I do not know how to start. My brother Avtalyon was younger than me. At around three years old he fell ill. They took him to “Hadassah” Tel Aviv hospital of course, and my parents went to see him every day. One day, my father went alone and when he didn’t see him he asked: “what happened, where is Avtalyon”? They answered: “Where are you, we were looking for you, the child passed away”. My father was in shock. He asked where the body was or a death certificate, and they told him:” There is nothing. We buried him in a mass grave”!!!

In a day’s time, my brother passed away, they did not find my parents, and they buried him. My dad asked once more:”But how is there no death certificate”? They told him that there wasn’t, and that was it. My parents were very distressed. There is no grave, nor is there a death certificate, what can be done? They decided to sit “sheev’a” [a 7 days Jewish mourning).

(I learned this only a month ago from an older aunt of mine) and indeed, they sat “sheev’a” for him.

Later on, Avtalyon received a military draft notice. My parents were shocked and fell again into a state of despair, and a month or two later, they received a second military draft notice, which greatly upset my parents, and everything resurfaced, and perhaps what was most detrimental, is the fact that we sat “sheev’a” for a son that did not die?

It was a difficult situation, but they did not share their doubts with us.

My sister Batsheva was born when I was four or five years old. My mother gave birth in our home, because my father was in the hospital. After two or three weeks, they arranged for Batsheva to be in WIZO [Women’s International Zionist Organization] that was at the end of our street, and so my mother went to WIZO every day to feed Batsheva, play with her a bit, and then, visit my father at the hospital. My morher went there very day, no exceptions, for 3 months.

One day she went there, and did not find Batsheva in bed. she asked the caregivers, who told her that the baby felt unwell, and was taken to “Hadassah” hospital. My mother, immediately, drove to the nursery at the hospital (the baby was 3 months old at the time) and asked what happened to Batsheva. “where is she”? They told her that she had passed away.

I am writing now and crying.

She told the nurse that yesterday she was healthy, “what changed from yesterday until today”? They told her: “ma’am, she was ill, and she passed away”, and my mother became numb and speechless from the pain.

Obviously, they did not provide her with a death certificate, nor a body. Nothing.

Quietly, she turned around and left, and went to visit my father, as she did every day. My father asked about Batsheva and she told him.

This ,naturally, overwhelmed them and resurfaced what happened to Avtalyon.

I pity them so, my heart hurts.

Soon after the story with Rabbi Meshulam reached the public, I told my mother:

“Mother let us share names, and testify as to what happened”. I did not even finish asking her, as she burst into heartbreaking tears, and she said and asked that I do not remind her and do not discuss it, and so I did to this day.

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