Haifa Home residents delight in new experiences!
Published on: 2.5.2023
By: Yudit Setz

Here is the latest from the ICEJ’s unique Home for Holocaust survivors in Haifa.
Spring in the air

After the rain and cold of winter, the warmer weather brings everything into bloom here in northern Israel. Spring is in the air! Israel is so fresh and green again.

Survivors looking at flowers
Many of our residents long to see flowers blooming in nature, but some are too weak to go by themselves. They stay at home day after day, but want to go out and see something new. Some used to have gardens of their own and they love flowers.
Not far from Haifa is Kibbutz Ygur, located on the slopes of Mount Carmel, which has a large nursery and greenhouse full of colourful flowers. This was a wonderful place to take a group of our residents who enjoy the beauty of flowers and wanted to drink a cup of coffee in the nursery’s little café.

For Sofia the outing was a balm for her soul. “These flowers don’t only bring joy to my eyes, but they fill my soul with joy,” she exclaimed.

One of our wheelchair-bound residents, Julia, recently arrived from Ukraine with her son. “I didn’t realise Haifa is such a big city”, she said. “The only thing I see is my apartment, the dining room, and the doctor’s office.”

A bird’s eye view of Haifa
The ICEJ team also organised a special sightseeing tour in Haifa for a group of our residents. The change in environment, the beautiful weather, and the excitement of getting out was a great way for them to bond together, even if they cannot always communicate in the same language.
Cable car-Haifa

Haifa is built on the Carmel range and in 2022 a cable car opened to the public. From the cable car you can see breath-taking views all over Haifa Bay and the surrounding area. Our residents were very excited to try the new cable cars and thoroughly enjoyed the bird’s eye view of the sea, forests and neighbourhoods of Haifa.

When reaching the top, we all were ready to visit the local coffee shop before the return trip down the mountain. Everyone came home a little tired but full of memories and stories to share! “I am so glad I could join; it is so much better than sitting at home”, said Emma.
Students taking photos of residents

Holocaust Remembrance Day
In preparation for Holocaust Remembrance Day in mid-April, the Haifa Home hosted groups of young Israelis eager to meet Holocaust survivors. One group of teenagers is studying photography at Haifa’s Reut School of Arts, and they came with a very special project in mind; an exhibition dedicated to the survivors. The students spent time with different residents in the Home, taking photos and capturing their inner beauty for a photographic exhibition of the survivors to be held on Yom HaShoah in the Krieger Auditorium in Haifa. The residents treasured the chance to be models for a day! “It makes me so happy to be around these young people, who are so full of life,” said 91-year-old Zelda.

Esti telling her story to the group
Passover Holiday
Right before Passover, many organisations work tirelessly to prepare food packages for needy families and the elderly, so no one will go hungry during the week-long Pesach holiday. Many volunteers from local businesses, the army and police joined our residents in preparing hundreds of holiday packages for needy Holocaust survivors in Haifa and other parts of the country.
A group of students also came from a high school in Mitzpe Ramon, way down in the Negev, and managed to pack 200 food parcels with us in two hours. Afterwards, they listened to Esti, one of our residents, tell her life story.
Naomi and her adopters

Swiss adopters visit Naomi
The Glauser family recently came from Switzerland to meet Naomi, a Haifa Home resident they have been supporting. Naomi welcome them warmly and recounted some of the atrocities she had endured during the Holocaust.

Naomi was born in Chernovtsy (today in Ukraine) in 1934. When the war began, her town came under Nazi occupation. Naomi’s family was forced into a ghetto, while her father was taken to a labour camp. Naomi’s uncle and aunt also disappeared in a camp.

In the ghetto, Naomi’s family was often threatened by random gun fire and hid in an attic for safety. One day, two Nazi officers severely beat Naomi’s mother and ordered them to be shot, but they were spared and hidden by Christian neighbours until their liberation by Russian forces. It turned out Naomi’s father was still alive and they could return home in 1947, but their traumatic experiences stayed with them.

Despite all her hardships in life, Naomi remains a resilient person, and her courage truly inspired the Glauser family.

“After being in contact with Naomi for three years now, I was able to visit her for the first time with my family”, said Ursula Glauser. “It was very special to see Naomi, to listen to her and to feel her big heart. Although we brought gifts with us, I am the one who is going home richer for it. Thank you very much!”

Introducing Boris
Boris and Etta came to live in the Haifa Home for Holocaust Survivors five years ago. Boris, now 88, was born in Zaporozhe, in Ukraine, in 1934. When he was seven years old, the war came to his town. His first memory of the war is when his father rushed to their apartment and yelled something to his mother. She just had time to grab a pillow and a blanket, and they left their home immediately.

Boris
While German soldiers were entering their town, the family ran to the train station on the opposite side of town, where a train was about to leave. They quickly boarded a cargo car and sat on a pile of straw. Boris remembers the train faced air raids all the way to Moscow. When the German planes appeared, the train stopped and Boris’ father cried: “Get out, fast”. Everyone ran from the train and hid near the tracks while machine guns were firing. When the planes left, the train continued on its way.

Boris’ family was brought to Omsk, a small town in Siberia. The winter of 1941-1942 was extremely cold as temperatures dropped to -40C. They arrived without warm clothes and were suffering from the severe cold. Boris remembers that once on the way to school, his ears got so cold that he got sick and has had problems with his ears ever since.

When he was still a schoolboy, antisemitism was rampant in the Soviet Union and from a very young age Boris had to fight to protect himself, only because he was Jewish. He would come home with bruises all over his face. His father had to work at the military factory from early morning until very late at night and could not protect his son.

After high school, Boris joined the Soviet army. One day he and some comrades took unauthorised leave and as punishment they were sent to a construction unit. There, he met people from all over the country, including some who did not speak Russian. So, in the evenings he taught them Russian, which also helped him learn the basics of several other languages.

After his army service, Boris entered university for language studies. He finished the courses but did not want to become a teacher. This angered the authorities, who sent him to a very distant village as punishment for his “rebellious character”. A year later he returned to Omsk and began working at a factory in the patent department. He saw different inventions made in other countries and noticed the low quality of products and life in the Soviet Union.

When perestroika (“restructuring”) began in the late 1980s, the factory where he worked was closed. It was a difficult time and crime became rampant. Boris and his wife Etta always felt like strangers in the Soviet Union, as they suffered a lot from antisemitism. So, in 1999 they finally decided to make Aliyah to Israel.

They quickly came to love Israel and today they are so glad to be at the Haifa Home. The couple had to move many times in Haifa, and when they heard about our Home five years ago, they were eager to move in. They remain very grateful to live in a place that takes such good care of them and where they do not have to move again.
海法大屠殺生還者居民喜歡新的體驗！
發表於：2.5.2023
作者：尤迪特·塞茨
這是 ICEJ 在海法獨特的大屠殺生還者的最新消息。
空氣中的春天
經歷了冬天的雨水和寒冷之後，溫暖的天氣讓以色列北部的萬物綻放。春意盎然！以色列再次變得如此新鮮和綠色。
看花的生還者
我們的許多居民都渴望看到大自然盛開的花朵，但有些人太虛弱了，不能自己去。他們日復一日呆在家裡，但想出去看看新事物。有些人曾經有自己的花園，他們喜歡花。

離海法不遠的是基布茲伊古爾，它位於卡梅爾山的山坡上，那裡有一個很大的苗圃和溫室，裡面種滿了五顏六色的鮮花。這是一個很棒的地方，可以讓我們的一群居民享受鮮花的美麗，並想在護苗所的小咖啡館裡喝杯咖啡。
對索菲亞來說，郊遊是她心靈的安慰。「這些花不僅給我的眼睛帶來歡樂，而且讓我的靈魂充滿歡樂，」她感嘆道。
我們的一位坐輪椅的居民 Julia 最近帶著她的兒子從烏克蘭來到這裡。 「我沒有意識到海法是一個這麼大的城市」，她說。「我唯一能看到的就是我的屋、餐廳和醫生辦公室。」

鳥瞰海法
ICEJ 團隊還為我們的一群居民在海法組織了一次特別的觀光旅遊。環境的變化、宜人的天氣和外出的興奮是他們聯繫在一起的好方法，即使他們不能總是用同一種語言交流。

纜車-海法

海法建在卡梅爾山脈之上，並於2022年向公眾開放了纜車。 纜車上您可以欣賞到海法灣及周邊地區令人嘆為觀止的景色。我們的居民非常興奮地嘗試了新的纜車，並充分享受了海法的大海、森林和社區的鳥瞰圖。
到達山頂後，我們都準備好在下山回程前去當地的咖啡店逛逛。每個人回到家都有些疲倦，但充滿了回憶和故事！「我很高興能加入；這比坐在家裡好多了，」艾瑪說。
學生為住戶拍照

大屠殺紀念日
為準備4月中旬的大屠殺紀念日，海法之家接待了一群渴望見到大屠殺生還者的年輕以色列人。一群青少年正在海法的 Reut 藝術學院學習攝影，他們帶著一個非常特別的項目來到這裡；獻給生還者的展覽。學生們與療養院的不同居民共度時光，為生還者的攝影展拍照並捕捉他們的內在美，這些倖存者將於贖罪日在海法克里格禮堂舉行。居民們非常珍惜當一天模特的機會！「和這些充滿活力的年輕人在一起讓我很開心，」91 歲的塞爾達說。
Esti向大家講述她的故事

逾越節假期
逾越節前夕，許多組織不辭辛勞地為有需要的家庭和老人準備食物包，這樣在為期一星期的逾越節假期裡，沒有人會挨餓。來自當地企業、軍隊和警察的許多志願者與我們的居民一起為海法和該國其他地區有需要的大屠殺生還者準備了數百個假期套餐。
一群學生也來自內蓋夫南部米茨佩拉蒙的一所高中，並在兩個小時內與我們一起打包了 200 個食品包裹。 之後，他們聽了我們的一位居民 Esti 講述了她的人生故事。

Naomi和她的助養者
瑞士領養者拜訪 Naomi
Glauser一家最近從瑞士趕來會見他們一直支持的海法之家居民 Naomi。Naomi熱情地歡迎他們，並講述了她在大屠殺期間遭受的一些暴行。

Naomi於1934 年出生於切爾諾夫策（今烏克蘭）。戰爭開始時，她的小鎮被納粹佔領。 Naomi 的家人被迫進入貧民窟，而她的父親則被帶到勞改營。Naomi的叔叔和嬸嬸也消失在了一個集中營裡。

在貧民區，內奧米的家人經常受到隨機槍擊的威脅，為了安全躲在閣樓裡。 一天，兩名納粹軍官毒打內奧米的母親，並下令槍決她們，但她們倖免於難，被基督教鄰居藏起來，直到被俄羅斯軍隊解放。原來娜奧米的父親還活著，他們可以在 1947 年回家，但他們的創傷經歷一直伴隨著他們。

儘管生活艱辛，Naomi 仍然是一個堅韌不拔的人，她的勇氣真正鼓舞了Glauser一家。

「在與Naomi聯繫三年後，我第一次能夠與家人一起拜訪她」，Ursula Glauser說。見到Naomi、傾聽她的聲音並感受她寬廣的胸懷是非常特別的。雖然我們帶了禮物，但我是回家的人。「非常感謝你！」

介紹鮑里斯

鮑里斯和埃塔五年前來到海法大屠殺生還者之家居住。現年88歲的鮑里斯1934年出生於烏克蘭的紮波羅熱。他七歲時，戰爭來到了他的家鄉。他對戰爭的第一個記憶是他父親衝到他們的屋，對他母親大喊大叫。她剛來得及拿了一個枕頭和一條毯子，他們就立刻離開了家。

鮑里斯
當德國士兵進入他們的城鎮時，一家人跑到城鎮對面的火車站，那裡有一列火車即將離開。他們迅速登上一輛貨車，坐在一堆稻草上。鮑里斯記得火車在開往莫斯科的途中遭遇空襲。當德國飛機出現時，火車停了下來，鮑里斯的父親喊道：「快出去」。當機槍開火時，每個人都從火車上跑了出來，躲在鐵軌附近。飛機離開後，火車繼續前行。
鮑里斯一家被帶到了西伯利亞的小鎮鄂木斯克。1941-1942年的冬天非常寒冷，氣溫降至-40攝氏度。他們來的時候沒有穿暖和的衣服，而且正忍受著嚴寒。鮑里斯記得有一次在上學的路上，他的耳朵受涼，因此生病了，從此耳朵就出了問題。
當他還是一名學生時，反猶太主義在蘇聯猖獗，從很小的時候起，鮑里斯就不得不為保護自己而戰，只因為他是猶太人。他會滿臉瘀傷回家。他的父親不得不在軍工廠從早到晚工作，無法保護他的兒子。
高中畢業後，鮑里斯加入了蘇聯軍隊。一天，他和一些同志擅自請假，作為處罰，他們被送到了施工單位。 在那裡，他遇到了來自全國各地的人，包括一些不會說俄語的人。因此，他在晚上教他們俄語，這也幫助他學習了其他幾種語言的基礎知識。

服完兵役後，鮑里斯進入大學學習語言。他完成了課程，但不想成為一名教師。這激怒了當局，當局將他送到一個很遠的村莊作為對他「叛逆性格」的懲罰。一年後，他回到鄂木斯克，開始在一家工廠的專利部門工作。他看到了其他國家的不同發明，注意到蘇聯產品和生活質量低下。

當 perestroika（「重組」）於 80 年代後期開始時，他工作的工廠關閉了。那是一段艱難的時期，犯罪變得猖獗。鮑里斯和他的妻子埃塔在蘇聯一直感覺像陌生人，因為他們深受反猶太主義的折磨。 因此，在1999年，他們最終決定將Aliyah帶到以色列。

他們很快就愛上了以色列，今天他們很高興來到海法之家。這對夫婦不得不在海法多次搬家，當他們在五年前聽說我們的家園時，就迫不及待地想搬進來。他們仍然非常感激能住在一個對他們如此照顧的地方，而他們卻沒有再次移動。