Fellowship in Their Golden Years

The Fellowship  |  September 28, 2022

Rain or shine, through the bitter Eastern European cold and snow, for decades Issac walked through the streets to synagogue early each morning. His day never properly began without heartfelt fellowship with God in prayer, as well as heartwarming fellowship with friends in his congregation, many of them “old-timers” like himself.

But those days are no more, due to health problems for 88-year-old Issac, as well as the ongoing war along the Russian-Ukraine border where he and his wife Zoya live.

Now too weak and unstable to walk to synagogue, even without the threat of war in his hometown, he prays alone each morning in his living room, his eyes filled with tears and his heart filled with sadness and gratitude.

You see, Issac is grateful, despite his difficulties. He is grateful that he and Zoya’s children were able to make aliyah (immigrate) to Israel. While their son died from cancer, their daughter and their grandchildren are living lives of faith in the Holy Land.

Issac is also grateful that he and Zoya are still around to observe the cherished Jewish customs and holidays, a life he never could have imagined when, as a boy, his family escaped the Nazis by fleeing across the Caspian Sea.

And Issac is grateful for friends of The Fellowship, especially this time of year, when Fellowship volunteers bring a High Holy Days food box, as well as much needed fellowship for this lonely couple.

“We are living out our older years, struggling,” Issac says. “But the help of The Fellowship is much appreciated. It relieves the burden, and allows us to live our golden years in peace and joy. We are deeply grateful for your help and generosity.”

This High Holy Days season, you can provide friendship, fellowship, and life-giving aid to elderly Jewish people like Issac and Zoya.