ATZUM is saddened to announce the passing of Bella Liper, a Righteous Among the Nations and all-around extraordinary individual who lived in Haifa for over 60 years.
Here is her story:
Bella Liper was born in 1917 in Kiev, Ukraine as Valentina Yakimova.
As the only girl among five children, Bella was pampered by her parents and enjoyed a very happy and comfortable childhood. In school, Bella met Luvka Liper, a Jew from the area. Later, they married and finished their education together. In 1941, Bella gave birth to their first daughter, Hanna.
When the Nazis reached Bella’s hometown, all of the Jews were ordered to gather in the ghettos. Bella decided to smuggle her husband out of the ghetto and hid him in her room. Soon, they realized that this arrangement was unsafe and they looked for a new hiding place. They decided that Luvka would hide in the storage area below the house, a large space created between the ground and the floor by the house’s wooden support beams.
As time passed, several members of Luvka’s extended family came to Bella for help. Without a second thought, she welcomed each of them warmly and hid them in the hiding place below her house. After three weeks, there were seven people under Bella’s care. Bella kept them all safe and well-fed until 1945, when the Russian soldiers had conquered the area.
After the Russians took over, the Germans were forced to escape. As they retreated, they burned everything within 300 meters of the railroad tracks to ensure that no one would attack the German trains and they would have a clean getaway. Because Bella’s house was located next to the railroad, the whole group, including Bella, Luvka, their baby and Luvka’s extended family, was forced to escape and find refuge elsewhere. After traveling a great distance by foot, the group happened upon a safe house. They stayed there until 1948, when Bella, Luvka and little Hanna immigrated to Israel.
In Israel, Luvka was immediately drafted to the army. Bella settled down in a little apartment in Haifa, where she gave birth to her second child, a son. After Luvka was released from the army, the family bought a new house and lived a peaceful life in Haifa.
A few years ago, Luvka passed away, and Bella moved into an apartment in Kiryat Eliezer. Though she missed Luvka, she was never alone – her big loving family, including actual family members and her extended ATZUM family, visited her all the time.
On Friday, July 13, Bella passed away at the age of 95. She was laid to rest by family and friends at the Old Haifa Cemetery.
May her memory always be a blessing for the Jewish people and a constant reminder of the humanity within us all.
Yael Rosen
Project Coordinator, Righteous Among the Nations
ATZUM is deeply saddened by the death of Ivan Vranetic, 82 year old rescuer of Jews during the Holocaust who later moved to Israel and became chairman of the Organization of Righteous Among the Nations in Israel. His funeral was attended by family, friends, other rescuers and various public figures. ATZUM staff were in attendance and eulogized Ivan who we had worked closely with to bring aid to Righteous Among the Nations in need.
On Dec. 28th, ATZUM organized a luncheon for Righteous Among the Nations living in Northern Israel. The gathering was in lieu of the annual meeting of Righteous Among the Nations living in Israel, organized by the Tel Aviv municipality and Bank Leumi which many rescuers from the North had been unable to attend due to the distance and their failing health.
On the patio of Nagish Café, a blind man is drinking coffee with a friend who has arrived in an electric wheelchair. Inside, I’m having lunch with the Righteous Among the Nations, a group of women who all risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. We’re in Ramat Yishai, a small town in the Jezreel Valley, emerald green this winter from abundant rain.
A righteous gentile was added to the honored list of Righteous Among the Nations at Yad Vashem Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority in Jerusalem last week. The righteous rescuer, Feodor Mikhailchenko, was posthumously honored for saving the young life of the past chief rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau. Rabbi Lau was a young child when he was separated from his family and incarcerated in Nazi Germany’s Buchenwald concentration camp.
Mikhailichenko’s daughters attended the ceremony at Yad Vashem last week that honored their late father as a Righteous Among the Nations. Rav Lau was emotional when he spoke about the person who saved his life. Pointing to his son and grandchild, Rabbi Lau stated that neither would be here today if not for Mikhailichenko.
