Be'er Sheva Honors Holocaust Survivors and City Founders
Translated & summarized from 0404 by baba
Be'er Sheva honored eight Holocaust survivors and city founders in an event celebrating their legacy. The "Intergenerational Bridge" project connected youth with survivors, documenting their stories for a book and films. Mayor Rubik Danilovich highlighted their resilience and contribution to building the city and nation. The initiative aims to preserve these narratives and pass on values to the younger generation.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Be'er Sheva honored eight Holocaust survivors and city founders through the "Intergenerational Bridge" project.
- Students documented survivors' life stories, from the Holocaust to building the city and state.
- The documented stories were compiled into short films and a book titled "Because of Them We Are Here."
- Mayor Rubik Danilovich praised the survivors for enduring suffering and building the city with faith.
- The project aims to preserve these narratives and pass on values to the younger generation.
Be'er Sheva held a special event this week to honor eight Holocaust survivors who are among the city's founders. The initiative, part of the "Heritage of the City's Founders and Veterans, and the Intergenerational Bridge" project, connected local high school students with the founding generation. The goal was to listen to, document, and preserve their life stories for future generations.
Students met with survivors Edna Lifel, Michael Lifel, Lipa Machlo, Yitzhak Demari, David Krief, Chaya Shlomovitz, Adrian Kushmaro, and Arie Reiter. They heard accounts of their lives, from childhood through the Holocaust, their immigration to Israel, and their roles in building the city and the state.
The documented stories were transformed into short films and a book titled "Because of Them We Are Here," which will be preserved in the Negev Archive at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and on the "Intergenerational Bridge" website. The event itself took place at Beit Yad LeBanim and featured a nostalgic photography exhibition, "Memory of a City," by photojournalist Dudu Grinspan, along with musical performances by students from the municipal conservatory.
The project is a collaboration involving the Be'er Sheva Municipality's Education Administration, the Youth Department, the "Kivunim" company, the Municipal Volunteer Committee, the Founders' Heritage Steering Committee, the Negev Archive at Ben-Gurion University, and "Intergenerational Bridge." Mayor Rubik Danilovich praised the founders, stating they endured immense suffering, chose life, and built the city with faith and purpose. He emphasized that their personal stories form the DNA and values of the nation and state, now being passed to the younger generation who will carry responsibility forward.
Deputy Mayor and Head of Education, Dr. Chafzi Zohar, noted the human connection forged between the city's roots and the generation that will continue to shape its future. Mina Kalman Haddad, Chair of the Steering Committee, added that the encounters created a deep bond, enabling young people to understand the individuals, choices, and strengths that guided them in building their lives in the city.