A nighttime drama unfolded in Haifa on Rosh Hashanah night, when concerns for the well-being of an 88-year-old elderly woman led to the arrival of police, MDA, and fire departments at her home late at night. Zhanna Terentyev, Director of the Shmuel Gantz Help Center of the Pensioners' Lobby, left the holiday table at midnight and went to the elderly woman's house, after her grandson, who lives in Germany, was unable to contact her for an entire week.
A grandson from Germany posted a desperate call for help online
The incident began when the grandson, who lives in Germany, posted a post in a Haifa Facebook group asking for help locating his 88-year-old grandmother, after he had been unable to contact her for a week. The post was encountered by Zhanna Terentiev, director of the Shmuel Gantz Z"l Help Center of the Pensioners' Lobby, who immediately contacted the grandson and obtained the elderly woman's details and address. Terentiev tried to call the woman, but her attempts were also unanswered. Given the elderly woman's advanced age and the fact that her family had been unable to contact her for a week, she decided not to wait until the morning and to go home immediately.
She left everything at midnight: "Worry was stronger than any fear"
"At 00:30 AM, I left everything: the house, the family, and the holiday. On New Year's Eve, I went out alone into the night and darkness, although as a woman traveling alone at such an hour, I was naturally apprehensive. But the concern for the well-being of an 88-year-old woman and the desire to help were stronger than any fear," said Terentiev. When she arrived at the address, she repeatedly knocked on the apartment door and on the neighbors' doors, but no one answered. At this point, she called the police and the MDA, who arrived at the scene, and later firefighters were also called to break down the door.
Just before the break-in, relief came: the elderly woman opened the door herself.
But just before the break-in, the big relief came: the elderly woman woke up and opened the door herself. She was frightened, but healthy and unharmed. It later turned out that she was not at home at the time the grandson tried to reach her, and since she does not use a mobile phone, it was not possible to contact her. Terentiev asked her to talk to her grandson in Germany and reassure him after a week of worry. "Thank God, the incident ended peacefully," Terentiev said.
"Don't remain indifferent to the senior citizens around you"
The Shmuel Gantz Assistance Center of the Pensioners' Lobby, which operates in collaboration with the Military Veterans' Association, the Veterans' Division, and the Haifa Municipality, provides assistance to veterans and Holocaust survivors in a wide variety of areas. The center handles hundreds of inquiries, provides personal guidance and assistance in exercising rights, works with various authorities and bodies, and operates a volunteer network and a free handyman service that comes to the homes of veterans and assists with repairs.
Following the incident, Terentiev wanted to convey a message to the public: "Do not remain indifferent. Pay attention to the veterans and Holocaust survivors around you. Sometimes a phone call, a knock on the door, or a call to emergency services can save a life. We are here, close and ready to help as much as we can, so that no one is left alone and without help." Shmuel Gantz Helpline: 04-9923166.
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