Shoshanna and Zeharia Kohavi (Mandjam)

My parents Shoshanna and Zachary emigrated from Yemen in 1944, and lived in Kfar Pines in tents. After the tents we were given a 2 bedroom apartment in Karkur.

When we were born in July 5, 1948, we had four brothers. My mother gave birth to me and my twin sister in Brandeis Hospital in Hadera. During her birth she was asked how many children she had and how many rooms her apartment had.

After giving birth they brought her only one child—me. When my mother asked about the other child she was told that the baby had a tumor in her eye and would not survive. They suggested it would be better for my mother not to see her. My mother insisted and still they refused to show her baby to her. When she tried to see her again, she was told that the baby had died.

My father always said that walking around the hospital were a lot of religious people who spoke a foreign language, and he could not understand why there were so many religious people in the hospital.