Project Spotlight: Preparing for Rosh Hashanah 

IFCJ Canada  |  September 4, 2026

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is less than three weeks away, and IFCJ Canada has already begun distributing special holiday food boxes so that our elderly beneficiaries in the Holy Land can celebrate the holiday and the High Holy Days with dignity and stability. Over the past two weeks, The Fellowship Israel family has visited Kiryat Malachi and Nof HaGalil, personally delivering packages filled with essential food and Rosh Hashanah treats, including apples, honey, and grape juice. 

93-year-old Lubov in Nof HaGalil was among the first of many to receive this aid. Living in northern Israel, she has regularly faced threats from the war and the ongoing conflict affecting region. As soon as the alarms sound, sending her in search of safe shelter, Lubov is transported back to the alarms she heard as a little girl during World War II. 

Lubov was preparing to start first grade when the war reached Belarus in 1941. Just two days later, she and her family were forced to flee their village, escaping the growing danger with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They boarded a train without knowing where it was headed, as bombs fell around them. 

Eventually, they found themselves in Stalingrad, where life remained incredibly difficult. When Lubov’s mother became seriously ill, she was taken to a hospital, and young Lubov was not allowed to see her. Just eight years old, Lubov was left to navigate the streets alone, visiting the hospital once a week, hoping to see her mother again. 

When her mother was finally released, they went to live with Lubov’s brother for a year. There, Lubov remembers surviving on meagre bread rations and enduring the constant pain of hunger and cold. When they eventually returned to Belarus, they found refuge with her grandparents, who maintained a kosher home and continued their Jewish traditions, including changing their dishes for Passover. 

Lubov later built a life through hard work, first in a textile factory and then in a kindergarten. In 1991, she began a new chapter when she made aliyah (immigration to Israel). 

The assistance Lubov receives is more than practical support — it is a lifeline that helps her navigate the rising cost of living with greater dignity and security. At her age, having reliable access to nutritious food and essential medicine is especially important.  

Through the generosity of our donors, Lubov knows she is cared for, valued, and not forgotten. She is deeply grateful to those who faithfully stand beside her and help ensure her basic needs are met. 

“You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance” (Psalm 65:11).