The children at the Emunah Neve Michael Children’s Village don’t only think about Holocaust survivors one day a year, on Holocaust Remembrance Day. For them, the Holocaust survivors are personal friends. For the past ten years, the children from Neve Michael visit Holocaust survivors living in Pardes Chana every week. They play, talk and are a genuine ray of light for survivors who eagerly await these weekly visits. For some lonely seniors, these children are the only visitors or ‘family’ that they have.
On Erev Shabbat, the Neve Michael children bake challot and deliver them on Friday afternoon to each Holocaust survivor. The kids light Shabbat candles and bring flowers to help brighten the Shabbat of each survivor. Around the holidays, they get together as well, in order to celebrate and give the holiday meaning and content.
The purpose of this project is for the students to receive the wisdom, the important stories and life lessons from the Holocaust Survivors and for the Holocaust Survivors to be infected by the kids’ laughs and joy of life that is so contagious. This year, 2023, the program at Neve Michael and the children who participate in this program will be the recipients of the Emunah Volunteer of the Year Award on February 21st. They are truly deserving of this honor!