On Holocaust Memorial Day, Firefighters Rescue Holocaust Survivor From Burning Building

Firefighters in Givatayim rescued three people from a building that went up in flames Thursday morning – one of them a Holocaust survivor in her 90s. The firefighters invited the woman to join them at the station for their Holocaust memorial event, with firefighters joining together as they sounded the two-minute memorial siren in honor of Holocaust Memorial Day.

The fire broke out at the building in central Givatayim early Thursday. Fire investigators have not yet determined the cause, and police have started their own investigation. The building was evacuated, and two injured individuals were treated by Magen David Adom personnel and then taken to a nearby hospital.

The elderly woman, a resident of one of the upper floors of the building, was removed from her apartment by firefighters by ladder. She expressed great emotion at being rescued, telling firefighters and MDA personnel how appreciative she was. “It looks like I am meant to live,” she said. “I was left alone in Budapest when I was twelve and a half, I had no one and had to watch out for myself. I came to Israel. I am not a hero, just a person. I kiss the very floor tiles of this land.”