Some of the Holocaust survivors who walked into a recent gathering hosted by our Beit Hallel Congregation in Ashdod already knew the team. Others did not. There was hesitation on a few faces, and it was understandable. They had been invited into a room with people they barely knew — and the team wondered how they would respond when the conversation turned openly toward God.
Then Oleg, a member of the Beit Hallel team who knew many of them personally, began greeting familiar faces. Slowly, the room softened. People smiled, conversations began, and the distance between them started to disappear.
But later that afternoon, one elderly woman would say something so simple that it stayed with the team long after everyone had gone home.
Nearly forty Holocaust survivors and elderly Israelis had joined them that day. Among them were twelve whom the ministry had previously taken to Jerusalem to visit the Western Wall. As soon as they saw the team, they came over to thank them again for bringing them so close that even the oldest among them had been able to visit.
The desire was for this day to be more than a program. It was simply an opportunity to honor these precious men and women, serve them, and give them a place where they could feel at home.
A pastor visiting from Ukraine shared his testimony and told them how Jesus had healed him from an illness doctors had considered incurable. People listened carefully, and it was clear that his story touched them.
Then the food came out, and their friend Alexey sang several songs. People listened closely, and some even began singing along as best they could. Miriam and Lena had helped gather volunteers, who moved between the tables serving food, tea, and coffee. A warm, easy atmosphere filled the room.
The team told their guests, “Today, just rest. Let us serve you. We want you to feel as though you are among family.”
And little by little, that is exactly what happened.
As everyone sat together, the survivors began sharing some of their stories.
Isaac was born in a ghetto in 1942. He was not yet three years old when they were liberated, so he remembers almost nothing himself. But somehow, in conditions almost impossible to imagine, his mother had managed both to give birth to him and to keep him alive.
Then there was Alexander, an accomplished chess coach and grandmaster who trained at the Soviet Union’s leading sports academy in Moscow. Even today, he plays several games of chess with real opponents every day and still travels to international competitions.
These were not simply guests at a gathering. Every person sitting around those tables had lived a life filled with stories the team was only beginning to hear.
When they were asked what they would like to do together in the future, again and again the same answer came back: more gatherings like this. More trips. More opportunities to spend time together and simply talk.
Then Sonya, an elderly woman sitting at one of the tables, looked at the team very seriously.
“Only, please don’t wait too long. We don’t have that much time left.”
Those words stayed with them.
Later, one of the elderly gentlemen, a member of the committee of their organization, came to the microphone. He asked, “Do you understand who is sitting here?”
He spoke about the Holocaust and the tragedies these families had lived through. Every person in that room had a story, he told them. Every family had memories that should not be forgotten.
Then he began to thank the team. He said how much it meant to know that there are people who care about them and want to stand beside them.
And then he thanked people like you — Christian friends of Israel around the world who pray for them and make this kind of care possible.
By then, something had clearly changed in the room. He hugged members of the team, and soon others began coming over as well. Some of the elderly women and men simply asked, “Can we hug you?”
The people who had arrived a little guarded were now saying that they truly felt as though they were with family.
Even the smallest things carried meaning that day. One woman from the congregation had felt in her heart to make a small gift for each person by hand. She made beautiful pincushions and gave them individually with words of love and prayer.
Before everyone left, the team invited them to join them again for future gatherings and trips, including visits to Jerusalem and Jaffa.
Sonya’s words have stayed with us because they remind all of us how precious these opportunities are.
“Comfort, comfort My people, says your God.” — Isaiah 40:1
For these precious men and women, comfort does not always have to be something big. Sometimes it is a meal together, a conversation, a trip to Jerusalem, or simply knowing that someone wants to spend time with you and hear your story.
We thank God for our partners in Israel who are able to serve them personally, honor them, and allow the love of Jesus to be felt in such simple and meaningful ways.
And after hearing Sonya’s words, there is something we cannot ignore: we should not wait too long.
There are still more gatherings to hold, more places to take them, more stories to hear, and more opportunities to remind these precious survivors that they are loved and not forgotten.
Would you help us continue? Through your prayers and financial support, you can stand alongside our partners in Israel as they create more of these moments while there is still time — honoring Holocaust survivors, spending time with them, listening to their stories, and surrounding them with the love and care they so deeply deserve.
Please partner with Voice of Judah Israel today as together we honor and bless Israel’s Holocaust survivors.