Petra Hennig, staff member at the March of Life House in Caesarea, on the current situation of Holocaust survivors in Israel: The current situation since October 7, 2023, is unprecedented. Until then, no one would have thought that something like the Holocaust or a pogrom could happen in Israel itself. The Israelis’ sense of security suddenly disappeared. Many Holocaust survivors felt transported back to the time of World War II. The rocket attacks from Iran in June 2025 were bad, but the Holocaust survivors have shown remarkable resilience. Although everyone found the attacks stressful, they did not have as far-reaching traumatic effects on the Holocaust survivors – at least not on those I spoke to – as the events of October 7. However, the situation with shelters remains a problem. Only about 50% of Israelis have their own shelter in their homes or apartments. The rest have to run to a nearby shelter when the alarm sounds. Holocaust survivors are also affected by this. Some of them, for example, had to run down from the eighth floor to the basement or through several buildings to reach a shelter. Some even remained in the stairwell because they could not make it there in time.
After twelve days of rocket alarms and bunker stays, we were finally able to celebrate life again last week together with our guests from Or Akiva. The encounters, the conversations, and the laughter were a ray of hope for the Holocaust survivors and strengthened the feeling of solidarity.
Once again, the “Am Israel Chai” rang out loud and clear, becoming a declaration of life in times of crisis.
About the work in Caesarea:
The March of Life House in Caesarea has been a place of encounter and friendship since 2015. For many Holocaust survivors in Israel, it has become a sign of hope. Petra Hennig is a staff member in Caesarea and regularly hosts meetings with Holocaust survivors and their descendants in the house, where they eat, talk, and enjoy fellowship together. In this way, one of the greatest needs of the survivors is directly addressed—loneliness and being left alone with their traumas—and the mission of the prophet Isaiah is fulfilled: “Comfort, comfort my people.”
The running costs for rent, food, house and garden maintenance, etc. are very high in Israel and cannot always be fully covered by income from regular donations and overnight stays. With your donation, you help us to keep the house available for Holocaust survivors and other guests. To the Betterplace donation project:
https://www.betterplace.org/en/projects/75594-a-place-of-friendship-and-a-sign-of-hope-for-holocaust-survivors?utm_campaign=nl-pr&utm_medium=greeting-link&utm_source=pr-nl-75594
