'Like family': A Christian volunteer's 24-year journey with Israel's Holocaust survivors

For nearly a quarter-century, Tanya Lukomsky has spent her days building relationships with Holocaust survivors across Israel through Christian Friends of Israel (CFI-Jerusalem). What began with suspicion and closed doors has grown into a ministry built on trust, compassion and enduring friendship.

As Lukomsky explained in an interview with Christian journalist Paul Calvert, "It took 24 years to become wonderful friends and more than friends, like family members."

Today, she and other CFI volunteers regularly visit survivors in their homes, offering practical assistance, companionship and a listening ear. While the organization currently ministers to hundreds of survivors, Lukomsky estimates that thousands have been served over the past two decades.

She believes the greatest gift volunteers can offer is not simply financial assistance, but the willingness to be fully present. "For them, we have all the time that we have, and we are ready to spend with them."

As many of the survivors have reached advanced age, the ministry has naturally expanded. Much of the work now involves supporting elderly men and women as they navigate the realities of old age.

Rather than dwelling on the sadness, Lukomsky sees it as a sacred privilege. "It's a great privilege as well to accompany them in their last walk towards eternity, being with the Lord."

She has seen hearts soften toward God and faith deepen with age. Conversations often move from everyday life to memories long left unspoken, as many survivors now share experiences they once could not bear to recount, hoping future generations will remember and ensure history does not repeat itself.

For some survivors, however, the pain of the past has been compounded by more recent tragedy.

During one visit, Lukomsky met a Holocaust survivor and his wife in the town of Ofakim, near the Gaza border, after they narrowly escaped the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack. Instead of running to a bomb shelter, they left their apartment and sought refuge upstairs – a decision that ultimately saved their lives. Yet the emotional scars remain, reminding Lukomsky that trauma does not simply disappear with time.

Despite everything they have endured, Lukomsky said she is continually inspired by the resilience of the people she serves. Recalling a recent gathering of survivors from across Israel, she says they remain determined to celebrate life despite unimaginable hardship.

"They also want to say to themselves, to each other and also to the old people around, we are alive and we are going to live. We're going to dance. We're going to enjoy."

As antisemitism rises around the world, Lukomsky says many survivors quietly ask why hatred continues. Her response is to remain faithful in showing Christ's love through consistent acts of kindness and presence. Above all, her prayer is simple:

"My prayer – that they would discover God... they would find this eternal comfort knowing God, knowing Messiah, Jewish Messiah."

Christian Friends of Israel is a Jerusalem-based ministry that has supported Holocaust survivors and other vulnerable Israelis through humanitarian aid, friendship, and practical assistance for more than four decades.

Click below to listen to the full interview.