June 4 is Holocaust Survivor Day, a day to celebrate the survivors.
ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska sat down with Holocaust survivor Rudolf Kosolapov.
WATCH: Holocaust Survivor Day: How one man escaped the siege of Leningrad
Kosolapov, 85, was just four years old when his mom took him on a treacherous journey to escape the blockade of Leningrad.
"It was dangerous, very dangerous," Kosolapov said—people drowning in the water. Sometimes, the ice didn't hold the heavy trucks, and people who were in these trucks went under the water. So a lot of people found their graves under you, know, under the ice."
Bound and determined, Kosolapov said they made it out, spending a year in Omsk before returning to Leningrad after the war.
"Holocaust survivors are amazing people, and they teach us so much," Marina Reed, Director of the Holocaust Survivor Program at Gulf Coast JFCS, told Paluska. "Unfortunately, too many Holocaust survivors live in need, and they rely on our program for basic needs and care. That's why we're always in need of funds. Holocaust survivors need to be able to age in their homes because of the trauma they experienced before. That's why that's the main goal of the Holocaust survivor program, to keep them away from the institution."
The Holocaust Survivor Program through the Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS) supports nearly 270 Holocaust survivors in the greater Tampa Bay area.
According to the Gulf Coast JFCS, more than 30 percent of these survivors live in poverty, so programs like these are crucial.
Kosolapov told Paluska that his legacy is now with his son and grandkids; he has this message for them.
"It's never give up, fight, and this helped me. I was not supposed to live to this day," Kosolapov said.
Click here to learn more about the Holocaust Survivor Program through the Gulf Coast JFCS or to donate.
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