of God in the Land of Israel these days when this nation needs it more than ever.
Beit Hallel is a Messianic Jewish congregation in Ashdod, led by pastor Israel Pochtar, serving holocaust survivors and the poor and needy locally and throughout the nation of Israel, while building up the body of Messiah in the promised land of Israel.