Chanoch Hoffman, 83, a Hungarian born Holocaust Survivor whose home was recently made wheelchair accessible by the Israel365 Charity Fund just weeks ago, passed away at his home in Jerusalem. Hoffman is survived by his wife, and two children.

Born on the holiday of Purim in Budapest in 1937, Hoffman was just a child when World War Two erupted and his father was taken away from the family. Before he left the house for the last time, Mr. Hoffman senior, who came from a deeply religious Hassidic family, put his special Hassidic hat on his six-year-old son’s head and charged Chanoch with being the man of the family. The youngster was told, “It’s your job now to take care of your mother and your younger brother and to keep them alive.”

Hoffman fulfilled his father’s wishes and cared for his younger brother and mother who, miraculously, also survived the Holocaust living in a ghetto in Budapest. At age 11, Hoffman made Aliyah and emigrated to Israel with his mother and younger brother. 

According to his surviving daughter Etti Hoffman, he worked as a dental technician in a private laboratory in Jerusalem for decades.  In addition to his own practice, he also taught young dental technicians at Emunah College in Jerusalem for 16 years.

Etti Hoffman related that her father worked until just seven years ago, when a tumor in his liver caused him to be hospitalized for four months. “He had a very strong will to live. When he was hospitalized for four months, the family was called three times to his bedside. It was only a miracle from God that he came home,” Etti recalled to Israel365 News.

When Hoffman returned home, he retired and was eventually diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and dementia.

Rabbi Tuly Weisz of Israel365, first learned about Chanoch Hoffman through Melabev, an Israeli non-profit organization that assists dementia patients. The Israel365 Charity Fund Holocaust Survivor Campaign provides critical financial assistance to Melabev patients on an ongoing basis.

Earlier this year, Rabbi Tuly went to visit Mr. Hoffman to see how the Israel365 Charity Fund could help and learned that he needed a number of renovations for Mr. Hoffman to enter the bathroom safely in his wheelchair and specific equipment to get him in and out of bed. Through “the generosity of Christians who love Israel and love the Jewish people,” Rabbi Tuly pledged to help the family.

“Mrs. Hoffman was so moved by the generosity of our Christian supporters. She thanked me profusely, from the bottom of her heart. It really meant a lot to her that non-Jews would be so inspired to repent for Christian anti-Semitism by compassionately caring for Holocaust survivors like her husband. She asked me to thank our Christian supporters on her behalf.”

Sadly, Mr. Hoffman passed away shortly after his home renovations were completed.

“My father was very emotional when Rabbi Tuly came to our home and they spoke about the Holocaust. Rabbi Weisz and the Israel365 Charity Fund helped us very much until the last moment. He helped us from his heart and is a very special man.”

Touchingly, Etti said about her father, “He was modest and humble who talked to people eye-to-eye. He lived with the Holocaust every day he lived in this world. Yet, he believed in God until the very last moment. He had very deep faith in God.”

Israel365 mourns the passing of Mr. Hoffman and conveys deepest sympathies to the family.