As a young girl studying piano in Israel one summer, Sara Wolfensohn was taken by her mother to Yad Vashem, the vast Holocaust memorial museum. The visit would change her life.
"It was a pivotal moment from my childhood that I remember more clearly than any other memory I have,” said Sara. “I think I never recovered from that shock.”
The experience marked the beginning of a lifelong quest to help Jews who survived the atrocities of the Holocaust live the remainder of their lives with comfort and dignity.
Sara was aware that although some Holocaust survivors had become very successful, there were many more who needed help.
In her twenties, Sara frequently performed at the New York City coffeehouses where Holocaust survivors gathered for entertainment and food. She was aware that although some survivors had become very successful, others needed help—and there were “so many gaps in funding.”
If Jews were able to help survivors who had suffered so much, Sara thought, they had a special obligation to do so.
Partnering with JF&CS has provided a way for Sara to meet that obligation. Her philanthropy has helped to support the more than 400 survivors cared for by Schechter Holocaust Services, as well as Family Table, the largest kosher food pantry in New England.
“Food, particularly kosher food, is so expensive, and it’s a basic need,” said Sara. “And for those who are, for a whole slew of reasons, unable to buy good food, it’s incumbent on us to provide it if one is lucky enough to be able to.”
In addition to providing financial support, Sara has continued to share her gifts of music by performing for JF&CS clients.
“This cause is really in my heart,” said Sara. “In many ways it’s the most important thing that I do.
