When Bread and Butter are a precious memory

Since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023, sixty-eight Holocaust survivors have made Aliyah to Israel. Forty-four of them came from the former Soviet Union.

The average age of the 123,715 Holocaust survivors living in Israel is 88, while 257 survivors are older than 100 years.

For many survivors, the dark period of the Second World War is relived again as memories of pain and fear, which tend to resurface due to the current war. A few of these survivors are regularly visited by the ICEJ Homecare team, and over the years precious friendships have been built with these dear elderly Jews.

Luba is one of them. Let us take you on a recent visit to this 98-year-old small, elegantly dressed lady whom we have helped whenever she had a need.

We walked through a rather poor Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood to her small one-room flat in a tall, worn-looking apartment building. When we rang the doorbell, it took time for her to open the door, due to her hearing loss. But she opened the door with a happy smile and a warm welcome.

For Luba, life became more challenging when her only son and his wife passed away a few years ago, shortly after each other. Though she has close contact with grandchildren and a niece, they live abroad and sometimes she says with sadness: “I often feel so lonely, especially in the long evenings. I wish you could come more often.”

In her small but cozy kitchen, the teacups were ready to be filled. Often, she prepares “blinciki,” a speciality from Eastern Europe. It is a rolled dough filled with cheese and served with sour cream. But when we asked her what her favourite food is, she said with excitement, “bread with butter.”

This very ordinary fare brings back her memories of escaping the threat of Nazi Germany by train together with her family – a train ride this 15-year young girl endured for months. At every stop, her mother and other passengers went out of the train to look for food. All the valuable items they took with them were gradually exchanged for food. Her mother was able to purchase bread and butter, and it was on this staple food that they survived the long and frightening journey.

While telling her story of escape, Luba took a knife and carefully showed the sliver of butter she was allowed on her piece of bread. It was almost nothing. She revealed that although she was fleeing because she was a Jew, she hardly knew what it meant. It was only on the train that she met Orthodox Jews for the first time.

After the war she found her way in life, married, had a son, and worked hard in communist Belarus before making Aliyah with her son to Israel.

When Luba shared her story about the bread and butter that became her favourite food all her life, it came from a hidden place within her heart. Out of that dark time, it is the main thing she remembers. That which gave her joy, bread and butter, has stayed with Luba all her life.

Luba values life, and even though she experienced the loss and horror of the Second World War, she still holds on to the good, which gives her hope. There is that hidden place in her heart for a sweet memory amid difficult circumstances.

We feel privileged to be part of Luba’s life. After the tea was finished and all the other things were said and done, we bid her farewell and walked back into the spring sun. We were surprised by the beauty of nature as we saw a blossoming almond tree just outside her building. This was a beautiful reminder of the seasons of life. The almond tree is the first tree to blossom and announce that winter will soon be over to allow new life to begin. As it is with Luba’s story, from the ashes of the Holocaust came forth life and new hope.

Spending time among these amazing survivors, we know that although the government is doing its best, many are finding it difficult to make ends meet.