Life in Germany’s Largest Jewish Retirement Home
July 24, 2025
This is a place where moving life stories come together: of flight, survival and the desire to grow old with dignity.
Today, the retirement home is home to more than 170 people, around three quarters of whom are Jewish. There is also a daytime care program, which is open to senior citizens from outside the home. It offers social contact, activities and moments of joie de vivre.
92-year-old Eva Szepesi, born in Budapest, survived Auschwitz as a child and lost her entire family. Today she tells her story in schools. Despite her traumatic experiences, she has lived in Frankfurt for decades and now visits the home every week during the day. "I didn't even want to come to Germany,” she says. Like her, many residents have been brought here by fate.
Twenty refugees from Ukraine, such as Bella Kiselova and her daughter Marina, have also found shelter here.
Today, the home has grown into an intercultural community, characterized by many nationalities and non-Jewish employees. It is a place that offers security, in times when anti-Semitism is on the rise again worldwide. The community also provides support: through maintaining traditions, hosting celebrations, observing the weekly Sabbath and providing space for commemorating together.
The documentary sensitively accompanies Jewish and refugee people as they go about their everyday lives at the home. It also paints a picture of a place that is characterized by pain, hope, humor and joie de vivre.
Broadcasting Hours:
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SUN 10.08.2025 – 00:02 UTC
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