Beyond the names the world knows, we’d like to share about some dear ones who are still struggling and grateful for your prayers and support.

Ben Har family, from Yated

This past week, we visited Shaul and Yulia, who have performed at HHC’s events for Holocaust survivors for many years, accompanied by a delegate from Poland.

On October 7th, they prepared to fight for their lives in their home of Yated, a small town just three kilometers from Gaza. As Hamas forces advanced, they armed themselves with kitchen knives and bottles of oil and vinegar, ready to defend their family while instructing their 14-year-old son where to run if terrorists entered the yard. As the terrifying calls from their neighbors and friends came in, Shaul and Yulia planned to stay behind and fight, hoping to give their son a chance to escape. Their defensive moves played through their minds as they braced themselves, thoughts which continue to seep into their lives today.

Moments before that would be put into action, an IDF officer arrived with two tanks and stopped the militants at the edge of town, preventing what would have been another massacre. Shaul and Yulia are deeply thankful to God for sparing their lives.

Two years later, the sounds of war still surround them: gunfire, military jets and helicopters, and explosions so loud that their windows nearly shatter regularly. The uncertainty wears on them as the news shifts daily between ceasefire rumors, renewed fighting, and the lingering fear of another massacre.