Serving a Tortured Generation

Last week we had an experience that was simultaneously humbling and exalting. Perhaps you know the type of event I’m talking about. I’ve personally experienced similar events in my life:  a promotion a work that I felt others were better suited for, a leadership role in our congregation that I felt entirely unworthy to fill, the honor of being a groomsman at weddings or being the person to receive a phone call seeking life-altering advice. There are countless events that bring out that introspection and hesitation where I’ve wondered if I am the appropriate person for the task.

Few things in life would rank higher on my list of impactful events than what we experienced last week. We were invited to help with a “Shalom House” which is a ministry that specifically caters to survivors of the Holocaust. During our time with these incredible people we were blessed to serve them a meal and participate with them in some worship. While our friends translated, we exchanged heartfelt words and gifts and even received the occasional fist bump. As with so many things during our journey in the land, no words seem sufficient to describe the experience. We were given a precious opportunity to serve a generation of people who were tortured simply because of their genealogical origins.

Due to COVID restrictions and fears, this Shalom House gathering was different from normal. This is the first time they had been able to host anyone in months. They were still recreating the proverbial wheel in a few ways in order to maintain adherence to current COVID guidelines which included hosting the entire gathering outdoors and serving food in single-serving containers. They were also limited to 15 survivors in order to allow for sufficient staff and distancing requirements. In spite of the precautions, the time was touching and nearly elicited tears from both Earlene and I several times. Ok…fine. In truth I was the one that cried and she managed to hold it in. Make fun if you need, but the experience was overwhelming.

The survivors in this group were from a Russian-speaking background and from various countries of origin. For those from Russian speaking countries, in many cases their persecution didn’t end with World War II. It continued. They lived through multiple governments dictating their lives and the allowable movements with entire nations hating them for the perceived crime of being Jewish. It was only in 1989 that they were finally able to begin their mass emigration south to Israel. It was only then that their hopes of escaping the persecution would come true.

I’m sure that you have experienced difficulties this year as everyone has, but your plight likely has no comparison to that of a holocaust survivor. Their past has included more torture and harsh treatment than most of us can imagine. This year, they are receiving nightmarish flashbacks. Governments, both in Israel and around the world, are dictating whether or not they can leave their homes. They are taking their jobs by force. They are shutting down businesses for the crime of opening their doors in an effort to make a living. These survivors are hearing through the news that if they choose to travel outside their homes they will be fined and punished. Some are being denied proper medical care due to overrun hospitals and clinics. Many are being distanced from their family, friends and neighbors. For you, these things may sound “prudent” depending on your stance on this divisive topic. For a holocaust survivor, they are reliving what they experienced as children and what they experienced as young adults in Russia or their ex-Soviet country of origin.

If that wasn’t enough, these poor people also hear through the news how New York and other “safe havens” in the United States are targeting Jewish communities for being super spreaders of a virus. They are hearing about the rise in anti-Semitism abroad and wondering what the future holds for their families. You may choose to believe whatever the news tells you, but these people have flashbacks of a time when their families’ businesses were falsely accused of tax evasion, theft, larceny and any number of other false accusations. For a holocaust survivor to live through this year of COVID, is to relive history.

However, in this time of darkness for many of these survivors, they have not given up hope. The survivors we met last week were so moved that our small group of servants chose to spend our time with them. They’ve been isolated for so long this year that it has become all too easy to believe that they have been forgotten. In a world with so much uncertainty and hate, these people don’t want to feel abandoned again. To have another person loving on them is a gift and a blessing. Here, they live among their people, but that’s not the case in other countries. You may have holocaust survivors in your area as there are still many among us. If not, you almost certainly have people who have experienced more hardships as a result of COVID-19 than you have. How are you showing them that they are not alone? How are you comforting others in spite of your own suffering? Are you participating in condemning these innocent people for their religious gatherings or are you participating in loving them regardless of what the media is saying?

The events unfolding in 2020 are not about COVID-19. The issues at hand this year are steering the direction of the impulses of the people. We have seen the stake of division that is being pummeled into the heart of the country and the world. But we have a choice in how we react to this division. Will we reach across the divide and bring healing?

History repeats. When the chasm of time comes full circle, will you participate in love or hate?