Tag: March of Life Villa

An Afternoon of Fun

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December 4th, 2019 – It’s the first Shalom House of December. Afternoons are still sunny, but cool, and seven ladies came from Hadera to the March of Life Villa wearing warm clothes. It was nice sitting outside enjoying hot soup on this early winter day, sharing stories, catching up, doing dishes together, joking and just doing silly things like little children.

Lots of fun and laughter will be remembered for long!

 

December 4th, 2019 – It’s the first Shalom House of December. Afternoons are still sunny, but cool, and seven ladies came from Hadera to the March of Life Villa wearing warm clothes. […]

Unique Encounters at Shalom House

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November 5th, 2019 – Every time young people show up for a Shalom House meeting, the March of Life Villa experiences a different kind of dynamics. The interaction between the young and the elderly is always amazing, and something special is always passed from generation to generation at times like this.

And so it was when high school students came from Ashdod to serve 15 Holocaust survivors from Hadera together with exchange students from Germany and volunteers from the USA.

After the lunch the students listened to personal stories of the Holocaust. There was a unique encounter between the German teacher who told how his grandfather served in the German air force during WWII and a survivor who shared about hiding from the bombs in his little town. The two embraced each other, one asking for forgiveness, the other forgiving.

The Israeli teacher and her students were happy to see a new generation of Germans standing for Israel, especially in a time when antisemitism is growing again around the world. For them, this too was a unique experience that they will share with others in their school.

November 5th, 2019 – Every time young people show up for a Shalom House meeting, the March of Life Villa experiences a different kind of dynamics. The interaction between the young and […]

Bonding and Sharing

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October 23rd, 2019 – Fifteen Holocaust survivors from Netanya were welcomed to the March of Life Villa in Caesarea for lunch and a time of relaxing in the still warm fall weather.
A couple from England and a woman from Switzerland volunteered to serve them.They prepared the meal, the dessert and gifts and set the tables. When the survivors came in, they immediately felt the atmosphere of love and care and were willing to share their stories right from the beginning.

The eldest in this group is over 100 years old. Most of them were in the concentration camps. One of the stories told by a survivor was how he lost all his family when he was only five and how Joseph Mengele, known as the “Angel of Death” experimented on him in Auschwitz. Most of the story was told by the survivor’s wife because he was not feeling very well. He smiled several times through the afternoon, but his wife said that even though he may look happy on the outside, the loss of his family,ย  time in the camp and all that happened made him very apathetic.

It was a great privilege for the volunteers to listen to the stories. The bonding with the survivors was amazing, and deep sharing and conversations took place around the room.

At the end of the afternoon the survivors got little gifts that will be useful in the forthcoming winter.

October 23rd, 2019 – Fifteen Holocaust survivors from Netanya were welcomed to the March of Life Villa in Caesarea for lunch and a time of relaxing in the still warm fall weather. […]

Celebrating Jewish New Year

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September 29th, 2019 – Fall feasts are here again, concluding the annual cycle of celebrations. First in line is the New Year, or Scripturally the Feast of Trumpets, when shofars are blown all over Israel and people come together to celebrate.

Many Holocaust survivors are alone for the holidays, so volunteers of Helping Hand Coalition for Israel (ืขืžื•ืชืช ื™ื“ ืœืขื–ืจื” ื™ืฉืจืืœ) made sure that they celebrate together at the March of Life Villa. Nine Holocaust survivors from Netanya and Or Akiva came to lunch prepared by volunteers from Poland, Russia and Colombia. A family from Hadera volunteered their time as well to serve the survivors. They brought flowers, gifts and Rosh HaShanah cards that the young girls had made during the week before the event.

One of the survivors mentioned that it was her birthday, and the volunteers quickly blew some balloons, got a birthday gift for her and sang happy birthday in Hebrew.

At the end of the evening and outside on the street, the survivors enjoyed the famous Shana Tova (Good Year) song sang by the youngest member of the family from Hadera.

What a wonderful way to celebrate Jewish New Year. Shana Tova (wishing you a good year ahead) to all our friends!

 

September 29th, 2019 – Fall feasts are here again, concluding the annual cycle of celebrations. First in line is the New Year, or Scripturally the Feast of Trumpets, when shofars are blown […]

Relaxing at the Villa

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September 18th, 2019 – With August season of vacations and travel over, four Holocaust survivors from Hadera came to the March of Life Villa to have lunch with the volunteers.
They brought presents for the volunteers to show their gratitude for the time they spent together. Everyone was happy to see each other again, tell about their latest happenings and enjoy a wonderful meal.

We had great quality time and a very relaxing afternoon.

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September 18th, 2019 – With August season of vacations and travel over, four Holocaust survivors from Hadera came to the March of Life Villa to have lunch with the volunteers. They brought […]

Peace to Survivors’ Hearts

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July 23rd, 2019 – March of Life Villa welcomed 8 Holocaust survivors from Netanya for a Shalom House. A family from Germany helped with the preparation of the meal and with setting the place. During the lunch, one of the family shared a story about her grandfather’s involvement in War World II. He served as a soldier in Belarus. Bringing such stories up is very important for both sides. This brings much peace to the hearts of the survivors and reconciliation between the two peoples.

After lunch everyone was siting in the living room talking about their memories and sharing family secrets. It was a very special time.

Some hours after they left the Villa, there was a phone call from the leader of the group, who unfortunately was not able to come to the Shalom House. She said that each survivor who was at the meeting had called her to let her know about the wonderful time they had. She expressed her gratitude to the March of Life and Helping Hand Coalition for Israel (ืขืžื•ืชืช ื™ื“ ืœืขื–ืจื” ื™ืฉืจืืœ) and to the volunteersย  who came from Germany for openly speaking of what happened in the Holocaust.

July 23rd, 2019 – March of Life Villa welcomed 8 Holocaust survivors from Netanya for a Shalom House. A family from Germany helped with the preparation of the meal and with setting […]

Investing a Piece of Your Heart

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July 18th, 2019 – Eight Holocaust survivors from Hadera arrived at the March of Life Villa in Caesarea to have a Shalom House meeting.

The survivors were happy to share a great lunch with the volunteers who hosted them. Afterwards the volunteers showed them a video about the Marches of Life that had taken place in 2019. The survivors were deeply touched to see so many people in nations all over the world who support Israel. They were especially touched to hear that many who found out about their family’s involvement in the Holocaust openly expressed how sorry they were for their forefathers and their nations, and asked for forgiveness.

One of the Holocaust survivors left a note in the guest book. She ended it by writing: โ€œYou can see that everyone from March of Life invests a piece of their heart into the movement”. What a great support this is for the Holocaust survivors that brings many peoples closer together and restores precious relationships!

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July 18th, 2019 – Eight Holocaust survivors from Hadera arrived at the March of Life Villa in Caesarea to have a Shalom House meeting. The survivors were happy to share a great […]

Sorrow and Tears, Joy and Smiles

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June 27th, 2019 – 15 volunteers from different countries who came to Israel for the March of the Nations helped to prepare and serve lunch for 16 Holocaust survivors from Hadera. After the meal some of them shared how their fathers and grandfathers were involved in the Holocaust. They expressed deep sorrow for the things their families had done. One of the stories was about a grandfather who servedย  as a police officer during World War II. He was known for being brutal, and after the war was judged in the Nuremberg trials.

The Holocaust survivors were moved to tears by the memories these stories brought and by the sorrow the volunteers expressed. They started sharing their own stories as well. They were also very touched when one of the volunteers showed pictures of former street children from Sucre, Bolivia, who stand with Israel and financially support the March of Lifeย  work regularly.

The many tears shed during the event were turned into joy and dancing when they sang together a Hebrew song โ€œNext year in Jerusalemโ€.

June 27th, 2019 – 15 volunteers from different countries who came to Israel for the March of the Nations helped to prepare and serve lunch for 16 Holocaust survivors from Hadera. After […]

Family from Germany Meets Survivors from Pardes Hana

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June 12th, 2019 – 11 Holocaust survivors from Pardes Hana were invited to a Shalom Houseย  in the March of Life Villa in Caesarea. They were very grateful to come to a wonderful lunch and a restful environment of Caesarea and even brought gifts for the volunteers.

A family of 5 who came from Germany in preparation for the March of the Nations on June 20th served the survivors. One of them shared a story of her grandfather’s involvement in forming the ideology that led to the Holocaust. They sang some Hebrew songs to show them their love and support for Israel.

After enjoying a cup of ice cream and a good time of fellowship, it was a time for a warm, hearty good-byes – till next time!

June 12th, 2019 – 11 Holocaust survivors from Pardes Hana were invited to a Shalom Houseย  in the March of Life Villa in Caesarea. They were very grateful to come to a […]

Birthday at Shalom House!

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June 6th, 2019 –ย March of Life Villa in Caesarea welcomed 8 Holocaust survivors from Pardes Hana. The volunteers decorated the table with napkins in beautiful summer colors for this Shalom House, and delightful dishes in colors to match.

One of the Holocaust survivors revealed that it was her birthday that day, so the volunteers spontaneously came up a happy birthday sign, balloons and even gave her a present. She said that the Shalom House was a โ€œ special birthday presentโ€œ for her.

The Holocaust survivors loved the table decoration, especially the napkin folding technique, so one of the volunteers taught them how to do it. They had fun and learned it very quickly!

After a lot of good and joyful fellowship, two volunteers from Germany shared how their families were involved during the Second World War. The Holocaust survivors were very touched and shared their stories as well.

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June 6th, 2019 –ย March of Life Villa in Caesarea welcomed 8 Holocaust survivors from Pardes Hana. The volunteers decorated the table with napkins in beautiful summer colors for this Shalom House, and […]

Exited About March of Life!

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May 25th, 2019 – A Shalom House took place in the March of Life Villa in Caesarea for 8 Holocaust survivors from Netanya. They had a wonderful time catching up with the Director of the March of Life International Movement and with the volunteers that prepared a delicious grilled lunch for them.

The leader of the Holocaust survivors club got exited when he heard about the upcoming Marches of the Nations on June 20th in Israel. He, an almost 94 years old survivor, started making plans for his group to come to the march in Kfar Saba. They also showed their gratitude for mobilizing people everywhere to take a stand for Israel and for the warm atmosphere they are always welcome to in the villa.

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May 25th, 2019 – A Shalom House took place in the March of Life Villa in Caesarea for 8 Holocaust survivors from Netanya. They had a wonderful time catching up with the […]

Lots of Fun with a Small Company

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May 16th, 2019 – It was a group of five Holocaust survivors from Or Akiva that came to have lunch and spend a nice afternoon at the March of Life Villa in Caesarea. Because the survivors and the volunteers have known each other for sometime, it was a friendly, family atmosphere. One of the survivors came with medals on her jacket and told us how she fought in the war and also was in a ghetto in Ukraine.

After a great lunch everybody had so much fun! “So wonderful!”, – exclaimed one of the survivors at the end of the afternoon that was spent in the quiet, fresh air in the garden. Ad it is!

We are looking forward to having each group visit again and again.

Having lots of fun!

May 16th, 2019 – It was a group of five Holocaust survivors from Or Akiva that came to have lunch and spend a nice afternoon at the March of Life Villa in […]

Never Again

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May 2nd, 2019 – Five Holocaust survivors from Hadera participated in Shalom House in the March of Life Villa in Caesarea. Today Israel commemorates the Holocaust remembrance day and honors those who perished in the war.

Two of the survivors shared their stories of them being in different ghettos in Ukraine, another one – in Belarus, and another one – about hiding with her mom in the fields. This day always brings so many hard memories of childhood deprived of happiness and joy and filled with fear and starvation.

We remembered the Holocaust by lighting six candles to commemorate the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust.

Thankfully, that time is in the past. Never Again!

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May 2nd, 2019 – Five Holocaust survivors from Hadera participated in Shalom House in the March of Life Villa in Caesarea. Today Israel commemorates the Holocaust remembrance day and honors those who […]

Shalom House on Passover Eve

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April 17th, 2019 – A Shalom House took place in the March of Life Villa in Caesarea for 14 Holocaust survivors from Or Akiva. Several volunteers from different nations –ย  Switzerland, Germany, Trinidad and Tobago and Colombia, served them.
A special lunch was served before the Pessach, or the Passover Holiday, which is the holiday that commemorates the freeing of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. We also shared about the upcoming March of the Nations that will take place on June 20th in Israel.
Some of the survivors are making plans to be at the Marches and took flyers to invite their friends and families.
We wish them and their families a Happy Passover โ€“ Chag Pessach Sameach!

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April 17th, 2019 – A Shalom House took place in the March of Life Villa in Caesarea for 14 Holocaust survivors from Or Akiva. Several volunteers from different nations –ย  Switzerland, Germany, […]

Survivors from Germany Visit Israel

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April 4th, 2019 – It was a very unusual mood at this Shalom House meeting at the March of Life Villa in Caesarea for 8 Holocaust survivors from Netanya. A Holocaust survivor couple from Germany – he is 89 and she is 85 – who are part of the March of Life International Movement, came to Israel to serve the Survivors that are the same age as themselves.

There was so much in common to talk about and to share. At the end of the very memorable afternoon together, the couple gave gifts to each survivor, letting them know that they are not alone and that people are ready to come to Israel no matter what to show their support.

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April 4th, 2019 – It was a very unusual mood at this Shalom House meeting at the March of Life Villa in Caesarea for 8 Holocaust survivors from Netanya. A Holocaust survivor […]