From Fear to Fulfillment: Yarel's Inspiring Path of Healing

September 30th, 2024 |HaTikva Aid

Yarel is 89 years old, born in Belarus, he came to Israel from Saint Petersburg. When he was 6 years old, a bomb landed in his front yard. His frightened family was evacuated, traveling by train for over a month to Kyrgyzstan. During their journey, his mother, who had no formal education, got off at a train station to get some hot water for tea and missed the train when it departed for its next destination leaving 6-year-old Yarel and his sister on the train! Remarkably, with the help of a friend, she managed to catch up with the train at the next stop. It was a scary and unbelievable experience.

After the war, while in Kyrgyzstan, his father took him to a park for ice cream, a day he said he would remember forever because it seemed so delicious after years of famine. His birthday is on May 9th, the same day as Victory Day, which is also one of his most vivid memories.

Yarel’s life is filled with many interests and hobbies such as poetry, mountaineering, teaching, and studying the Torah. It amazes us how one saved life can bring so much joy, light, and hope to others.