New Lishmor al Kesher gathering at Beit Ben Yehuda

On August 25th, we had the privilege of hosting another Lishmor al Kesher gathering – this time with a group of Soviet-Jewish Holocaust survivors.

After a warm meal together, we enjoyed a moving concert of Yiddish and Russian songs. The atmosphere was filled with joy as many joined in singing. For me one particularly powerful moment was to hear the story of Alexander Bermann, born in St. Petersburg. In June 1941, just before the siege of Leningrad, his parents sent his older sisters to stay with their grandparents in Bialystok. At the very last moment, his father pulled Alexander, still a small child, off the train. His sisters and grandparents never returned. Together with his mother, he endured evacuation and hunger in Leningrad – and survived. For many years, Alexander has tirelessly advocated for Soviet Jews to be recognized as Holocaust survivors, working alongside the Claims Conference. He also founded the project “The Scorched Childhood”, publishing memoirs to the memory of those who perished. The survivors were deeply moved to hear that from September, young German volunteers will once again come to Israel with ASF. This gathering was only possible thanks to the generous support of the Axel Springer Foundation.

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