Magda
Housemother - with all her heart, each and every moment
Magda has been working at the Ebenezer Home since 2012, and three of those years as the house mother. Her daily tasks are very diverse, like those of a mother ... ;)
She makes sure, the residents are well off, their rooms are furnished according to their needs, and if they have specific needs, she goes and shops for them. Another part of her daily work is domestic economics. Every week Magda meets with the kitchen staff to plan the menu, taking into account the diets of the individual residents. Magda also is the first person to contact about laundry and house cleaning. In short: She oversees everything related to the domestic economy. During the year, she organizes various feast celebrations for the residents in the Ebenezer Home or the adjacent garden. Magda is also in regular contact with suppliers, compares prices, and orders food.
The ambience at Ebenezer is very friendly. It feels like a second home to her, and Magda enjoys being at Ebenezer. She explains, "In my daily work, I experience how God gives me the strength, wisdom, and joy to accomplish all tasks. He brought me here. For me it's a privilege to serve Him and the residents here, and it's incredibly fun for me. I want to work for Him with all my heart, each and every moment."
Ebenezer Senior Citizen's Home - Haifa
For He Shall Give His Angels Charge Over You
The Testimony of Sami Herscu,
An Ebenezer Home Resident
Learning to Survive
Sami was born in 1915 to a Jewish family in Romania. His father was killed in WWI when Sami was just 4 years old. His mother, who couldn’t provide for her 4 children alone, sent Sami by train on his own, with only a small suitcase, to another town to learn a trade. Sami, who was only 9 at the time, suffered from great loneliness and cried a lot. The owner of the place where he stayed sent Sami to Bucharest. Because Sami had no address to go to and didn’t know how to ask for help, he lived in the streets and worked at odd jobs, eating from the food thrown away in the marketplace.
Later on, Sami would tell his story and relate that even though he was alone, he knew Someone up above was watching over him and caring for him.
“For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11). “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).
Coming to Faith in Yeshua
And sure enough, one day a friend of his older brother found Sami and took him back home. This same friend, together with Sami’s brother, had attended Richard Wurmbrand’s gospel meetings, and both came to a saving faith in Yeshua the Messiah. At some point, they took Sami along with them to the meetings, where he too was saved at the age of 17! When Sami shared his faith with his mother, she, like many other Jewish parents, disowned him. It was a price that many Jewish believers had to pay.
Sami’s wife had also accepted Yeshua at one of Richard Wurmbrand’s meetings, and was disowned by her ultra-Orthodox Jewish family. They married when she was 18 and Sami was 27.
Escaping from the Labor Camp
During WWII, Sami was sent to a labor camp, but he somehow escaped. During the entire period of the war, both Sami and his wife had to hide from the Germans and informers.
After the war, Romania became communist. Sami, who was a good tradesperson and had “hands of gold,” provided for his wife and six children in relative comfort. Sami had a shop for spare parts. He did not forget his years of want, however, and was generous, especially to those who were needy. The communist government did not like to see Sami do well, and tried many ways of harming his business. After many unsuccessful attempts, they sent Sami to prison for 3 years for handling foreign currency. Twice, Sami and his family tried to escape communist Romania, but were caught. When they tried the third time to escape, God opened the door for them. Miraculously, they crossed the border into Hungary, then into Rome, and finally into Israel during 1961.
Making Aliyah to Israel
In Israel, Sami worked as a confectioner in Nazareth Illit, and later in Tel Aviv. He was forced to change his place of work more than once because the religious Jews, finding out he was a Messianic Jew and believed in Yeshua (Jesus), would fire him. In those days, believers in the Land were few, and many were Romanian Jews. They used to gather in home groups, and would also meet in Sami’s home in Nazareth Illit. Finally, Sami and his wife moved to Haifa and lived in the Ebenezer external apartments. Shortly after moving into Ebenezer Home, Sami’s wife passed away. Sami spent a fifth of his life in the Ebenezer Home (almost 20 years), and passed away at the ripe old age of 96.
Finding Rest at Ebenezer
Like many in the Ebenezer Home, both Jewish and Arab, Sami could find rest and care among the other believers. Although many have had to pay a high price for their faith in Yeshua, they don’t regret it, remembering the much greater sacrifice that our Lord paid for us! They understand our Heavenly Father will reward them in eternity for their decision to follow Yeshua—no matter what price they paid here on earth. Will you too decide to follow Yeshua as your Lord and Savior?
“And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matthew 19:29).