Toward the end of May, northern Israeli communities experienced the largest surge in Hezbollah attacks from across the border since the terror proxy joined its Iranian backers in the war against Israel. While the IDF continues operations in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah drones still manage to cross into Israel, damaging homes and injuring civilians—or worse, in some cases.
On May 27, Fellowship staff visited the border town of Metula, where they provided relief to two residents whose homes were damaged by Hezbollah drone attacks. One of these residents is Leon, an 86-year-old Holocaust survivor who was inside his home with his caregiver when the attack occurred.
“There were two alarms, one after the other, and suddenly there was a huge explosion on the roof and a fire in the garden behind the house. My caregiver was in a panic. I’ve tried to stay calm. Unfortunately, I’ve had harder things than this in life as a Holocaust survivor,” he said, “It’s very hard. Very, very hard. You don’t really see people walking outside. Many left and the ones that stayed took extra precautions. You must understand what other choice they have. Where I sit, every five minutes there is artillery, tanks, airplanes. Airplanes pass over your head. The noise of the engines shakes the ground.”
The Fellowship is providing Leon with transportation to central Israel, where he can stay with relatives while his house is repaired. Fortunately, the structure remains largely intact, and the roof was the only area that sustained significant damage. Leon faces these challenges with remarkable resilience. As he puts it, every Thursday or Friday someone wants to kill him—and he refuses to let them succeed.
Still, this harsh reality brings back memories of his childhood during World War II in Russia. Leon recalls the anti-Semitism he and his family endured in the heart of the Soviet Union. He said he was beaten almost every day and lost much of his family in the Holocaust. His father fought in the army, while his grandparents, aunts, and uncles were sent to the gas chambers.
Yet Leon remained strong. He grew into a resilient adult, and both he and his children served in the military before the family moved to France and later immigrated to Israel. Some of his three children hold dual citizenship. Today, Leon shares his message of perseverance with younger generations of Jews facing uncertainty and crisis.
Leon says, “Thank you for everything you do. The main thing is that peace should come. Without peace there will be no country. To the young generation I want to say that they should continue to be strong, so we can have a strong army and protect ourselves. And I hope soon we will have peace. Thank you for coming to visit me. It means a lot. Thank you for offering help with transportation to my relatives in central Israel.”
“For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5).
