Then he was 15. Young with full strength. Spunky, courageous. And anxious to help protect his people against the barbaric Nazis. And so he fought with all his might. He and his young friends fought fiercely in spite of, or perhaps because of, losing their whole families.
The war ended and these young boys tried to piece together what was left of their lives. With no family to be dancd at the wedding, they married, brought children into the world, children who did not know the meaning of grandparents, of roots. But they were strong, these young survivors, and decades later, it was they who provided the roots for their own grandchildren.
From the outside, it appeared that they were leading normal lives but inside, they could not forget. They had many friends but they were lonely. There was a deep part of their inner being that could not be shared with the neighbors.
Then he was 15. Now he is 100. Almost a century has passed but the memories of his youth are still vivid. They define him. They form the basis of who he is. And he longed to share them. Was there anyone in the world he could share them with? Not likely, he mused during a conversation with an Ezer Mizion social worker.
The social worker agreed but, because he had grown to love David, he vowed to himself to try. It would not be the first time Ezer Mizion accomplished the impossible.
What had once been a large database of holocaust survivors whom Ezer Mizion assisted in so many ways was now dwindling. But the social worker had to try. The team at the Ezer Mizion Make-a-Wish program gave it their all. Hardly believing what their eyes were seeing, they read: Israel Gitman, 100 years old, a WWII veteran from Moldova, now living in Rehovot.
There were more hurdles to overcome. Two men, each 100 years old, cannot simply make up on their own to meet for coffee. They needed help. Transportation, a supportive hand, encouraging words. It was time to contact the Ezer Mizion Ambulance Division. Do they have a slot open to transport Israel from Rehovot to David’s home?
‘Hardly likely that there is someone I can share my feelings with,” David had mused. The social worker had agreed. But there in David’s living room sat Israel, the two heroes sharing a deeply emotional morning together. They spoke of battles fought, lives lived, and the courage that carried them through.
As a final message to our readers, Israel summed up, “We must give thanks every day for what we have. That’s the secret to long life and victory.”
