My husband passed away suddenly, and since then I have raised my three daughters and nine grandchildren on my own, with love and warmth.
I never deprive them of anything. They love my food, they love coming to be together.
I vividly remember the difficult challenge of marrying off my daughters on my own — a challenge that was both emotional and financial.
God gave me strength, and I managed to do everything with my own two hands. Thank God, it was good, beautiful, and deeply moving.
There are two things I guard very carefully, and woe to anyone who touches them:
Crocheted tablecloths that my grandmother made, displayed on the sideboard in my living room. They are all handmade and very dear to my heart.
In addition, there is a very old game that belonged to my parents and was passed on to me. Through it, I remember the sense of family togetherness we once had.
After my husband’s death, I often think: Thank God that I gave birth to my daughters. From each daughter I have two daughters and one son — nine grandchildren in total.
They are my source of strength, my family. They give me a reason to get up in the morning. I love them, and they give me love in return.
The births of my daughters were the happiest events of my life, because from them my entire family was born and expanded. I bless them with health and peace alone.
On October 17, a few days after the war began, I packed a small suitcase, thinking I was evacuating for a short time.
At the time, my granddaughter was three months old; today she is a year and a half old and has grown up entirely in a hotel. She does not know what a home is. She is passed from person to person here and believes her family consists of hundreds of people.
Ilana Amrusi, 69, born in Israel (Tiberias).
Her home is in Shlomi. Evacuated to the Dan Mount Scopus Hotel.
Interviewer: Nava Tal
76, born in Tunisia.
Her home is in Shlomi. Evacuated to the Dan Mount Scopus Hotel, Jerusalem.
Interviewer: Nava Tal