“Every day I ask for Peace and Happiness, for Everyone”

IFCJ Canada  |  October 3, 2025

These High Holy Days carry a special meaning for Khona, an elderly Jewish woman in the former Soviet Union. It is a time to pray —for health, peace, and sweetness in life. This year, Khona tasted sweetness in the form of care from IFCJ Canada—a food package filled with sugar, cereals, and canned goods. In the midst of hardship, these simple gifts brought her both comfort and connection.

“I pray,” she said. “Every day I ask for peace and happiness, for everyone.” During these High Holy Days, Khona is sustained not only by the food IFCJ Canada provides, but by the emotional strength it brings.

“The Fellowship helps, and so we’re able to live and eat. I don’t even know how I would have survived without it,” she said. “I worked for so long and still get pennies in my retirement. I would have died long ago if it weren’t for The Fellowship.”

Elderly Jews living in the former Soviet Union are pushed below the poverty line with the ongoing war in Ukraine and inflation, resulting in rising costs of food, medicine, and housing. These food boxes made special for the High Holy Days provide an essential service and light in the darkness for the elderly at their most vulnerable.

Join The Fellowship in support by giving your best gift during these High Holy Days.