Light a candle of remembrance to honor the victims

JORGE L,

My heart truly breaks for the millions of Jews who suffered the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust. But I am also deeply saddened for the thousands of survivors who now, in the twilight of their years, find themselves living in abject poverty and desperate conditions.

Tomorrow sundown, April 18, begins Yom Hashoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day. I invite you to light a candle of remembrance to honor the victims.
This day has special meaning for Jews and Christians all over the world. In Israel, all activity comes to a halt as the entire nation observes two minutes of silence. And around the world, Jews — often together with Christians — gather to memorialize the 6 million Jews murdered simply for being Jews. Among the people stopping to reflect will be a Holocaust survivor from Romania named Perla.

Perla now lives in Israel. She is 76 years old and has no family. She sleeps in homeless shelters and depends on a Fellowship-sponsored soup kitchen for her only warm meal each day.

“The Fellowship really cares for the neediest people in Israel and is the only place for me to turn to for help,” Perla says. “Thank you for being like my family during these difficult times.”

As Holocaust Remembrance Day approaches, our work takes on an added sense of urgency. Not only because of the desperate conditions so many elderly survivors like Perla are experiencing, but because the circumstances that allowed the Holocaust to occur are tragically once again taking shape before our eyes.
Today, Israel is under constant threat from her enemies. Anti-Semitism is once again on the rise around the world. There has never been a more critical time for us to stand united with the people of Israel and Jews everywhere and shout: “Never again!”
Please join with me and the thousands of Fellowship friends around the world by lighting a candle of remembrance honoring those who were murdered during the Holocaust and by praying and helping those poor survivors who still need us today.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President

PS	If you feel as strongly as I do about the heartbreaking conditions these elderly men and women now face, then I urge you to light a candle and make a generous gift to help them today.