"For everything, there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
The month of March started for our team with a trip to Ashkelon. After 5 months of rocket attacks in Ashkelon it was the first time that is was considered safe enough for Holocaust survivors to plan to meet together and for us to join the gathering. The main reason for this meeting was to commemorate the loss of Alexandra Smolkina, the leader of the Organization of Holocaust survivors in Ashkelon.
Alexandra passed away in October 2023. The great stress of the war and constant rocket attacks affected her health severely that she had a stroke and passed away. There are no adequate words to describe the loss for the family and especially for the Organization of Holocaust survivors in Ashkelon. Alexandra dedicated the last years of her life to
sincerely caring for survivors and doing the diligent work of keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive in the city of Ashkelon. Alexandra knew every member of her organization very well and was close to them all. She spoke to them regularly on the phone and despite her own physical difficulties, she made sure to visit them as much as possible
too. Being a teacher herself, Alexandra often gave lectures about the Holocaust in schools and youth clubs and she was the one who lighted the annual candle on Holocaust Memorial day in Ashkelon. We often visited her and worked with her to organize and attend events and visits with the survivors in Ashkelon and as the CFI Forsake Them Not Team, we will greatly miss Alexandra, our dear friend.
Another reason for the gathering in Ashkelon was to help organize a birthday celebration for those survivors who had their birthdays during the past months while the war has been raging. It was our honor and privilege to lend a helping hand to new leaders who are picking up and continuing the mission of love and care for survivors in Ashkelon.
During March we also decided to visit our friends in Mavki’im – a moshav only 7 km from Gaza. We started visiting survivors in this community in 2009 and our friendship grew deep with one of the ladies we have visited for years and gown very close to, a special woman named Shoshi. We knew that Shoshi never left the moshav during the war and the whole situation had affected her mental and physical health. Finally when it was safe for us to travel to the area we planned our visits and of course, Shoshi was our first visit for the day.
When we arrived at the entrance of her house, we noticed an announcement stuck on the door, saying that our dear Shoshi had passed away two days earlier. It took us a while to calm down and wipe away our tears before entering the house to sit with and offer comfort to Shoshi’s family. It has always been our privilege to share with you about Shoshi’s life in the past and to involve you in celebrating her birthday or visits at her home. Now it is a time to share the pain of great loss that has left a hole in our hearts.
Thank you very much for running this race against time together with us. Thank you for contributing your time, your prayers and your financial support to the project. Thank you for standing with Israel in such a time as this.
Tanya Lukomsky, Project Supervisor