03.11.2023 | 28th day of the war

A group of 20 survivors of the Holocaust from Natania, under the leadership of Mila Fleitman, visited the Helping Hand Global Forum villa in Caesarea for Shabat Shalom House on the 3rd of November. This day marked the 28th day of the war, and it was a much-needed time for sharing encouragement and praying for peace, especially for our brave soldiers. Many of the participants in the event have loved ones serving in the army since the first day of the war.

During a fantastic dinner, after lighting the Shabbat candles and receiving blessings for the wine and bread from the hosting couple, Andre, and Bozena Gasiorowski, they received a call from their son, the President of the HHC, from his army base. He greeted the survivors, thanked them for their prayers, and wished them Shabbat Shalom.

After the physical aspects of the evening, a time for spiritual enrichment followed. Pastor Victor Blume shared a portion of the week “Vaera,” speaking about Abraham, who left a fantastic example of faith for us by trusting God in extremely difficult times. It was counted to him as righteousness. Julia Blum, his wife, a writer, and a teacher, spoke about the ability to love God and thank Him even in very challenging situations. The clip that followed her speech proved her words through the testimony of one of the Massacre survivors from October 7th, who shared her miraculous story of being saved by God during the horrific attack on the kibbutz near Gaza by Hamas terrorists. Mila Fleitman, the leader of the survivors’ group, also shared her heart with the participants of the Shabbat Shalom House, offering words of support and gratitude.

The final segment of the evening was deeply emotional and filled the survivors with encouragement. They initially hesitated to speak after Uliana Istaev’s moving performance and singing blessings over them. However, one of the group participants, Tatiana, shared that she had felt depressed on her way to the Shalom House and even at the beginning of the event. But after praying and enjoying the music, she went home encouraged and strengthened, along with everyone present at the meeting.