Yaron Dotan's father, Yossi, is a Holocaust survivor living in the “Beit Juliana” assisted living residence in Herzliya. On Yom Kippur night, he, along with dozens of other Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands, found themselves the target of a direct terror attack by Hezbollah, when a UAV launched from Lebanon struck the residence.
“After the Nazis failed to murder them Hezbollah tried to do so, but they won’t succeed either,” wrote Yaron. “My father is living proof. Not only did he survive the Holocaust, but he also now leads a large family with dozens of descendants across Israel, a true symbol of victory.”
The elderly residents were jolted from their sleep by the blaring sirens and explosions. Miraculously, no one suffered any harm, but the fear and confusion were palpable. After hours of checks and damage control, the residents were allowed to return to their rooms.
“With his unwavering determination, my father continued to fast until the end of Yom Kippur. The next morning, one of the residents recited the “Hagomel” blessing on behalf of everyone, and my father pointed out an eerily relevant line from the Yom Kippur Machzor: ‘…For the people of the Sharon region… May their homes not become their graves.’”
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who visited Beit Juliana during the COVID-19 pandemic, is well-acquainted with the home's historic connection to his family. The residence is named after his grandmother, and Yossi Dotan was awarded the title of “Knight” by the Dutch Queen.
Yaron Dotan calls on the free world – and especially the Netherlands – to denounce this heinous attack on elderly Holocaust survivors.
"I’m adding this photo of Yossi learning with two of his descendants, it is a photo of a victory over the Nazis and over Hezbollah, this is a photo of eternity!”.
