Holocaust survivor who spoke at the UN receives aid from Jewish community

Matyash and his wife, Mara, were in a very difficult financial situation, struggling to pay rent, and living in a subsidized apartment on the verge of collapsing.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Amb Danny Danon and Zoltan and Mara Matyash (photo credit: ISRAEL MISSION TO THE UN)
Amb Danny Danon and Zoltan and Mara Matyash
(photo credit: ISRAEL MISSION TO THE UN)
In January, 89-year-old Holocaust survivor Zoltan Matyash was invited to speak at an event hosted by Israel's and Russia's missions to the United Nations. The event was held on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.
Following the event, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, learned that Matyash and his wife, Mara, from Brooklyn, were in a very difficult financial situation, struggling to pay rent, and living in a subsidized apartment on the verge of collapsing.
In fact, The New York Times reported last December on the couple's financial situation, listing their sources of income. The New York Times said the couple only receives $1,157 in Supplemental Security Income and $184 in food stamps each month. Matyash and his wife also rely on very modest monthly payments of German Social Security for Holocaust survivors who worked in Nazi ghettos and a German government compensation for Jewish victims of Nazi persecution.
The ambassador joined Shahar Azani, an activist in the Jewish community, who launched a fundraising event for the couple.
"Standing in that room, listening to Maytash’s painful story, was necessary and tough enough. To learn he was struggling to make ends meet was too much to bear," wrote Azani in an Israeli media news outlet.
"The least we could do as Jews, as human beings, as a society, is to show them some humanity, some compassion. The least we could do is to do something about this. These survivors have surely suffered enough," concluded Azani.
Within a few days, $30,000 was raised to renovate the couple's apartment. Thanks to donations, they purchased new furniture and replaced some of the appliances.
When he visited the renovated apartment a few days ago, Danon said that "We must not remain silent while Holocaust survivors, who have experienced the great horrors of history, live in difficult financial situations and poor conditions. A sense of collective responsibility is ingrained in the Jewish people and I thank all those who contributed in a short time."
"We must listen to Holocaust survivors, and we must be interested not only in their past, but also concerned about their present situation. This is our moral responsibility," said Azani.


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