I miss my home. It is a house I built with my own hands.
Now it is very hard for me. I am here with my caregiver, and all I want is to return home.
I have eight children.
On Sukkot last year, I heard Katyusha rockets falling. It was very frightening.
I miss my corner, my balcony, and I miss sitting and looking at the view. I love the living room, the kitchen, the yard — it does not matter. Every corner and every tile there is mine.
That is where I feel calm, and only there do I feel at home.
I want my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to come to my house. That is my joy — to see them in my home.
That is my happiness.
I had a wonderful husband. If I did not feel well, he himself would cry. He loved me so deeply that whatever I felt, he felt too.
Before he passed away, I sensed that he was going to die. I told my son, “Go and ask your father for forgiveness. Go say goodbye to him.” And indeed, he passed away afterward.
That was eight years ago. I will never forget him.
In Yemen, before a wedding, people would go to a rabbi and ask him to choose a suitable name. The rabbi would meet the bride and groom and decide, after meeting them, what kind of destiny the new couple would have.
The rabbi told us, “From now on, your name will be Halima,” which means fortune. He chose the name Halima for me because I was my parents’ only daughter and brought them luck and blessing.
I pray to God that we will return to our homes and know no more war.
I pray that we will return to living in peace and security and be protected.
I am waiting to return home so we can hold a memorial for my husband. A year has passed and we have not been able to hold one in this place. With God’s help, we will do it in the synagogue and in our home when we return.
I have wonderful children. They are always in touch with me; they care for me and they love me. I bless them with health and long, good lives, and that they continue to serve God with joy.
Age: 84
Born: Iran
Immigrated to Israel: 1951
Home: Kiryat Shmona
Evacuated to: An apartment in Migdal
Interviewer: Bracha Tor
Interview location: Oncology Day Clinic, Ziv Medical Center
76, born in Tunisia.
Her home is in Shlomi. Evacuated to the Dan Mount Scopus Hotel, Jerusalem.
Interviewer: Nava Tal
87, born in Libya.
Immigrated from Morocco in 1949.
Her home is in Shlomi. Evacuated to the Dan Mount Scopus Hotel, Jerusalem.
Interviewer: Nava Tal
69, born in Israel (Tiberias).
Her home is in Shlomi. Evacuated to the Dan Mount Scopus Hotel.
Interviewer: Nava Tal
69, born in Morocco.
Her home is in Shlomi. Evacuated to the Dan Mount Scopus Hotel, Jerusalem.
Interviewer: Nava Tal
83, born in India.
Immigrated to Israel in 1966.
Her home is in Shlomi. Evacuated to the Dan Mount Scopus Hotel, Jerusalem.
Interviewer: Nava Tal
70, born in Casablanca, Morocco.
Her home is in Shlomi. Evacuated to the Dan Mount Scopus Hotel, Jerusalem.
Interviewer: Nava Tal
70, born in Israel.
Her home is in Shlomi. Evacuated to the Dan Mount Scopus Hotel, Jerusalem.
Interviewer: Nava Tal
70, born in Israel (Safed).
Her home is in Shlomi. Evacuated to the Dan Mount Scopus Hotel, Jerusalem.
Interviewer: Nava Tal
69.
Immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union in 1990.
Her home is in Shlomi. Evacuated to the Dan Mount Scopus Hotel, Jerusalem.
Interviewer: Nava Tal