Colel Chabad, a Jerusalem-based charitable organization, hosted Germany’s Secretary of State of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Professor Luise Holscher, in a visit to promote Berlin’s ongoing financial assistance to Holocaust survivors.

Established in 1788, Colel Chabad runs soup kitchens throughout Israel. At the event, Holscher and her delegation took a tour of Colel Chabad’s headquarters and met several Holocaust survivors who relayed stories of their plight. Israel’s Minister for Social Equality, Merav Cohen, was present during the visit.

One of the survivors, Yosef Leckowitz, born in Poland and sent to Auschwitz, said: “We say ‘Never Again,’ but do we mean it?  It’s happened again in Rwanda and other places, and it’s happening right now in Ukraine.  The only way we can ensure that it doesn’t happen again is by talking, talking, and more about what happened so that through education, the world will begin to realize the value of a human being.”

After losing his family in the War, he assisted in tracking down Nazi war criminals. Among them was Amon Göth, head of the Plazhov concentration camp, one of the camps where Leckowitz was held.

Also attending the event was Holocaust survivor Elze Pripis, who was imprisoned at Theresienstadt until the Russian army liberated the camp in 1945.

Cohen said,  “As a member of the Israeli government, I pledge to do whatever I can to make sure that our survivor community will live their lives with dignity.”

“Today’s visit, hearing these survivor’s stories, reminds us that no matter how much time passes, the crimes of the Holocaust remain with these modern Jewish heroes every hour of every day. Our responsibility is to ensure they are never forgotten and receive our kindness,” said Rabbi Blau.