Arab-Israeli Plumbers Waive Fees For 95-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By PJ Grisar October 8, 2019
Two Arab-Israeli plumbers shocked a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor when their hard work on a major leak added up to an unexpected total of zero.
Brothers Simon and Salim Matari made a house call to Haifa resident Rosa Meir, the Times of Israel reported. WHen the plumber brothers learned that she was a survivor, they refused to be paid for their services, estimated at NIS 1,000, or roughly $285.
“When we got there, we saw there was a large blast of water and we started fixing it,” Simon Matari told Israeli news station Channel 12. “At some stage, while working, my brother Salim started to talk to Rosa about her life. She told us she’s 95, a Holocaust survivor, and that she has a daughter.”
On hearing this, Simon decided “I won’t take a cent from her.”
When the leak was fixed, Simon took out his notepad and wrote, “Holocaust survivor, may you have health until 120 [years], from Matari Simon and Matari Salim.” In the line for cost of service, he wrote “0.00.”
“The brothers really surprised me,” Meir, who said she was brought to tears, told Channel 12. “It was so moving and uplifting, and I thanked them a lot.”
Israel is home to an estimated 200,000 survivors. On average, they live seven years longer than native-born Israelis. There are about 1,907,000 Israeli-Arabs in Israel, constituting roughly 21% of the population.
PJ Grisar is the Forward’s culture fellow. He can be reached at [email protected].
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
That’s why I’m paying it Forward, by matching $36,000 of reader gifts. It’s an investment in the Forward’s newsroom, to continue telling the American Jewish story with truth and independence.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
