David Leitner survived the death march and vowed to eat falafel every year as a memorial to the victory • Although the shops were closed, many participated in "Operation Dogo" - in an exciting virtual tribute
Falafel shop in the days of Corona
Photography:
Liron Moldovan
Exciting: Even in the midst of the closure when it is frozen and raining outside, the people of Israel are once again proving how much we can warm the heart and embrace and all it takes is a simple human gesture.
Across the country, "Operation Dogo" is celebrated today (Monday).
For the benefit of those who do not know - this is a project that is a tribute to Holocaust survivor David Leitner (known as Dogo), in which masses of Beit Yisrael join in eating falafel.
The story behind this special and exciting day for Leitner, is one that should be taught in schools about willpower and faith.
Leitner survived the death march in Auschwitz, when what helped him get through the horrors was the thought of the bilklech, the same round buns his mother used to bake.
When he immigrated to Israel and visited the Mahane Yehuda market, Leitner saw a falafel stand, and the balls reminded him of his mother's favorite rolls.
Since then, Dogo has made sure to eat a falafel dish every year to mark and remember his private victory over the Nazis.
Five years ago, the Beit Ha'adut Museum for the Remembrance of the Holocaust in Moshav Nir Galim (which Dego was one of its founders) conceived the public initiative of eating the falafel dish on January 18, the day of the death march, and since then every year people from all over the country eat falafel About the Nazi murderers.
Two years ago, President Robbie Rivlin took part in the project, and last year Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi also joined the exciting tradition.
This year due to the corona restrictions and the fact that many falafel shops are closed, the project had to be adjusted but not forgotten. Dozens of people uploaded to social media Falafel, in quite a few cases from home production, with the labels # House of Testimony and # Operation_Dogo.