A Family for Fanya

The Fellowship  |  June 1, 2022

The Fellowship is special to Fanya. For this 83-year-old Holocaust survivor, The Fellowship has become family. Fanya is grateful to be cared for, but she’s equally grateful for the chance to share her wisdom, her experience, and even handmade toys with Fellowship volunteers.

A warm and tender woman, Fanya still calls her parents “Mommy” and “Daddy” when she thinks of them. “My mommy died when I was just 14,” she remembers. “My daddy dedicated all his time to her. When she died, he couldn’t accept that for a long time.”

Fanya was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in 1939. She thinks of her birthplace and says, “My beloved city that’s undergoing terrible suffering right now.” After the Holocaust, Fanya’s family moved back to Kharkiv.

There, in the Soviet Union, despite her being Jewish, Fanya made a career as a geologist, before at last making aliyah (immigrating to Israel). Her career in the former Soviet Union didn’t provide for her senior years, however, leaving her with no pension. And that is where The Fellowship stepped in. Now Fanya has a room in a senior residence, and volunteers who bring her food and other necessities. But most of all, this precious Holocaust survivor who’s found a home in the Holy Land has found a family with The Fellowship.

You can be a blessing to one of God’s children living in the Holy Land.