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"This history doesn't just repeat itself — it still lives within me, deeply," says 101-year-old Dr. Teha Friedman, who endured the Holocaust in Romania. She devoted her adult life to medicine as an ophthalmologist. Her son, Dr. Achi Friedman (67), continues her legacy, volunteering with LeMa’anam since it was founded five years ago. In an interview at Ynet’s studio, they speak ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
"From age 14 to 20, I lived through war. They stole five years from what could have been the best years of my life," Dr. Teha Friedman recalls.
During the war, Friedman and her family were deported to the Mogilev-Podolsky ghetto in Transnistria. There, she worked for a meager daily ration of bread, while her father was taken for forced labor. In December 1942, she escaped the ghetto alone, crossing the frozen Dniester River — only to be turned away by everyone she knew. Eventually discovered in hiding, she attempted suicide but survived and was imprisoned. Her deportation sentence was later overturned thanks to a bribe paid by the Jewish community. Later, she joined a Zionist youth movement, was arrested again, and imprisoned until her release in July 1944, shortly before Romania’s liberation.
In 2018, she was honored to light one of the six torches at the official state ceremony at Yad Vashem for Holocaust Remembrance Day.
How did you cope? How does a young girl survive the hunger, the constant need to flee, and worry for her family?
"It was extremely difficult, and it also depended on the people you met. There were many who helped me."
Are you proud of your son, Achi, for volunteering to help Holocaust survivors?
"I never doubted that he would help. It’s close to his heart. When someone lives with a person who survived the Holocaust, that never leaves you."
Dr. Achi Friedman says that his sense of purpose in medicine has been with him since childhood. "When the organization approached me early on and asked if I would volunteer I immediately said yes. I believe it’s a great mitzvah."
He describes his role in the organization: "We receive requests from Holocaust survivors who, for various reasons — personal limitations, bureaucratic hurdles or technical challenges — can’t access medical care. We try to help as much as we can, without forcing them to travel. When possible, we send the mobile clinic to treat them at home. If not, we provide advice or assist them in getting the care they need."
According to Israel’s National Insurance Institute, 118,810 Holocaust survivors currently live in Israel, receiving various benefits such as senior pensions, income supplements, and long-term care. Of these, 25.2% are aged 90 or older (29,957 individuals). Additionally, 22,075 survivors receive the highest level of care benefits, indicating severe medical and nursing needs.
For many, even a routine medical appointment — an eye exam, a visit to a specialist or basic care — becomes nearly impossible. Long wait times, a shortage of specialists in peripheral areas, and significant gaps in health care access between central and outlying regions create a reality where thousands of survivors forgo medical care out of despair or lack of means.
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Today, LeMa’anam operates with approximately 1,500 volunteer doctors across all specialties — from internal medicine and geriatrics to dermatology, ophthalmology, psychiatry, and ENT. The organization has provided over 12,000 treatments, entirely free of charge, with no bureaucratic barriers, funded by the Claims Conference and other charitable foundations.
Holocaust survivors are a dwindling generation. "Sadly, these survivors represent a world that is slowly vanishing. Many suffer from dementia, many are unable to communicate for various reasons," says Dr. Achi Friedman, emphasizing that caring for them is not just a privilege, but a responsibility. "I’ve heard about the comfort brought to those who are suffering, and I’m proud of everyone who gives their time to help others," concludes his mother.