this article  is from our column on floraculture international  december issue

 

 

     It has been a terrible month for us.

It all began when Eyal’s mother announced that she is

stopping her dialysis treatments. The consequences where

obvious. Esther was suffering and life had become

impossible for her. She felt, degraded and humiliated.

Her body had betrayed her. She passed away peacefully

at home with all her loved ones around her.

     Esther lived in one of the worst times in human history,

the nazi regime.She was born in 1922 in Manheim,

Germany, and as she always said to us her first 14 years

were really the only happy times in her life.

      At the age of 14 she was torn away from her parents

and favorite sister Ruth and two small brothers

Hans and Freddy. The last time she saw them was in the

train station in Manheim as she left with the youth movement to Israel

      Her Parents and family all perished in Auschwitz.

All her life she lived with the guilt that she did nothing

to help her parents, and what could a young lonely

girl do.

     Her life was intertwined with the birth of the state of

Israel. She was among the young generation that

settled the country-she lived in a new kibbutz

in the Dead Sea (beit harava). Joined the

paramilitary units, spying on the British who were

here and did not want to give us our independence,

joined the army in 1948 fought those nations

that wanted to get rid of the Jews, and

after the establishment of the state of Israel,

together with her husband Gideon opened

government offices around the world. In Marseille,

Roma, and Montreal.

Gideon passed away very young and she spend the 30

years of her life in a lonely planet. We will always

remember her strength, and will power.

     Then we heard that a long time friend Harold Frolkis

 passed away at the age of 51.Harold was with us in the 

early years of the establishment of kibbutz Yahel in the

 southern part of the country. He was a real friend always

 ready to do whatever had to be done, and in those days

 everything had to be done. We didn’t really keep in touch 

since he moved back to the States. Harold was the type of

person that things always happened around him, a big man

 with a big heart. His premature death makes you wonder

 what exactly is going on.

      And then our life was forever changed. Yoni Friedman

 passed away. Yoni was 22 years young. He was born here

 on Zofar and was part of our life since he was in the same

 age group as our twin girls. The kids did everything

 together, from the days of the kindergarten, birthdays,

 elementary school, high school, all the social events.

 They explored our wonderful desert together, they all

 grew up to be unbelievable young adults, and we are all

 so proud of our kids. Yoni was one of the brighter kids,

 with a keen sense of direction; he knew what he wanted,

 had all the right ingredients to do something substantial in

 his life, but Mother Nature had other plans for Yoni. He

 passed away after a very long illness. He is the first to be

 buried here in Zofar the place he loved so much.

 

Honestly this is mother nature at her worst

Leaora Policar