Last week on Tuesday, volunteers from the “Ten Kavod” (Pay Respect) project of United Hatzalah made a dream come true for 81-year-old Holocaust survivor Mina Kozlanko, a resident of the town of Bnei Ayish, who is homebound due to illness. Mina has often told the Ten Kavod volunteer Oksana Standik-Segel who has been visiting her for the past eight months that she longs to see the sea. Last week, Mina got the opportunity as Oksana together with other members of the program and volunteers from the Hevel Sorek branch orchestrated a surprise and brought her to one of the public beaches in Ashdod.
The volunteers, including Oksana, brought Mina in an ambulance and provided continuous medical supervision for the duration of the outing.
Mina had not been on an outing since before the Covid-19 pandemic. She said, “You have not only taken care of my health all this time, but today I truly feel like I have been reborn. I am at a loss for words to thank you.”
Mina was born in Moldova and fled to Russia with her family at the beginning of World War II. She lost her mother and brothers and hid in an attic throughout the war.
Oksana said, “Mina, like so many other senior citizens, has always been averse to being a burden on others. It took time and effort to build a deeper connection with her, beyond just medical check-ups. And as our bond grew stronger over time, she finally felt comfortable opening up to me. She shared her longing to see the sea, having been stuck in her house for more than three years. With our genuine relationship and the kindness of the United Hatzalah volunteers, we were able to make her dream come true.”
