From The Depths

06/10/2024

05/30/2024

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01/17/2024

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12/20/2023

Witold Lisowski is a true hero. This sprightly 92 year old has lived a remarkable life. As a young Christian man, he saved the life of a Jewish boy, Józef Inwentarz, along with his family, hiding them for several years and eventually giving his own ID card to Józef.

Witold participated in the Warsaw Uprising, served as a colonel in the Polish Army, earned a doctorate, worked as a historian, authored exhibitions and publications on history, and served as the director of the Polish Army Museum from 1984 to 1989.

Today, I visited Witold, as I do with all the Righteous Among the Nations before the holiday seasons, bringing them food, medical devices, sweets, blankets, hot water bottles, and even a Christmas tree—all that is needed to enjoy their holiday with the love and respect they deserve.

Witold told me, “I’m so worried about what’s happening in Israel. It’s horrendous what you are going through. I’m especially worried for my family.” Surprised, I asked what family he had in Israel. He took out a picture and told me, “I have 30 members of my family in Israel—the family of Jozef, the boy I saved. They are my family, and I worry for them, the soldiers, and the hostages.”

I took off my dog tag; he put it around his neck and told me he's not going to take it off until they all come home.

Source: Jonny Daniels

12/15/2023

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10/17/2023

I’ve spent 10 years walking hand in hand and hearing from Holocaust Survivors, I’ve learnt from them and heard thousands of stories.

What happened on October 7th 2023, was exactly the same story as I heard from the Holocaust Survivors, brutal murder of Jews filled by evil ideology.

Make no mistake, Hamas would do this everywhere they could, if they could, they would murder every single Jew, then every “non-believer” next.

The only reason this stopped and didn’t turn into another Holocaust is because we have Israel today.

Israel is fighting this murderous ideology on behalf of us all.

Now is time to stand with Israel, stand with good vs evil and believe me, when we say ‘Never Again’ we mean it.

10/13/2023

My heart is aching - I’ve spent this week, amongst other things speaking with and supporting some of the families of those taken hostage.

I dread every single call with them, I keep it together during the call, then burst out crying after every single conversation.

My heart aches for them.

I’ve felt especially close with the family of Dr Shoshan Haran, the most amazing lady who created a non-profit, Fair Planet to help people around the world, even the name of her non-profit hearts so much at a time like this.

She was taken hostage with her husband Avshal Haran, her daughter Adi Shoham, her partner Tal Shoham and their children, Naveh and Yahel. Two of their aunts, their uncle and cousin.

10 people!!!

They were kidnapped from their home in the Be’eri kibbutz.

There’s not much any of us can do right now, besides pray for them and try and support the families as much as we can.

I just hope all the hostages, wherever they are, are safe, fed and pray, please Gd this will be their last Shabbat in captivity.

Dana Shalev

10/06/2023

94 year old, Mrs. Jozefa Czekaj along with her parents lived during WWII in Kopyczynce, formally Poland, now Ukraine.

In 1943 the local Ghetto was being liquidated and the Schmetterling and Tejg family were looking for a place to escape, Mikotaj Tracz, Jozefa's father made a shelter for them in the attic of his house. Seven people hid in what was formerly a pigeon loft. They all survived the war thanks to their bravery.

Once again, this Holiday season I will be going to visit and support the last living Righteous Among The Nations, all over Europe. These heroes who risked their lives to save their Jewish neighbors from almost certain death during the Holocaust.

We will be preparing our huge Christmas hampers full of all they need to enjoy their holidays and so much more.

Help us help the heroes!

We will be able to collect goods and gifts from the US, Canada and UK over the coming months.

Please let us know if you can help!

09/24/2023

Tonight Jews all around the world celebrate Yom Kippur, the highest of the High Holy Days. A day of introspection, a day we ask for forgiveness for our sins, a day we stand before G-d in prayer.

I’ve had the profound honor this year to spend time with countless Holocaust Survivors, to bring them our Survivor Torah and have them take part in rewriting ‘Our Book’, the Book that symbolizes more than any other who we are as people.

Sadly, some of the survivors I met over the past year have already passed away. Giving them this opportunity, in their final moments to take part in the 613th of all the 613 commandments “to write a Torah” is something I feel more than blessed to have been able to do.

When I think of all the many hundreds of survivors I met with just this year, from England, Mexico, USA, Canada, Sweeden, Denmark and more, I don’t need to think for long what their message to all of us would be today.

Their message, is clear.

Be Proud to be a Jew.

Friends, with so much uncertainty in the world, with the oldest form of hatred rearing its ugly head once again, Be Proud to be a Jew.

A Jew can spend his whole life “fitting in”, but one day, someone’s going to remind you, you’re a Jew. So own it, Be Proud to be a Jew.

because that’s the essence of who we are. If you can go to synagogue, go! It doesn’t matter what one. If you have a hard time fasting, try to fast a little.

Perhaps most importantly Be Proud to be a Jew because we are an amazing people, we’ve done such good in the world, created so many amazing things and have the most beautiful traditions past down to us from generation to generation.

Wishing you all a Tzom Kal, an easy and meaningful fast. A Gmar Hatima Tova.

Picture being blessed by Nate Leipciger (1928) He survived the Sosnowiec Ghetto and the camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Fünfteichen, GrossRosen, Flossenberg, Leonberg, and Dachau. Nate and his father were liberated in May 1945, and Nate immigrated to Canada in 1948.

09/22/2023

Mr. Joseph Alexander a Holocaust Survivor will celebrate his 101st birthday in a few weeks.

He was born in a small town not too far from where my family come from in Poland. He survived the Warsaw Ghetto and 7 German N**i camps including Auschwitz-Birkenau and Dachau. He moved to the United States at the end of the war and ended up in California in the 1950’s, where he’s lived until today.

Today, Joseph wrote a letter in our Survivor Torah and I just love listening to Joseph speak, his mind is as sharp as it was when he was a young man, his stories of the old country transport me to a place in time I could have only read in a Isaac Bashevis Singer book.

I wanted Joseph to join us on Yom Kippur in the Synagogue, he politely refused as he’s the ‘Gabbai’, the warden, of his Synagouge, I’m pretty certain he’s the oldest person to ever had held this role.

Please G-d we should all merit to spent a lot more time with this remarkable man!

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom from Los Angeles!

09/21/2023

Very special meeting at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles with a true hero of the Jewish people Holocaust Survivor, partisan Aron Bielski, along with Rabbi David Baron, Rabbi Marvin Hier and Rabbi Abraham Cooper.