Haifa Home renovates dining hall, prepares for war
Published on: 27.2.2024
By: Yudit Setz

Among the many activities of late at the ICEJ’s Home for Holocaust Survivors in Haifa, we have completely renovated the community dining room, and also made preparations to safeguard the residents in case the current war in Gaza escalates to the point of engulfing northern Israel in a major conflict with Hizbullah in Lebanon.

War preparations underway
Israeli leaders have warned that tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated from communities along the northern border may not be able to safely return to their homes unless the IDF goes into southern Lebanon to push the Hizbullah terror militia back from the border area. This would likely lead to a major escalation in the current war, with several thousand Hizbullah rockets fired into northern Israel every day.

In response, the ICEJ has taken several steps to make our Haifa Home better prepared to protect the elderly Holocaust survivors who reside there. First, we have arranged with the city of Haifa and the electric company to provide a large back-up generator that can supply power for the entire block where most of the residents live in case of a power failure. We have organized a large safe room just off the dining hall to allow quick access during meals and community meetings. We also have purchased and stored away food and emergency items to take care of the residents should no one be able to go outside.

In addition, we have also equipped a large underground shelter at a public school across the street to house the residents should Haifa come under heavy rocket barrages. We are also making a room into a safe room in the building where part of our residents from the Ukraine live.
Preparing bomb shelter
Shelter preparation
ICEJ Logistics prepares shelter
Preparing shelter
safe room near dining area
Safe room
Ambulance
New ambulance

Finally, we have donated a new ambulance to serve Holocaust survivors at the Home and other survivors throughout the Haifa region.

We pray that the conflict will not widen, as the residents of the Haifa Home have already seen enough wars and suffering in their lives. But we need to be prepared just in case.
Mania speaks at Holocaust memorial day

Mania’s message on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
The Haifa Home marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day two days early on 25 January in the presence of ambassadors and consuls from several nations who came to show their support for the Jewish people. The gathering was moved by the testimony of Mania, a Holocaust survivor and Haifa Home resident who shared her powerful story of hope in the face of great adversity. She brought a very sobering message as she reflected on how the Hamas massacres on October 7 had made the vow “Never Again” seemingly lose its meaning.

With rising antisemitism now approaching the levels of the 1930s in Europe, Holocaust survivors are determined to raise their voices to ensure their stories of suffering and loss of entire families are not forgotten.

In Israel today, there are 137,401 Holocaust survivors still living in the Land. Their ages range from 77 to 111 years old, and 62% are women. We want to keep their stories alive, to support and care for them, and to stand with them in this dark hour.
Moshe bar haim

Remembering Moshe Bar Haim
Moshe Bar Haim, a resident of the Haifa Home, was born in Romania and lived happily with his family as a child. But his life drastically changed during World War Two when the family was forced into hiding. After a long time of fear of getting caught, the Jewish family was finally discovered by German forces. They were separated and sent to different camps. It was there that Moshe witnessed unimaginable horrors and faced traumas, hardships, and heartache that would mark him for life.

Miraculously, they survived the war and were liberated by the Russian army, and he soon sailed for Mandatory Palestine. But on the way, the ship was stopped by British forces and Moshe was brought to Cyprus, where he and other Jewish war refugees were put into detention camps yet again. Eventually, Moshe arrived in Israel, where he studied agriculture, was drafted as a soldier, and ultimately became a teacher. He then moved to America, where he discovered his talent as a chef and restaurateur, running a thriving restaurant with his wife.

Sadly, Moshe’s life was once again touched by grief when he lost his wife after 46 years, followed later by the loss of his youngest daughter. In his later years, Moshe found himself in need of a supportive environment, which he found at the Haifa Home until his passing on January 30, 2024, at the age of 90. His departure has left a void among his family and friends and the entire community at the Haifa Home.

Yaacov celebrates 100th birthday
Haifa Home resident Yaacov H. just reached the remarkable age of 100, joining two other centenarians with Polish roots at the Home! The dedicated care of our amazing 24/7 caregivers, and the activities and love offered at the Home, all contribute to the longevity of our residents. The Haifa Home continues to be a place of warmth and joy which inspires our residents and team. Thank you for allowing us to celebrate these milestones with these precious Holocaust survivors!

Renovated dining room reopens
We are always keen to make the common public spaces at our Haifa Home more beautiful, homey and inviting for our residents. So, we embarked on a major renovation of the community dining hall, modernizing the kitchen, and adding a special corner for all the dairy products plus an industrial dishwasher.

After a month of extremely hard work by a carefully selected group of wonderful professional builders, we finally were able to have a festive and joyous reopening in mid-February.
Opening of renovated dining room
Holocaust survivors and care givers celebrate the opening of the dining room

Joy was beaming from the faces of the residents. The significance of the dining room is not just enjoying the meals our residents share there every day, but also the feeling of belonging together, of seeing one another, conversing with each other, and so much more. It also is the place where most of the main community gatherings, such as concerts and group visits, are held.

The renovation plans were done by an interior designer from the Caucasus region named Maya who made Aliyah last year. Besides being an engineer, interior design is in her heart. For us to give a new Jewish immigrant their first project in the country was an added blessing in this renovation.

“This is my first project in Israel. I put my heart and soul into it to bring some joy to the Holocaust survivors, who suffered so much,” said Maya. “I hope that when they enter the room, it will give them a warm and joyful feeling and will add some positive things in their life.”

Maya is a joyful and energetic person, and she indeed put her whole self into it, putting in long hours alongside the local construction workers.

With beautiful music from a violin and pan flute, delicious delicacies, and a festive meal, the dining hall was officially reopened. The room was packed! Most residents and their caregivers who came were delighted to be together and enjoy the new look and feel.

“Wow, it is so beautiful and homey! It is like sitting in a very nice restaurant,” many residents agreed.

They also were eager to thank all their generous Christian friends worldwide who made this revamped dining hall possible.

Please continue to support the Haifa Home and the ICEJ’s other efforts to care for the needs of ageing Holocaust survivors in Israel.

Donate at: give.icej.org/survivors

海法之家翻新餐廳，為戰爭做準備
發佈於：2024年2月27日
作者：尤迪特·塞茨

最近，ICEJ 在海法的大屠殺生還者之家開展了許多活動，其中包括徹底翻修了社區餐廳，並做好了保護居民的準備，以防目前加沙的戰爭升級到席捲以色列北部的地步。與黎巴嫩真主黨發生重大衝突。

戰爭準備工作正在進行中
以色列領導人警告說，除非以色列國防軍進入黎巴嫩南部，將真主黨恐怖民兵從邊境地區擊退，否則從北部邊境社區撤離的數萬名以色列人可能無法安全返回家園。這可能會導致當前戰爭嚴重升級，黎巴嫩真主黨每天都會向以色列北部發射數千枚火箭。

作為回應，ICEJ 已採取多項措施，讓我們的海法之家做好更好的準備，以保護居住在那裡的老年大屠殺生還者。首先，我們與海法市和電力公司安排提供大型備用發電機，在停電時可以為大多數居民居住的整個街區供電。 我們在餐廳附近組織了一個大型安全室，以便在用餐和社區會議期間快速進入。 我們也購買並儲存了食物和緊急物品，以便在沒有人能夠外出時照顧居民。

此外，我們還在街對面的一所公立學校配備了一個大型地下避難所，以便在海法遭受猛烈火箭彈襲擊時為居民提供住所。我們也在部分烏克蘭居民居住的大樓中將一間房間改造成安全室。
準備防空洞
避難所準備
ICEJ Logistics 準備庇護所
準備庇護所
用餐區附近的安全室
安全屋
救護車
新救護車

最後，我們捐贈了一輛新的救護車，為收容所的大屠殺生還者和海法地區的其他生還者提供服務。

我們祈禱衝突不會擴大，因為海法之家的居民已經在生活中經歷了足夠的戰爭和苦難。但我們需要做好準備，以防萬一。
馬尼亞在大屠殺紀念日發表講話

馬尼亞國際大屠殺紀念日致辭
1 月 25 日提前兩天，海法之家慶祝了國際大屠殺紀念日，來自多個國家的大使和領事出席了活動，表達了對猶太人的支持。 大屠殺生還者、海法之家居民馬尼亞的證詞感動了與會者，她分享了她在逆境中充滿希望的強大故事。 當她反思 10 月 7 日的哈馬斯大屠殺如何使「不再發生」的誓言似乎失去意義時，她帶來了一個非常發人深省的信息。

隨著歐洲反猶太主義的興起接近 20 世紀 30 年代的水平，大屠殺生還者決心大聲疾呼，以確保他們的痛苦和失去整個家庭的故事不被遺忘。

如今，在以色列，仍有 137,401 名大屠殺倖存者生活在這片土地上。 他們的年齡從77歲到111歲不等，其中62%是女性。 我們希望讓他們的故事永存，支持和關心他們，並在這個黑暗的時刻與他們站在一起。

摩西·巴爾·海姆

紀念摩西·巴爾·海姆
摩西‧巴爾‧海姆 (Moshe Bar Haim) 是海法之家的居民，出生於羅馬尼亞，小時候與家人幸福地生活在一起。 但第二次世界大戰期間，他的家人被迫躲藏起來，他的生活發生了巨大的變化。 在長時間擔心被抓後，這個猶太家庭終於被德軍發現了。 他們被分開並被送往不同的營地。 正是在那裡，摩西目睹了難以想像的恐怖，並面臨了終生難忘的創傷、艱辛和心痛。

奇蹟般地，他們在戰爭中生還下來，並被俄羅斯軍隊解放，他很快就啟航前往託管地巴勒斯坦。 但在途中，這艘船被英國軍隊攔截，摩西被帶到塞浦路斯，他和其他猶太戰爭難民再次被關進拘留營。 最終，摩西抵達以色列，在那裡學習農業，應徵入伍，最後成為一名教師。 然後他搬到了美國，在那裡他發現了自己作為廚師和餐館老闆的天賦，與妻子一起經營了一家生意興隆的餐廳。

可悲的是，46年後，摩西失去了妻子，隨後又失去了小女兒，他的生活再次被悲傷所觸動。 在他的晚年，Moshe 發現自己需要一個支持性的環境，他在海法之家找到了這樣的環境，直到2024 年1 月30 日去世，享年90 歲。他的離開給他的家人、朋友和家人留下了空白。海法之家的整個社區。

雅科夫慶祝 100 歲生日
海法之家的居民 Yaacov H. 剛剛迎來 100 歲高齡，加入了該之家另外兩位具有波蘭血統的百歲老人！ 我們amaz的竭誠關懷24/7 的護理人員以及療養院提供的活動和關懷，都有助於我們居民的長壽。 海法之家仍然是一個充滿溫暖和歡樂的地方，激勵著我們的居民和團隊。 感謝您讓我們與這些珍貴的大屠殺生還者一起慶祝這些里程碑！

翻新後的餐廳重新開放
我們始終熱衷於讓海法之家的公共公共空間對我們的居民來說更加美麗、溫馨和有吸引力。 因此，我們開始對社區餐廳進行重大改造，對廚房進行現代化改造，並為所有乳製品添加一個特殊的角落和工業洗碗機。

經過精心挑選的一群優秀的專業建設者一個月的艱苦努力，我們終於能夠在二月中旬迎來一個喜慶而歡樂的重新開業。
翻新後的餐廳開業
大屠殺生還者和護理人員慶祝餐廳開業

居民們臉上洋溢著喜悅。 餐廳的意義不僅在於享受我們的居民每天在那裡分享的飯菜，還在於一種歸屬感、互相見面、互相交談等等的感覺。 它也是大多數主要社區聚會的舉辦地，例如音樂會和團體參觀。

翻修計劃是由一位來自高加索地區的室內設計師 Maya 完成的，他去年設計了 Aliyah。 除了工程師的身份之外，她還熱衷於室內設計。 對我們來說，為新的猶太移民提供他們在該國的第一個項目是這次翻修的額外祝福。

「這是我在以色列的第一個計畫。 我全心投入其中，為遭受苦難的大屠殺生還者帶來一些歡樂。」瑪雅說。「我希望當他們走進房間時，能給他們一種溫暖、快樂的感覺，為他們的生活增添一些積極的東西。」

瑪雅是一個快樂而充滿活力的人，她確實全身心投入其中，與當地建築工人一起工作了很長時間。

伴隨著優美的小提琴排笛音樂、美味的佳餚、豐盛的節慶大餐，食堂正式重新開幕。 房間擠滿了人！ 大多數前來的居民和他們的護理人員很高興能聚在一起並享受新的外觀和感覺。

「哇，真是美麗又溫馨！ 就像坐在一家非常好的餐廳一樣。」許多居民表示同意。

他們也熱切地感謝世界各地所有慷慨的基督徒朋友，是他們使這個改造後的餐廳成為可能。

請繼續支持海法之家和 ICEJ 為滿足以色列老年大屠殺生還者的需求所做的其他努力。

捐款地址：give.icej.org/survivors