Program Stories

‘I Began to Dream of Israel’

IFCJ Canada  |  September 6, 2024

“Thanks to The Fellowship, my dream of living in Israel came true at the age of 94."

She’s Not Alone

IFCJ Canada  |  August 22, 2024

“I heard my neighbour screaming.” says Alla who was suddenly woken up by sirens and yelling on October 7, 2023. 

‘No More Tears to Cry’

IFCJ Canada  |  July 25, 2024

When we met with sweet 74-year-old Ella, she first showed us her necklace which holds a meaningful photo of two of her adult children who were murdered on October 7, 2023.

Hope During Wartime

IFCJ Canada  |  July 11, 2024

Just as her mother’s love saved Dora’s life during the darkest days of the Holocaust, so too did her son’s love help her survive October 7th.

Holy Work During Wartime  

IFCJ Canada  |  June 14, 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.” 

Goodness of The Fellowship

IFCJ Canada  |  June 6, 2024

Maya remembers celebrating Jewish holidays in secret as a child when Jewish traditions weren’t allowed — this is why providing a box of matzah on Passover means so much to Holocaust survivors like Maya. 

Helping Mikhail

IFCJ Canada  |  May 28, 2024

Mikhail is a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor with a very difficult life behind him—but hope for the life he has left. It wasn’t always that way.

Taking Care of Each Other

IFCJ Canada  |  May 24, 2024

Born as World War II began, Lidiya never knew her father. The young Jewish man left his young wife to be a pilot, fighting the Nazis. With a baby in her arms, Lidiya’s mother soon received word that her husband had been killed in battle. The young Jewish mother was left all alone—to flee with her loved ones and her beloved baby as the Nazis approached.

Someone to Help

IFCJ Canada  |  May 7, 2024

Luiza was born in Russia in 1927. She was one of five siblings. And she remembers World War II: “The war broke out when I was 13 years old, we all took part in the evacuation; somehow we survived.

‘It Is a Big Help’

IFCJ Canada  |  April 26, 2024

Genia, an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor, was born to a Jewish family in Ukraine in 1936.

You Saved Her

IFCJ Canada  |  April 22, 2024

Nina remembers when World War II arrived. Nina was just seven years old and lived with her Jewish family in Russia.

‘I Will Never Be Hungry Again’

IFCJ Canada  |  April 2, 2024

World War II began just one month after Zoya turned six years old. “My mother did not take me to kindergarten,” Zoya recalls, “and I was very happy about that, but then the terrible days began.”