Bella Lipper is a charming woman with a broad smile and beaming, bright blue eyes. This valiant 93 year old grew up in a village in the Ukraine where she saved the lives of seven Jews by hiding them under her floor.
ATZUM recently shared with Bella a letter we received from a young volunteer. O. O., a student from Leo Baeck High School in Haifa.
Dear God,
Hello, it’s the first time I’m writing to you. I guess you don’t really know me yet, but there isn’t too much to know-my name is O., and I’m just an ordinary 16 years old girl.
I know I have never written you before, and I have never really believed in you, but I have something very important to tell you about, one unique and special woman I would like you to meet. I’m writing to you, because I don’t know who else I can write to, and I think you are the only one who can help me.
My special person is Bella Lipper. From an external look she might appear to you as just an ordinary old lady, nothing special, but I would like you to see her the way I see her, through my own eyes, and see her incredibly pure soul.
Bella Lipper is a “Hasidat Umut Ha’olam” (Righteous Among the Nations). She withstood the hardest test ever, she withstood the humanity test. There, when millions of people failed and were pulled to the darkness, Bella stayed in the light and saved the lives of 7 innocent people even though she endangered her life.
I remember the first time I met her. It was in the beginning of the year-around October. I had already read her story; I had already known who she was and what she did during the war, and still, the first meeting with her made a huge impression on me. I remember when she first opened the door for me, with a great smile and kind eyes, and immediately invited me to her small, warm apartment. She began telling me about her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, about her life in general, and about everything I had might wanted to know about her.
And still, this is not the real reason I am writing to you.
Bella is 90 years old now, and I don’t have to be pessimistic to say that her days on earth might not be too long. I am not glad to say this, and I hate to even think about it, but I have to be realistic.
My request from you is that you’ll keep an eye on her, that you’ll watch her from above and wink at her sometimes to remind her that life is beautiful.
Bella saved lives, and so I am asking you now: save hers.
Please lengthen her life as much as you can, and make it most happy and graceful.
And someday, when the day comes, truly comes-take her to a better place, to the most beautiful place you can find.
I hope you find my words honest and sincere.
Please remember that up there, you have many angels with you; and down here, there are only few left. So don’t take her from us, not yet, we need her to know that there is still goodness in people.
Yours,
O
