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 With a hearty laugh, 82-year old Alexander Bendersky greets all his guests the same way. “Sit down and stay healthy!” he says with smile. A frequent host of all kinds of visitors, from his high spirits and seemingly contagious energy, one would never guess that Mr. Bendersky, or Sasha, as he is more commonly called, is one of Hesed Yehuda’s neediest clients in the Kishinev region. Bed-ridden and without the use of his left arm, he is nevertheless happy, popular and proudly carries on the Jewish traditions he learned as a child.
Born in the village of Nisporeni, now on the border with Romania, Sasha is able to recall with astonishing detail the thoroughly Jewish atmosphere of the pre-war shtetl, remembering even the smallest episodes from his childhood. He dose not like to speak about the Holocaust time when almost all his family perished in the concentration camps or were shot. In an effort to recreate this environment, he and his wife Roza, who also grew up in Nisporeni, still maintain a Jewish home, keeping Shabbat and celebrating the holidays with family recipes passed down for generations. “We can never forget where we have come from,” says Roza softly, “It’s too important”.
On Saturday afternoons, the Benderskys door is always open. Friends of all ages pour in until sunset, joking, talking and debating with Sasha in Russian, Romanian and even Yiddish. Making a l’chaim over homemade wine, all the collective aliments of his family, from his own troubles, to his wife’s frequent illnesses and their son’s mental handicap, seem for a moment to disappear. One special toast is always reserved for Hesed, whom Sasha thanks not only for the medical and humanitarian aid they provide, but also the connection they give him with the wider Jewish community.
Yet though the Benderskys are grateful for the help that Hesed provides, Sasha still struggles. Each month he sets aside a portion of his meager pension (less than $120 for the whole family per month) to save up for his dream--- a motorized wheelchair he could operate with his one good hand. “Being Jewish means being part of a community. My door is always open to guests, but one day I’d like to visit others too”.
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