8 | DECEMBER 22 • 2022 

PURELY COMMENTARY

continued from page 9

column
Celebrating Chanukah with Luba

I 

met Luba recently at a 
Chanukah party in Israel 
organized by Ten Gentiles, 
an Israeli nonprofit run by 
my friend Shirley, a Chinese-
American Christian, which 
works to build bridges among 
Christians and Jews. 
About three dozen sur-
vivors participated in the 
celebratory event replete 
with inspiring words, music, 
“Torah yoga,” sufganiyot 
(traditional Chanukah jelly 
donuts) and gifts for all. 
The donations came from 
Christians all over the world. 
I have had the privilege of 
partnering with Ten Gentiles 
on a variety of projects on 
behalf of my U.S. nonprofit, 
the Genesis 123 Foundation, 
including providing for some 
basic needs of Holocaust sur-
vivors who live on the edge of 
poverty.
The event was delight-
ful, seeing the survivors so 
engaged and loved made 
me happy. The “Torah yoga” 
helped emanate light from 
their bodies as if they were 
candles. The music was fes-
tive, seasonal and participa-
tory. Two elderly survivors 
shared their stories of coming 
out of the darkness of the 
Holocaust into the light of 
Israel. Decades later, the men, 
remembered the war and 
their suffering vividly. 
It was significant that other 
survivors wanted to share 
as well, to tell their stories. 
Being able to do so, as Jews 
free in the Jewish homeland, 
was affirming and liberating. 
Others listened intently and 
asked questions. Even for 

those who knew one another, 
among the 650 remaining sur-
vivors in their town of 40,000 
people, it was an important 
support group. 
One man, Vladimir, shared 
his wartime experiences. I 
learned later that he lost his 
wife and a daughter, and the 
only other relative lives in 
Florida. Basically, he’s alone. 
Making matters worse, among 
survivors from the former 
Soviet Union, most have no 
pensions as they came to 
Israel after their working lives 
had ended. So the extra needs 
of these survivors are great. 
It’s an honor to help.
I met Shalom, who was 
born Carlos in Spain. He 
sought me out to tell me how 
moved he was. He remembers 
from his youth in Spain the 
persecution by the Catholic 
church. Choking back tears, 
he told me how meaning-
ful it was to see me, an 
Orthodox Jew, working with 
Christians who love Israel 
and the Jewish people. Until 
then, his experiences with 

Christians had only been of 
persecution and hate. He had 
never experienced anything 
like it, redeeming in a way 
with Christians showing true 
love for Israel and the Jewish 
people. 
One Russian-speaking 
woman was waiting until the 
end to get a pair of slippers 
that were among the presents. 
I asked her in Hebrew what 
her shoe size is. She didn’t 
understand, so I grabbed 
one of the other survivors to 
translate. It reminded me of 
my visits to the Soviet Union 
in the 1980s where conver-
sations often went between 
Russian, Hebrew and English. 
Once, Yiddish was added to 
the mix. 
As the other elderly woman 
from Moscow translated, I 
learned that the woman I was 
talking to had just arrived 
from Ukraine a few months 
earlier. She introduced me to 
her son. That’s when things 
clicked.
Some months ago, I 
was told about an elderly 

Holocaust survivor who had 
just arrived from war-torn 
Ukraine with her 56-year-old 
disabled son. They fled their 
home in Kharkiv and made 
a new home in Israel. Their 
apartment was furnished with 
the bare minimum, including 
furniture that was not quite 
as old as she was, but not 
by much. The bed that the 
woman had been sleeping in 
was falling apart, so much so 
that she was afraid to sleep 
in it.
I was asked if we, the 
Genesis 123 Foundation, 
could help. Could we buy her 
a new bed? “Yes.” I called the 
owner of a store in Jerusalem 
and explained the need. He 
told me he’d get her the most 
comfortable bed she’s ever 
slept in. I ordered and paid 
for it. Within a week the bed 
was delivered.
Luba was the one to receive 
the bed. Once we figured out 
the connection, she was so 
grateful. I asked her how her 
bed was, and her face lit up, 
rattling off her praise and 
gratitude in Russian. 
I certainly didn’t go to the 
party to meet Luba, but it was 
a huge blessing for us both. 
There’s a principle in Judaism 
that the highest form of giv-
ing tzedakah (charity) is to do 
so anonymously. I was mind-
ful of that as I spoke to Luba, 
careful not to embarrass her. 
She wasn’t embarrassed at all, 
just truly happy to meet me 
and grateful.
I had imagined Luba as a 
broken elderly woman, living 
in hard times. Indeed, the 
original picture I saw of her 

Jonathan Feldstein and Luba

JONATHAN FELDSTEIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

