“The tattooing has taken only seconds, but Lale’s shock makes time stand still. He grasps his arm, staring at the number. How can someone do this to another human being? He wonders if for the rest of his life, be it short or long, he will be defined by this moment, this irregular number: 32407.”
This passage from “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” tells the true story of Lale Sokolov, a Jew sent to the Nazi’s largest concentration camp in 1942.
Like so many other prisoners, Lale’s identity was reduced to a number during his time at Auschwitz. 32407. He bore that tattoo for the next six decades until the day he died.
When a team from World Help visited Eastern Europe earlier this month, they had the opportunity to visit the former concentration camp, which is located just a few hours away from Ukraine where countless refugees are fleeing across the border.
The Holocaust of World War II certainly differs from the Ukraine war in many ways, but the 12 million Ukrainian refugees running for their lives often feel like they, too, have been reduced to just a number — a statistic.
Please remember that each number represents a real person. Each one is fighting for survival. And right now, you have the power to help at least one.
Watch as World Help president, Noel Brewer Yeatts, gives an update on the war in Ukraine directly from Auschwitz:
Displaced Ukrainians are suffering right now. Many of them have been on the run for months. They’ve lost their homes and family members, and now they’re trying to find enough food and shelter to survive. In fact, so many refugees have escaped to Poland that the Polish government is struggling to meet all their needs and has had to cut the food budget for refugee centers.
That’s why your gift today is so important.
After World War II, we as a global community agreed that never again could we turn a blind eye to such horrendous hate crimes and widespread slaughter.
World leaders like President Biden and President Zelensky of Ukraine described the attack on Ukraine as genocide months ago after the massacre in Bucha. Now, U.S. senators are working to pass a bill that would officially label Russia’s actions in Ukraine as genocide.
“Russia is trying to eviscerate not just the people and the buildings of Ukraine, but also they are trying to eliminate the Ukrainian language, Ukrainian history, and Ukrainian culture,” Senator Ben Cardin said in support of the bill. “This is genocide. The world must recognize this fact and those responsible must be held accountable.”
Refugees often stand in line for hours, waiting to cross borders and receive emergency aid
Thankfully, the war in Ukraine has not escalated to the level of the Holocaust — and hopefully, it never will. But when we turn away from these harsh realities and fail to take action, we risk seeing history repeat itself.
By giving to help Ukrainian refugees, yours will be one more voice that says, “Never again.”
Your generosity will put you on the frontlines of this refugee crisis by helping people who need it most. You’ll remind men, women, and children that they aren’t just a number. They aren’t forgotten.
Every $35 you give will provide a week’s worth of lifesaving aid like food, medical care, and shelter for one displaced person in Ukraine or another high-conflict area. Plus, your gift will be a powerful testimony of God’s love.
Please don’t wait. Give as generously as you can today.
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