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CBS News
6 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Holocaust survivors gather in Cooper City to share stories, warn of rising antisemitism
On Holocaust Survivor Day, more than 125 Holocaust survivors gathered in Cooper City, brought together by the Goodman Jewish Family Services organization. They got together to reflect on their harrowing pasts and express growing concern over the resurgence of antisemitism. Memories of a traumatized childhood Izabella Markovskaya and Willy Lipschutz, both infants during World War II, shared memories of lives uprooted by the Nazis. "We were running. We were trying to hide. That was my life. Many years again and again and again," said Markovskaya. "By the time I was six months old my father was taken away. Most my family was taken away. Somehow by miracle my mother was able to escape with me to Switzerland," Lipschutz recalled. After the war, he and his mother were the only family members to return to Belgium. "The [city] was just in a state of panics. Very very depressed. You know and I was put into a Jewish orphanage," he said. A warning for the future Despite the music and dancing with children at the commemorative event, both survivors say today's growing antisemitism is deeply disturbing. "Oh my God, I feel that I am about to die, and I am experiencing the same horrible situation I experienced as a baby. The antisemitism is growing. It's growing. It's growing. It's unbelievable," said Lipschutz. "I am thinking all the time about God. God give us freedom. Give us that freedom in the world," said Markovskaya. According to the Goodman Jewish Family Services, this event represents only a small portion of Broward County's approximately 1,500 Holocaust survivors.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Jewish Family Home Care responds to rising trauma among Holocaust survivors after Oct. 7 attack
The number of Holocaust survivors still alive today is quickly dwindling. A recent report shows that within the next decade, about 70% of the current 200,000 still alive will be gone. Many call Broward County home, with the county having the second-largest demographic of Holocaust survivors in the United States. As they continue to age, with many living well into their 100s, their care has become more important — and more nuanced. One nonprofit organization, which has been helping this aging population for a decade, has incorporated tactics that tackle reemergent stress after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Jewish Family Home Care (JFHC) was founded in 2015 as an offshoot of Goodman Jewish Family Services of Broward County with a mission to serve Holocaust survivors, offering an alternative to assisted living homes. As it has grown, JFHC has expanded its offerings to include health aides, housekeepers and certified nursing assistants for Broward residents of all faiths. But the original mission still remains. Today, JFHC serves more than 300 Holocaust survivors. Leading their efforts is supervising registered nurse Tatyana Virsta, who has an acute awareness of the specific needs of this aging population. Holocaust survivors live with a deep trauma that can be triggered by simple acts, she said. As the Jewish landscape has becomes more fraught with violence, antisemitism and unease, some may feel as if they are reliving the past. 'Many carry invisible wounds, memories that may resurface with illness or hospitalization,' said Virsta. 'A simple act like helping with personal hygiene or administering medication can unexpectedly trigger trauma. So that's why this kind of care demands more than just clinical or caregiver skills, it calls for gentleness, patience and deep emotional awareness.' As a native of Ukraine, Virsta is no stranger to unrest. Growing up there, she heard Holocaust stories and met with survivors. She said caring for them is a privilege. 'I feel this level of deep connection,' Virsta said. 'It's not just nursing, it's honoring history through this human connection. It reminds me daily why I chose this profession and why it's so rewarding.' Empathy and kindness go a long way, Virsta continued, especially with clients who have a higher level of anxiety due to the war and the current Jewish landscape. Many patients have families in Israel, and Virsta began noticing increased mental health issues. This prompted the addition of targeted services for them and their families. 'We had contacted each client and offered our help in any other way that we could,' she said. 'There was mental health counseling that Goodman Jewish Family Services offered, and there were family members that we were trying to get involved to see if they needed any assistance as well.' The duties of JFHC caregivers can range from assisting with basic needs, like hygiene and food preparation, to more specific ones, like post-surgical, dementia or chronic illness care. Those assigned to a Holocaust survivor also undergo training on Jewish customs, from the holidays their patients may celebrate to how to keep a kosher home. They are also trained on how to deal with trauma. 'We limit the amount of news our clients watch and [work to] to positively engage them in games and conversation and get them out in the community or out for a walk,' said Robin Miller, the CEO of JFHC. 'We are careful about keeping their environment full of happy thoughts. 'Our caregivers work hard for consistency and to have a good relationship so they become a sense of comfort and warmth for the client.' Virsta said she also works hard to encourage them to live a happy life, despite their past. One of these survivors is Viktor Zharov, a former journalist and Holocaust survivor in his 90s who recently lost his wife. Zharov has committed to learning a new skill: playing the violin. 'He started playing violin a couple of years ago because he thought that learning something new would be a good exercise for his brain,' said Virsta. 'It was amazing that he picked up on that. He even asked for his violin when he went to the hospital and played for the nurses there.' And while Virsta's job is to care for survivors, she feels as though they are healing her, too. '[I have learned] resilience and the ability to overcome something so traumatic and come out and live life to fullest,' she said. 'A lot of them had families and they gave their children the best that they could. They're just an example of how life should be lived.' For more information, visit
Miami Herald
10-04-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
For Passover, this South Florida group prepares Seder meals for the most vulnerable
For many South Florida Jews, Passover is a holiday marked by spending time with family and friends, observing long held traditions and of course, eating festive food. As many sit down to their Seder meals Saturday night, one Broward organization is remembering those who struggle to put food on the table. The Dorit & Ben J. Genet Cupboard on Sunday fed 1,100 families at their annual Passover food distribution event, with a large portion of the meals hand-delivered by volunteer drivers. In addition to traditional Passover packages, this year the organization donated 650 ready-to-eat Seder meals to the county's most vulnerable individuals, including seniors and Holocaust survivors. The pre-cooked meals are meant to allow anyone to access a traditional kosher meal over Passover. 'If you're a house of one or a house of two, or you're a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor, you're not going to cook a Passover Seder,' said Genet Cupboard operations director, Ross Adel. 'It's just as important that they get to celebrate just like anybody else.' But, it's not only about the food. Many of the meals are hand delivered by a volunteer and the kosher meal packages include a personal note. The personal gestures can be quite meaningful for those who have to spend the holiday alone, said Adel. 'I can't tell you the number of phone calls we get after the holiday. 'Thank you for just not only providing a meal, but thank you for just thinking of me on this holiday.'' he said, referring to the feedback he receives from the food pantry clients. The food cupboard, which is a part of Goodman Jewish Family Services, serves over 600 food insecure families a month in Broward County by providing Kosher meals and supplemental food items. About 65 percent of their clients are seniors, likely living on a fixed income. With the cost of food continuing to rise in an unstable economy, leaders of the food pantry say the service is needed now more than ever. 'More and more people today are finding themselves in a situation where they have to come and ask for food, and it's becoming tougher and tougher out there everyday,' Adel said. Kosher food, which can be more expensive and difficult to find, adds an additional challenge. 'They're learning about doing a 'mitzvah', doing a good deed, paying it back to someone who's a little less fortunate,' said Adel. 'These kids are unbelievable. They really and truly are. We can't do any of the things that we do without all of our volunteers.' He said that many parents will volunteer to drive and bring their high school children to volunteer alongside them. The teens, many from local Jewish day schools, are given all sorts of roles and responsibilities, from dispatching drivers to packing bags. 'The relationships that are built between the volunteers and the clients that we serve are really essentially, it's priceless. And it does so much for both the volunteer and the clients,' Adel said. Passover — observed from April 12 to April 20 — is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays in America. Passover commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt, a part of history that many see as essential to Jewish identity. It's a story that's shared over a Seder meal, which is a special feast that takes place over the first two nights of the holiday. Traditionally during a Seder, Jews eat matzah, or unleavened bread, bitter herbs (to represent the bitter slavery endured) and drink four cups of wine or grape juice. Matzah, which is eaten to commemorate what the Israelites ate when they left Egypt, is an important part of Passover, as Jews avoid eating leavened grain (or Chametz) for eight days. It's all the more reason why the Broward food pantry feels compelled to step in and provide the meals, as a way to help all Jews keep the Passover traditions alive. 'We as Jewish people, we tend to celebrate through food … And I think it's important to tell stories through food, and so it's important that everyone is able to have a meal all year round, most importantly, on the holidays,' Adel said. The Dorit & Ben J. Genet Cupboard This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
