Israel Benevolence Fund is partnering with others in Israel to give widows, orphans, and Holocaust survivors 50,000 double-layered, water resistant, warm fleece jacket and hats for the harsh winter months as many of them cannot afford to use heaters to warm their houses. The state stipends for Holocaust survivors amount to barely $300 a month, not enough to pay for basic necessities.
According to figures presented by the National Insurance Institute and other Israeli agencies, out of the 250,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel in 2007, 20,000 receive reparations from Germany and another 40,000 are paid stipends by the state. The overwhelming majority, however, receive no support whatsoever. Under Israeli law, those survivors who arrived in Israel after 1953 are ineligible for government benefits.
To bless 5,000 Holocaust survivors in a very practical way, we purchased 2,500 high-quality fleece jackets and hats. 2,500 jackets have been distributed in Akko, Haifa, Jerusalem, Ashdod and Tel-Aviv.
Many people came to hug and thank us: “You did something fantastic for us; the people were so touched… May God bless you!”
“Thank God somebody cares for us – I had no warm jacket for this winter,” said Leah from Jerusalem. She survived the ghettos in Nazi occupied Ukraine and can’t make ends meet on her own.
Michael another ghetto survivor: “You warmed our hearts, it’s not just the jackets, it is your attitude and love that we feel. Thank you from all of my heart!”
David did not have his own winter coat but was wearing a woman’s coat given to him last year. He and his wife Asia just celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary. Asia cried at the gift of a coat for David.
Luba is very poor. Her husband has Alzheimer’s and is in a facility– all her money goes to care for him. She lives in an apartment that is furnished- nothing is hers except her clothes and photo album from her family in the war. She was very grateful for the coat as she did not have one for winter.
Another survivor asked us to thank the sponsors for the warm fleece jacket, while another ghetto survivor was happy to receive such a beautiful gift for Chanukah and said: “Let the generous giver’s hand be prosperous, be blessed!”
“This Chanukah gift given by you is a proof of the caring heart and loving attitude towards us, the Holocaust survivors. Thank you for this.”
Thank you so much for donating to this special project, as we show these courageous survivors that they have not been forgotten. We are working together with others to be your representatives of love and compassion here in the land.
“Not unto us, O L-RD, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake.”(Psalm 115)