Our Own Passover Deliverance

Rachel Tzeitlin

At Passover, Holocaust Survivors reflected on their own personal experiences of deliverance during the Holocaust. During a Helping Hand Coalition ‘Shalom House’ gathering the Holocaust Survivors were asked what the celebration of Passover means to them.

Rachel Tzeitlin, a Holocaust Survivor from the Former Soviet Union who now lives in Israel, shared her story:

"I was only 4 or 5 years old when my father, mother, and I fled from the Nazis during the evacuation. We needed to cross the Dnipro River (that runs along the Belarus-Ukrainian Border) - the Germans were closing in behind us. It was raining heavily. I was soaked, freezing, sick, and drifting in and out of consciousness. Everyone thought I had died.

My father ran around, searching for a place to bury me, convinced I had died. His friend said, “The Germans are so close—just wrap her in a cloth and keep going.” So they did.

While on the boat, the rain stopped and it became warmer and everyone threw their jackets over me. As the boat reached the other side, people began collecting their jackets—and that’s when they discovered I was still alive. It was almost a tragic mistake—they had nearly buried me alive.

This is just one of many moments that show how I survived.

After we crossed the river, the Nazis arrived. Local Ukrainians had told them we were Jews, and the Nazis took us and placed us in a ghetto, where we stayed—with no food, water, or proper clothing. I had only a dress and a coat made from a potato sack.

Near the end of the war, Soviet troops were pushed out of the area we were in, and the Germans decided to gather all the Jews and execute us. They forced our parents to dig a long pit. It was October, after the first snow had fallen. The pit filled with freezing water, and they forced us into it. I remember standing in ice-cold water up to my chest. I was only 8 years old.

As they prepared to shoot us, by some miracle, someone began firing at the Germans from a small forest behind them. The soldiers fled, assuming we would die in the cold. People began losing consciousness, and some drowned in the freezing water. My mother pulled us out and laid us on the sand. Then, Soviet Red Army soldiers arrived, dragged us out of the pit, and warmed us with alcohol. That is how I survived—on the very edge of death.

After the war, when we returned home, my father was able to recover his special prayer shawl, his Talmud, and other belongings he had buried for safekeeping. Despite everything we had endured, my father never lost his faith. He returned to the synagogue and resumed celebrating the holy days, including Passover.

God’s power saved us. May His light always shine."

Yuri Reznikov from Haifa shared his experience of reconnecting to his roots when he moved to Israel from the former Soviet Union:

"I wasn’t raised religious. When I once went to a synagogue in Sverdlovsk, Russia, I learned about the meaning of Passover. I’ve since learned much more since coming to Israel. And today I do celebrate Passover. For me, it’s a way to reconnect with our traditions and national history, and to pass it on to future generations."

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“Rachel’s story of survival is nothing short of a miracle!” shared Luke from Helping Hand Coalition. “Hearing her eagerly share this with us during our Passover event is a reminder of how much our time spent together means to those who lived through so much.

“As we reflect on God’s great miracles in delivering the Jews out of Egypt, we also see His faithfulness in the lives of people like Rachel, who were delivered from the Holocaust. His hand is still on His people today through His presence and also the care made possible by our donors!

“This Passover, we delivered hundreds of food vouchers and other essentials—like dental care sponsorships—through home visits and personal calls across Israel, offering practical relief and meaningful care in the face of rising living costs, limited pensions, and loneliness.

“The need is still great. Your support brings tangible comfort to survivors who need it most.

“Help us continue reaching people like Rachel and Yuri—those who carry deep stories and still need your love, care, and connection.”

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Your People My People sponsors HHC Shalom House gatherings where Holocaust Survivors can come together to share stories, build friendships and enjoy a special afternoon of love and attention to combat isolation & loneliness.

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