During the week covered by this review, we received 2 articles on the following subjects:
Christian Organizations / Christians and the Holocaust
Christian Organizations / Christians and the Holocaust
Israel Hayom, April 17, 2020; The Jerusalem Post, April 17, 2020
Both articles told the story of Bet Eliezer, a nursing home for Holocaust survivors in Ma’alot. The nursing home was founded by a German Christian organization called Zedakah. Bet Eliezer houses 24 residents, and is managed by Micha Bayer and his wife Karin, both of whom are German Christians. Micha’s parents founded Zedakah 60 years ago and, though now retired, still live just a few streets away from the nursing home. On March 14, Bet Eliezer shut itself off to the outside world, on account of the novel Coronavirus. Shortly prior to this, 35 Christians had arrived at the site to volunteer. Bayer offered the volunteers the option of returning to their home countries before going into lockdown, but they all decided to remain and continue caring for the residents. The volunteers cook, clean, and plan activities for the residents. The volunteers, like Bayer, are motivated by their love of Israel. Bayer stated that his children will attend the Israeli military. Residents of Bet Eliezer pay a share relative to their financial ability. Otherwise the nursing home is privately funded by Christian donors, with no governmental assistance.