It’s Not Enough to Remember

The Fellowship  |  April 11, 2018

As we observe Yom HaShoah, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, The Fellowship is grateful to all of our faithful friends who help us in caring for the Holocaust survivors who remain. But our work is not done. The Jerusalem Post’s Rachel Cohen looks at some of the ways The Fellowship is stepping up efforts to help these precious children of God who have already suffered through so much:

“It is not enough to remember what happened in the Holocaust, we need to act to make sure that those who survived are living with dignity,” Yael Eckstein, Global Vice President of the IFCJ told The Jerusalem Post.

And the IFCJ is acting by providing a wide range of life saving services to Israel’s most impoverished Holocaust survivors.

“Our biggest message is letting them know they are not alone.” Eckstein added.

As the number of Holocaust survivors in Israel rapidly declines, Eckstein urges Israelis and fellow Jews across the world to do their share to not just remember the Holocaust but act to honor the lives of the survivors.

Today, Israel has some 200,000 Holocaust survivors. One out of four are living in poverty.

The IFCJ is currently providing some 20,000 of the most destitute Israeli Holocaust survivors with food, emergency expenses, medicine and alleviation of loneliness with weekly or bi-weekly visits from the IFCJ’s volunteer program.

One of the beneficiaries of this aid is Sarah, a 87-year-old Holocaust survivor from Romania. A widow struggling to make ends meet, she expresses her gratitude toward the IFCJ: “The Fellowship was heaven-sent – I was all alone and did not know where to turn to for help. The Fellowship helped me purchase a radiator and an oven, while sending me food baskets each month which I appreciate more than I can possibly express.”

More than that, the IFCJ helped to alleviate the loneliness and isolation that typically comes with old age…

This Holocaust Remembrance Day, pledge today to stand with Israel against another Holocaust.