Holy Work During Wartime
The Fellowship | June 4, 2024
“I was a 9-year-old girl and I remember the first time the German planes dropped bombs on Kyiv, Ukraine. I ran with hundreds of other people, searching for a hiding place. I remember we hid in an underground passage for hours; it was very scary.”
That’s Holocaust survivor Yenta explaining her memories of World War II. Thankfully, Yenta’s parents managed to evacuate the family out of the town. But every Jew who remained in the city perished. “All our relatives who remained in the city were murdered in the firing pits in Babi Yar,” explains Yenta.
But Yenta is a survivor. She survived thanks to her strong faith in God and her resilience, which has served her well today. She used this strength to make aliyah (immigrate to Israel) all on her own at the retired age of 64. And today, even though war has again come to her home, she tells us she isn’t scared.
“When I was a child, I had to leave my home because of war, but now, at the age of 92, I am not ready to leave my home again. I am no longer afraid and want to stay in my home,” says Yenta. “I don’t have a protected room, but I believe that God is watching over me and the missiles will not hit my home.”
She also knows The Fellowship is watching over her. “Despite the war, the cooked meals continue to arrive every day, and I don’t have to worry about not having anything to eat.” We told Yenta that the Fellowship-supported Beit Batya soup kitchen—which she relies on for daily meals—was damaged by a direct hit from a missile, and her hands started shaking. “I didn’t know about that because the food kept coming like every day, even when there are constant explosions.”
She’s so grateful: “The Fellowship and Beit Batya are doing holy work during wartime.”
