Holocaust Survivors, Both in Their 90’s Get Married in Israel

An elderly Jewish Russian couple got married at the Chabad synagogue for Soviet immigrants located on Herzl Street in Haifa. The groom is 96 years old and the bride is 91. They are both Holocaust survivors.

Both became widows during the Holocaust. The groom was very excited about getting married according to Jewish law.

One of the guests told Chader Hacharedim, “It was an exciting wedding, to see a couple whereby the bride, who speaks fluent Yiddish, stood under the chuppah (canopy) to marry under Torah law.”

The wedding organizer was Rabbi Shaul Burstein, a Chabad of Aliyah activist and emissary in Haifa who established the center for Soviet immigrants in Haifa.

This is just one of the incredible services for widows that the Chabad movement in the Haifa area provides.

Colel Chabad for example, who looks after Israel’s widows, also does holy work in the Haifa area. 

That’s what they did for 39-year old Rachel who got divorced when she was only 28. Thank God, she got remarried 10 years ago to a wonderful man who gave her 3 beautiful, healthy children. 

But just when things were looking up, her husband was struck with cancer. This meant Rachel had to stop working as she was forced to care for him while he was sick. Sadly, he died about 3 years ago after losing his battle to the deadly disease.

At this point, Rachel had no income since she wasn’t working. She spent all her days until that point caring for her dying husband.

But that’s where Colel Chabad stepped in. Colel Chabad delivered both food and medication to Rachel and her family. They also provided the children with psychological counseling while tutoring them in Torah, Hebrew, and many other important scholastic subjects. Meanwhile, Rachel attended several much-needed vacations sponsored by the Colel Chabad organization.

‘Colel Chabad’ provided widows like Rachel with 240 shekels ($70) worth of food while delivering three crates of fruits and vegetables and other basic food staples like flour, oil, and pasta every month. The food was delivered to her door with love and compassion. Thank God, Rachel got remarried and appears to be living happily ever after. But she probably couldn’t have made it to that point without the amazing staff at Colel Chabad. Needless to say, there are plenty of other widows out there in similar situations who also need food…desperately.

But for Colel Chabad to deliver the food to the hundreds of other widows in unimaginable situations, they need money.

And this is where you can enter the picture. That’s because you can help by making a donation – whatever it may be to this incredible organization.

Their goal is to raise 500 shekel a($140) by Purim. And you can be the angel that dives in and rescues them from starvation. Remember, no one’s asking you to donate the full amount (although if you can, it would be amazing). Give what you can and hopefully, the God of Israel will provide the rest.

It’s important to understand that aside from food, the organization provides outdoor activities and fun outings for the kids like inflatable elements, entertainment and lots of fun food. More importantly, it takes their minds off of their unthinkable reality that they must deal with in their impoverished homes.

Now is your chance to show Israel’s widows that the nations have changed since times past. A time to show them that they are now on the same side as the Jewish people. This is precisely what Isaiah was referring to when he said:

It is to share your bread with the hungry, And to take the wretched poor into your home; When you see the naked, to clothe him, And not to ignore your own kin. (Isaiah 58:7)

And if you’re worried about parting ways with your hard-earned cash, don’t be. The money you donate to these types of charities will be refunded in this world as King Solomon wrote in Proverbs:

He who is generous to the poor makes a loan to Hashem; He will repay him his due (Proverbs 19:17)

Help widows in Israel who need it most. Enter the year 5780 with spiritual confidence. Give whatever you can to this holy organization today.