‘I Am Alone’

IFCJ Canada  |  April 10, 2026

Yom HaShoah is Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. This solemn day of remembrance is especially important as Holocaust survivors are still able to share their stories. It is also a time of reflection and responsibility—to stand with the Jewish people when no one else will. IFCJ Canada’s commitment to caring for Holocaust survivors in need extends from Israel to the former Soviet Union, reaching people like Ariadna.

Eighty-six-year-old Ariadna lives alone in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. She was born in Kyiv in 1940, just before the Nazi invasion. Her family was unable to evacuate, and while her father survived the war by hiding in nearby villages, Ariadna, her mother, and grandmother endured the occupation firsthand. After the war, the family moved several times before eventually settling in Chernivtsi.

Ariadna went on to build a full life. She earned a degree in biology and chemistry and worked for 40 years at a pharmaceutical enterprise and research institute. But today, most of the people who once filled her life with companionship are gone.

“I am alone,” she says quietly.

Now, Ariadna survives on a pension of just $110 per month. Her health has deteriorated, and severe joint pain makes it difficult for her to walk even inside her small apartment. The cost of medication is overwhelming—just one injection for her hip pain costs two full months of her pension. “I have to decide which pills are needed first and which can wait,” she explains.

Rising food prices and frequent power outages make daily life even harder. “The electricity situation is a nightmare,” Ariadna says. “My heating relies on electricity. For me, a miracle now is when there is electricity and heat.”

With support from IFCJ Canada, Ariadna receives homecare visits, food packages, help with utilities, and assistance purchasing essential medication. Yet what matters most to her is human connection. “The most important thing is to talk with someone,” she says. “Communication means everything.”

Right now, you can make a meaningful difference in the lives of Holocaust survivors like Ariandna. Your gift today can help ensure elderly survivors receive the care, comfort, and support they urgently need.