Month: April 2025

My father was a holocaust survivor. He was born in 1931 and was only 8 when the war broke.

My grandmother decided to take her kids and flee the village they lived in.

The oldest daughter decided to stay behind, and only when the war ended and they were able to return home did they find out she was captured by the Nazi soldiers who raped her in the middle of the street and left her to die.

They managed to hide in the barn of a Polish farmer, paying handsomely to the owner. When the money ran out, my they were sent away. They survived the ghetto and even the death marches they endured for months. All of which left their mark on each and every one.

My father never shared much with us about his experiences. Like many of his generation, it hurt to try and tell your children of the horrors you have been through. Most of the stories we know of today are from what his sister and other family members shared over the years.

In 2025, Israel remains home to one of the largest and most active communities of Holocaust survivors in the world. Although the total number of survivors continues to decline each year due to aging, it is estimated that they number around 124,000 (this number includes survivors, refugees, and victims of antisemitic persecution).

Most of the survivors are in their mid to late 80s, 90s, and beyond.

Despite the challenges of advanced age and the passage of time, Israel in 2025 remains deeply committed – at governmental, communal, and personal levels —to honoring Holocaust survivors, ensuring their welfare, and safeguarding their stories for future generations.

Though the Israeli government provides some support to survivors, many feel we are not doing enough to assist and preserve this great generation. Many find themselves in dire financial states, often having to choose between food or medication to make their small stipends stretch as much as possible.

One of the greatest needs these survivors have is for companionship. Many find themselves very lonely, especially as their loved ones age and pass. We have been fortunate to work with a group of holocaust survivors over the years, celebrating them and with them, and assisting where we could.

Rivka was one of the holocaust survivors we were honored to work with. Sadly, she passed in 2017. This video was recorded a year prior to her passing.

^{Staring Death in the Eye 0 Rivka Shechman}

So today, as Israel commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day, I remember. I honor my dad for the life he lived despite the atrocities and horrors he saw and experienced. I remember Rivka and the color she brought into my life. And all the others we have been privileged to walk through life with. We remember.

Daniel Weiss grew up in Kibutz Be’eri. He survived October 7th but his parents – Shmulik and Yehudit Weiss – did not.

Daniel is a musician and artist. He became a well-known figure thanks to his story and his powerful performances.

In this rendition of “Let My People Go!” he is one of the soloists (standing 3rd from right and crying out loud at the end for his friends and relatives to be released from the dark tunnels of Gaza).

It is so hard to fathom celebrating our freedom when 59 of our own are still held captive. It makes me realize how many layers there are to true freedom.

Israel is going through a process of several layers of freedom. In the past 150 years or so we have been set free from exile; So in the geographical sense, we can celebrate our freedom, though not in fullness.

But what about our souls’ freedom? And our spiritual freedom? We are certainly not there. And as long as these kidnapped are not back home, our national soul is in bondage with them. Most Israelis, as we sit around the Seder table tonight, will refer to their suffering and our fear for their lives and sanity.

But the very fact that we can sing (yes, with tears, but still sing) and declare that our people will be let go, speaks even stronger. Simply because it means that promises are being fulfilled right before our very eyes, suffering turns into a powerful tool in God’s hand to mold our soul and awaken our spirit, and hope is becoming an anchor.

Join us as we weep and pray – that this heart’s cry of a whole nation to Let Our People Go will not only come from our souls but also from our spirits; that we will not only focus on relieving our pain but realize there is a glorious plan behind it; that we will turn this cry to the Only One who can make that happen.

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