Program Stories

It was just months ago when 12-year-old Alan was enjoying life and playing soccer with friends. He

Anna, an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor from Ukraine, was just two years old when World War II broke out.

Rivka is so grateful to The Fellowship for always cherishing life and helping her in her old age to survive.

Two elderly sisters are grateful for The Fellowship’s deliveries of food and supplies to survive the harsh winter in war-torn Ukraine.

Before the war in Ukraine, Haya and her husband bought a small apartment in the city of Zhytomyr, Ukraine. When the war broke out, they worked hard to support their four children. They did consider leaving, but in the end, they decided to stay in Zhytomyr. And it has been challenging.

Nailya has warm memories of her childhood. She grew up part of a vibrant, family-like Jewish community in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

“There were several alarms in Tiberias, and I was really stressed,” says Aliah. “It reminded me of the German planes I saw in Morocco when I was a child...

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

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.

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.

“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.” 

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.