Celebrating Rosh Hashanah With Survivors
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We have been celebrating Rosh Hashanah with survivors at the Claims Conference. In Germany, Israel and the United States, and dozens of other countries around the world, we wanted to ensure that every survivor felt acknowledged and prepared to celebrate the New Year with dignity and joy. This was made possible with the help of our partners and agencies.
In Berlin, we visited the Jeanette Wolff retirement home with Rüdiger Mahlo, Representative of the Claims Conference in Europe, and staff from the German office. There, we met and got to know Holocaust survivors from Germany, Ukraine, the Netherlands, the former Yugoslavia and other countries. We deeply admired their strength and resilience in these difficult times. It was an inspiration to meet them. We met with the residents, sitting and speaking with many of them and listening attentively to their life stories.
Several survivors fled Ukraine after the outbreak of the current war and found shelter in the home. They expressed how happy and grateful they were to be able to live among other Jewish survivors of different nationalities. Among them was a 90-year-old history teacher, Svitlana Petrowskaja. In 1941, at 6 years old, she fled German troops with her parents but lost her grandparents and aunt at Babi Yar. When the recent war broke out in Ukraine, she fled again, but this time, of all places, to Berlin. It was heartwarming to meet with these survivors and see how their resilience in their youth has persevered in their old age. They can now live their lives in good company and dignity.
In another initiative, 1,200 Holocaust survivors in Israel received food packages delivered to their homes ahead of Rosh Hashanah. This was made possible with Claims Conference partner organization, Latet, which combats poverty and nutritional insecurity in vulnerable populations, including Holocaust survivors. Our ongoing collaborations with partners like Latet are especially essential during the holidays. The packages included basic food items and sweets such as honey cookies, for the sweet celebration to come.
A survivor who received a food package was Chaim Avital in Kfar Saba. Chaim was born in 1939 in Safi, Morocco, a region under French occupation by the Vichy regime. He thanked the Latet and the Claims Conference representatives for their consistent support. He said, “I see how the representatives of Latet are giving me the ability to continue living, and that is not something to be taken for granted. I see that the people who come, come from the heart.”
In the United States, nearly twenty Holocaust survivors gathered for a Café Europa in South Orange, New Jersey, organized by Jewish Family Service of MetroWest New Jersey. They sat in a beautifully decorated room, enjoying a warm meal and heartfelt conversation. A pianist played softly as a cantor sang songs of hope and peace, culminating in a moving rendition of Kol Nidre in honor of the approaching High Holiday.
Among the attendees were Gabor Somjen and George Newman, who have been best friends for over eighty years. Despite the trauma, love and loss they experienced, they still share an unbreakable bond. In recent months, Gabor lost his son and George his beloved wife, making moments like these all the more meaningful. Sitting next to Gabor, George said, “We have known each other since we were ten years old. We’ve been friends ever since.”
At the same table, Boris Kats sat with his wife, Liya Gassler, whom he met in a Displaced Persons (DP) camp after the war. He said, “First, for us, this Jewish community is a support. Second, it gives us the opportunity to meet different people, all connected through the war. We share our memories.” Paulette Dorflaufer, born in Paris in 1943, was also in attendance. She arrived impeccably dressed, her small hat giving her the elegance of someone stepping out of a Parisian café. She said, “I love meeting people—this is where I meet other Holocaust Survivors. I’m happy they have this and that I get to be a part of it. I love hearing people tell their stories. We all have stories here.”
These three programs are examples of hundreds of worldwide programs that touch over 150,000 Holocaust survivors. It is our honor to be touched by each. We are deeply grateful to our partners around the world for their thoughtfulness and the aid they provide to Holocaust survivors around the holidays. The needs of our survivors vary greatly. Through our work, thousands received the food they needed to enjoy the holiday, and hundreds of others connected with new and old friends. We wish every survivor a sweet new year filled with strength, hope and resilience.
