Soon after everyone had arrived and the introductions were made, sweet Chinese melodies filled the Shalom House as one of the Chinese guests began playing the grand piano. Gifts were presented to the survivors from the Chinese visitors, with words of greetings and smiles shared around the table. Mila Fleitman, the leader of Children of the Holocaust also gifted Bozena and Andre with Passover sweets in appreciation of their hospitality.

Before dessert was served, Doug Hershey from America gave a presentation on his book, Israel Rising, containing pictures of Israel dating back to more than a hundred years ago, which aroused great interest in the group. Later, two of the survivors stood up and shared their stories. To close the evening, an opera song was beautifully sung by the Chinese pianist.

The entire event was awe-inspiring, filled with love and appreciation, and impact it had on those who attended was felt in the entire the room. Helping Hand Coalition’s work with the survivors is always a touching experience, but this was a specially memorable event.

A massive thank you to Deede and Tom Hinson and their friends for buying and preparing the delicious lunch.  Also, thanks to Children of the Holocaust for participating and the guests who joined and helped set up the event.