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“How did I survive?” Rachel, an elderly Holocaust Survivor, reflects on the miraculous truth that only by God’s hand she didn’t perish like her parents and siblings did all those years ago. Surviving the Holocaust is a story few can tell. Rachel’s journey is one of resilience. At such a young age, she lost her parents and four siblings in unimaginable circumstances. Yet, she stands today to share her miraculous story. How did she survive when so many others did not?
The pain of that loss is something only God can fully comprehend. During those horrific times, a brave Polish priest, under the constant threat of death, took Rachel in. He hid her in a convent, where she lived as a young girl, working as a goat herder. She had no possessions of her own, no family, yet in the darkest of moments, God’s hand was over her life.
Reflecting on a Miracle
Recently Voice of Judah Israel’s follow up team at Beit Hallel spent time with Rachel, who has called Jerusalem her home since 1964. It was long before the prophetic mass Aliyah (Jewish immigration) to Israel began, she found her way to the Holy Land with forged documents and risked everything to be in the land God had promised His people. After arriving in Israel, Rachel’s gift of languages (she speaks five fluently) became a tool through which she served others. One time she used this skill to translate for a group from Germany. During their encounter, the group knelt before her, asking for forgiveness for the atrocities of the Holocaust. For her heart, this was like a wave of healing washing over her. Through this act of repentance, she felt God’s hand leading her toward emotional and spiritual restoration.
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