Lending A Helping Hand
How often have you been dependant on someone in order to achieve
a desired result? From constructing that
garden shed or riding the bus to work, to buying our groceries or getting some
much needed prayer support from a good friend, our life is intrinsically
dependant on others. Most of the time we
don’t notice it, until something goes wrong perhaps! And of course, others are likewise dependant
on us to do what we do, not only in our practical, temporal world, but to
fulfil our divine calling to be whatever part of the Body our good Abba has
created us to be! Some people thrive on
being needed, while others of us tend to avoid situations that involve
dependency, but wherever we fall on the spectrum, the truth is, we are not
alone, not designed to completely function alone and certainly fail to live
that abundant life when we try do it all on our own.
This is an important dynamic the Directors at Helping Hand
Coalition are well aware of, and one of the things we at Your People My People
love about this organisation, is their desire to be inclusive and work with as
many are as willing to be involved.
Helping Hand Coalition has a focus on helping those in need,
particularly the now elderly Holocaust survivors that make up around 2% of the
population in Israel. Besides running
special events, giving humanitarian aid and food coupons, and providing much
needed medical services as opportunities arise, HHC help to fund and coordinate
Shalom Homes around the country, small home networks where Survivors can meet
on a weekly basis to share a good meal, develop friendships and share stories
of life before World War II. The
structure has become a life line to many, generating warm and safe relationships for the lonely, creating vibrant communities that give support,
love and care during times of grief and struggle. It’s true that the numbers of remaining Holocaust
Survivors are slowly diminishing as their age increases each year, but with
over 200,000 still living in Israel, there are plenty of people that HHC aim to help.
Over the years, Helping Hand Coalition have been blessed
with different volunteers that have assisted in the overseeing and running of the Shalom Homes. This January was a celebration of the New
Year and anniversary of two precious individuals that have served in this way
for the past year. They held a special
Shalom Home meeting with the group from Hadera, around 20 Survivors who held a
special place in the heart of the volunteers. “This very group was the first group we
served when we first came to Israel. They
are also the first group that invited us to their 2016 New Year party
celebration. Last year we met
together several times, eating and laughing, giving them comfort when one
of them suddenly lost her husband. Our
friendship has grown over the past year, but they are only one of many lonely
Survivors’ groups that we had the opportunity to serve in the Shalom Houses and
their homes,” explained Lesly, one of the volunteers.
“So to show them our appreciation, we gave them a plant to
be put in their hostel. It is an honour to
be in Israel serving the precious survivors together with Helping
Hand Coalition,” shared Petra.
