Liora & Simon Yakubowicz
It is our personal history and the journey of our lives that have led us to endow our gift.
We are the children of Holocaust survivors and we can attest first hand to the recovery and renewal of the Jewish spirit. Stories of heroism, gutwrenching tragedy and miraculous survival have always been told to us by our families. People who dragged themselves out of the Gehenom that was 1945 Europe and began the arduous task of rebuilding their bodies and their spirits, transforming themselves from survivors to prosperous, vital and contributing members of society. These resilient, extraordinary human beings, whether they lived in Israel or abroad, wanted nothing more than to shelter us from the horrors they had lived through and give us all the opportunity, love and devotion with which Jewish parents endow their offspring.
We, their children, were very blessed indeed.
Unfortunately, 60 years after the Holocaust, anti-Semitism has once again come full circle. World opinion having lost its short-lived guilt over the Holocaust has shifted dramatically. Anti-Israel bashing has become the new anti-Semitism and Israel has conveniently been transformed from defender to occupier.
We have a commitment and a love for Judaism and Israel and the need now is urgent.
We can no longer afford the luxury of complacency. We have to do whatever is in our power to help Israel and our people at this critical time.
We ARE our brothers’ keepers and we must stand shoulder to shoulder with our Israeli brothers and sisters and help with the burden and the struggle that they must wage each and every day.
The Hebrew word for Responsibility is “Achrayut.” Found within this word are two words: The first is “Cherut” or Freedom. The second is “Acher” or Other. Judaism commands and desires us to see the suffering of others as if it were our own. We are blessed to live in a society where we are free and need not fear for our safety. We live in the greatest country on earth, at a time of tremendous economic prosperity. If not now, then when? And if not us, then who?
