While the suffering of Holocaust survivors is widely known and targeted international donations help Jewish communities in Ukraine provide basic necessities, there is no official program for the children of the post-war generation. Often, however, they too suffer terribly from the pain of their parents and the taboos surrounding their family history.
More than 1,200 needy Jewish retirees in Ukraine are now being supported through personal sponsorships by "Christians Standing with Israel" and the international umbrella organization "Christians for Israel." Our team on the ground, in cooperation with the Jewish communities, ensures that they receive not only material support but also personal attention. In addition to the direct survivors of the Holocaust, their descendants are also close to our hearts. They often grew up with only a small fraction of a normal family and could only guess at what had happened. And often, they too wait in pain for someone to see them.
Elik was once an athlete. He played professional soccer and worked as a coach. His Soviet-era wall unit is filled with trophies and certificates. But since his stroke two years ago, he can no longer care for himself. At least a caregiver from the Jewish community looks after him. He is his only contact person. Elik has no contact with his only son. Elik's mother served at sea during the war. His father is pictured in a striking framed photograph on the wall as a young Romanian Jew with a pipe. Elik never met his grandparents. He never dared to ask why.
New beginning in Czernowitz
Until World War I, Czernowitz, the capital of the Bukovina region and Elik's hometown, was ruled by the Austrian crown; German was spoken in the region. During the interwar period, Czernowitz belonged to Romania. In 1940, the region was initially annexed by the Soviet Union. Romania, allied with Nazi Germany, reoccupied the region in 1941 after the attack on the Soviet Union and established a ghetto in Czernowitz; most of the 50,000 Jews imprisoned there died during deportation to Transnistria. 19,000 Jews, who were needed to maintain the city's infrastructure, survived. After the war, Czernowitz became part of the Ukrainian Soviet Republic. Since the city had suffered little damage, it offered a new home to surviving Jews from near and far, whose towns and shtetls had been devastated by Nazi Germany.
Knitted socks and a waffle heart
Tears well up in Elik's eyes when we place a generously filled bag of groceries at the foot of his bed. He is overwhelmed when we present him with hand-knitted socks from a family friend, and also when we convey greetings from the many prayer partners and supporters in our circle of friends. Elik cries when we—my sister Cornelia and I—press one of the heart-shaped waffles our mother baked especially for this trip into his hand. With an almost tender gaze, he gazes intently at a photograph of our parents.
“Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine,” I read to him from the Isaiah 43 greeting card. As we leave, we have the impression that things have become brighter for Elik.
This article first appeared in our newspaper "Israelaktuell," issue 127. You can order the newspaper free of charge here: https://csi-aktuell.de/israelaktuell. We would also be happy to send you several copies for distribution.
