For more than 67 years, Helen and Abraham Hoffman have lived in their home in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood of Jerusalem. In the complex period spanning Holocaust Remembrance Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day, the two Holocaust survivors — who found each other and built a large family in the capital — see their personal “Zionist enterprise” as a victory.
Helen, 86, was born in 1939 in The Hague, Netherlands. At age 4, she was handed over to a family of Righteous Among the Nations, where she remained until she was located by a relative, one of the few who survived.
“They took me in a black car, and they didn’t know my birth date. They decided we would mark it on the day I arrived with the family. After the war, we discovered it was indeed the day I was born, May 26, 1943,” she said of the moment she was given to the family that saved her life. “They were very good people, and they also adopted another Jewish girl. My sister survived as well, after being given to a different family. My brother and my parents were murdered in the gas chambers in Sobibor.”
After the war, her mother’s cousin located her with the help of a rabbi’s wife who had documented where children were placed with families, and together they immigrated to Israel.
Abraham, who will soon turn 88, was an infant when persecution began in Germany and managed to flee with his family to Israel. “After Hitler came to power, Jews were removed from every position of influence, and each month brought new decrees. My father headed an underground organization that managed to smuggle more than 100,000 books to Israel, which became the foundation of the scientific library in Jerusalem and treasures that are still displayed today at the Israel Museum,” he said.
After a journey through several countries, the family reached Israel and settled in Jerusalem. In 1956, Abraham enlisted in the Armored Corps and fought in Israel’s wars. “I remained in the reserves until age 54 and was constantly called up. We had quite a few successes,” he said with pride.
‘Following in their path’
Helen and Abraham met in their youth at a religious student club and married on Sept. 22, 1959. “It was love at first sight. He knew I would marry him — he didn’t need to ask,” Helen said.
Over the years, the couple became parents to five children, 22 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren. “I call it divine providence. It’s not something to take for granted. Every day I thank God for taking care of us,” Helen said.
During the war, 20 members of the family from the second and third generations, along with their spouses, served in active duty and the reserves. Some fought on October 7 not far from one another and continued serving across different fronts throughout the fighting. At the same time, two grandchildren married and 13 more great-grandchildren were born.
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Following in their grandparents’ path: the Hoffman couple with some of their great-grandchildren
“I pray for their safe return and hope they always do the best they can as soldiers,” Abraham said. “All my grandchildren are alumni of Bnei Akiva,” he added, referring to the religious Zionist youth movement. “They were taught to serve the people of Israel, and they do so willingly. This is our generation’s answer. We came to Israel, we are grateful to have survived, and we continue in the path of our forefathers.”
In conclusion, Staff Sgt. A., their grandson, who completed career service in the Paratroopers Brigade and is now assigned to a reserve unit, said: “The education we received from Grandma Helen and Grandpa Abraham is to live by ideals worth living for. In our family, we sanctify life. That’s our compass — to live, travel, celebrate, spend time together, and at the same time contribute and serve the state, love the land of Israel, welcome guests and do good.
“That’s how it turned out that everyone who can in the family is at the front. The partners — strong women — hold down the home front. The family is full of educators, volunteers and people who do good. Everyone supports each other all the time — all in the spirit of our grandparents.”