Program Stories

Rain or shine, through the bitter Eastern European cold and snow, for decades Issac walked through the streets to synagogue early each morning. His day never properly began without heartfelt fellowship with God in prayer, as well as heart-warming fellowship with friends in his congregation, many of them “old-timers” like himself.

Lydia hasn’t left her house in 10 years. She hasn’t seen the light of day in a decade.

Betya worries about her family who are left back in Ukraine, where the ongoing war threatens them each day.

86-years old, Bronya lives outside the Holy City of Jerusalem, in the Holy Land of Israel, her people’s historic and biblical homeland.

When IFCJ Canada volunteers arrived at Nina’s house recently—a tiny rural shack outside of Kyiv, Ukraine—they were struck by how this elderly Holocaust survivor and her humble home seemed to have changed little from the WWII-era days she remembered.

Sibo is an 84-year-old Holocaust survivor living in the Israeli city of Netanya. Despite at last living in Israel, her historic and biblical homeland, Sibo still found herself all alone and in need of help, after a lifetime of hardship, until IFCJ Canada stepped in to support her.

Malka’s childhood story is heart wrenching. Not only did she experience suffering and losses during World War II, but she also survived homelessness, extreme poverty and hunger during the post-war years. She tells her story and takes long pauses after each sentence, giving herself time to relive her memories.

Svetlana’s grandmother used to say, “Keep our family history, and know it well.” And that’s what Svetlana has done, passing her family history and faith to the next generations, including IFCJ Canada volunteers who visit the elderly Holocaust survivor in her humble home near the biblical city of Nazareth.

This is Roi. He might seem like a happy, confident young man, but that wasn’t always the case. He is only ready to thrive as a young Israeli because of Fellowship friends who have never forgotten him.

At just eight, Sara was brought to the Fellowship-supported Orr Shalom children’s home in Ashkelon. Her mother had passed away when Sara was a baby, and her father had been unable to care for the girl during her important formative years.

Anna lives alone in a tiny apartment in Israel. In the winter, it becomes very cold, reminding her of the frozen wasteland in Ukraine, where she survived the Holocaust as a young Jewish child. Her story of survival, told to IFCJ Canada volunteers visiting the elderly woman with lifesaving aid, is truly heart-breaking.

Isaak and Anna live in the town of Nahariya, Israel’s northernmost town on the Mediterranean coast. You might think the elderly couple live an idyllic seaside retirement, but you would be wrong.