Holocaust survivor, 97, ‘sacked’ from volunteer job

A 97-year-old Holocaust survivor who has been volunteering with a program for pensioners run by the Tel Aviv municipality for over 20 years said she was abruptly told on Monday not to return.

Ella Yaguda said a new boss took her aside after an office-wide toast for the upcoming Passover holiday and told her to clean out her desk drawer “because there will be renovations, after which there won’t be room for some people, so to please clean it out. And you’re done [here].”

Yaguda said she went to see a superior who confirmed the decision.

The Holocaust survivor, who was born in Poland, said she was dismayed by the treatment and insisted she wanted to return.

“For someone my age, when there’s a goal, then there’s something to live for,” she told Ynet.

“I gave my soul, I helped many people, everyone loved me [there],” she added.

“This is horrible. This is the thanks I get for 20 years? I’m very active and I love helping people. I want to continue volunteering there. There was something to live for; to get up in the morning, get dressed,” she said.

The chairman of the organization, Shlomo Barzilai told Ynet that he “has a special place in his heart for [Yaguda],” but that several changes were being made within the organization.

“After the renovations, we’ll see if we can fit her back in,” he added.