Imagine leaving everything and everyone you know behind in order to move to another country at nearly 86 years old, and during a war.
Lily Presler, who shared her story last year with the Jewish Journal, is embarking on the journey of a lifetime. The Holocaust survivor just moved to Israel in the midst of the Iron Swords War showing that she is unafraid, and that her connection to the Jewish homeland is only growing stronger.
Presler made Aliyah in early July, with Nefesh B’Nefesh in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and JNF-USA, leaving her Delray Beach home for the Jewish homeland. After her husband Bernhard died in 2020 and was buried in Ashkelon, Israel, Lily envisioned one day moving there. Now, despite the situation, nothing can get in her way. Her husband’s passing also led to another realization which was urging her son, David to make Aliyah to Israel (which he did three years ago).
Born in Belgium, Presler survived the Holocaust by hiding in a monastery. Separated from her mother, she suffered from an untreated ear infection that left her permanently deaf in one ear and with little hearing in the other. By the age of five, she reunited with her parents before moving to America in the 1950s.
In America, she met her husband, Bernhard, a synagogue Rabbi, and they settled in Long Island, raising two sons, David and Ari. After three years, David and Lily were finally reunited upon her arrival in Tiberias.
David, a Hazzan, performs in the opera in Jerusalem and is the conductor at the Great Synagogue in Tel Aviv. He and his wife Tiki are now in Tiberias after being forced to evacuate from their home in Shlomi (in Israel’s northern region) due to the onslaught of Hezbollah rockets. They are performing at various nursing homes in Tiberias learning Israeli songs they previously didn’t know.
Lily will hopefully join them in Tiberias. Lily has a large family in Israel (from her late husband Bernhard’s side). Many of her family were evacuated from Gush Katif almost 20 years ago. Known for her spirituality and wisdom despite not finishing high school, Lily has inspired David in his role as a cantor. Inspired by his mother’s teachings, he’s a peace-seeking person. Ari, the second son, remains in the United States, running a successful computer business.
Despite her condition and age, she is eager to bring peace and share her spiritual insights to those in Israel.
“Lily’s story is truly remarkable and inspiring as she symbolizes the incredible enduring strength of the Jewish spirit”, said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Nefesh B’Nefesh. “It is a privilege and an honor for us to be able to help Lily fulfill her dream of living in Israel and we wish her and her extended family much health and joy as they reunite together here.”
