August 20th, 2020 – The Jerusalem Municipality hosted a meeting between the Jerusalem Association of Holocaust Survivors and the leadership of the Helping Hand Coalition for Israel (HHC) – Andre Gasiorowski and Rita Tager.The audience was greeted by Elena Zharovsky, advisor to the Jerusalem Mayor for Aliyah and Integration:
“Within a short period of its existence (since July 2019) the Association has taken a worthy place among the public organizations of the city. The Municipality will provide every assistance to the cooperation of the Association with HHC”, – said Elena.
“The sponsors’ assistance, unfortunately, has decreased by 80%,” noted the President of the HHC Andrzej Gasiorowski, – “Nevertheless, we are trying to support the survivors of the Holocaust by distributing the received aid among the survivors’ organizations throughout the country. The purpose of our meeting in Jerusalem with the leadership of Jerusalem Association is to discuss issues of our cooperation in the context of colronavirus”.
The chairman of the Association, Yakov Lieberman, shared his experience of holding joint events with the HHC, in particular organizing meetings with pilgrims from Poland and Singapore, which resulted in a bright, unforgettable celebration of friendship. On the initiative of the HHC in Jerusalem, donations of tonometers, canes, blankets, radiators and other items to the needy survivors of the Holocaust took place. “I hope that we will find mutual understanding with the leadership of the HHC in the implementation of further plans for cooperation,” emphasized Yakov Lieberman.
Speaking shortly after the meeting, Elena Zharovsky remarked that it was wonderful, and the practical outcome will be agreement on cooperation with all the three parties. “We expect great and pleasant things, especially when the epidemic is over,” – concluded she with a smile.
Earlier, on August 8th, a similar meeting was held between Association of survivors of the Holocaust in Haifa and leadership of HHC. The Deputy Mayor of Haifa, Lazar Kaplun, confirmed the municipality’s readiness to give all necessary assistance to the survivors’ association.
The elderly were amazed at clear, specific and practical communication from HHC leadership. “We’ve heard vague talk about the future before,” – said the chairman of Haifa Association. “Imagine how old we are. Our future is now. We are very happy to receive specific and fully satisfactory answers to all our questions, including practical help,” – emphasized he.
