Yom HaShoah is Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. This solemn day of remembrance is especially important as Holocaust survivors are still able to share their stories. It is also a time of reflection and responsibility—to stand with the Jewish people when no one else will. The Fellowship’s commitment to caring for Holocaust survivors in need extends from Israel to the former Soviet Union, reaching people like Raisa.
Eighty-six-year-old Raisa has lived in Gori, Georgia, since she was a child, though she was originally born in Ukraine. She was only two years old in 1939 when the Nazis invaded, forcing her family to flee. Raisa grew up without her father, who was killed in battle. She remembers the evacuation as a desperate run for their lives. Eventually, she, her mother, sister, and aunt found safety in Gori. Once home to a vibrant Jewish community, today only a few families remain. Even after the war, Raisa and her family continued to face anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union.
“My maiden name was Postovisky, but when I got married, my mother told me to take my husband’s name because it sounded less Jewish. I didn’t face open anti-Semitism, but the fear was always there,” said Raisa.
Raisa worked as a teacher for 50 years. Despite having to hide parts of her Jewish identity for her safety, she remembers her years educating the children of Gori with pride. Now retired, she receives a monthly pension so small that it barely covers her heating, food, and medical expenses. Due to poor health, she rarely leaves her apartment and requires daily visits from a caregiver.
“The hardest thing for me now,” Raisa says, “is being alone and feeling how weak my body has become. I can’t go anywhere without help.”
With the help of our partners at JDC, The Fellowship has been able to support Raisa. Through our With Dignity and Fellowship program, she receives essential assistance such as food and medicine. Our visits brighten her day, and she expressed heartfelt gratitude to us and to the generous supporters who made this possible.
