The chassidish daughter-in-law of Israel’s first coronavirus fatality, Aryeh Even, z’l, wrote a letter sharing memories of her father-in-law to media personality Sivan Rahav-Meir, who shared it on her Facebook page on Wednesday.

Even, a Holocaust survivor from Hungary, passed away a year ago at the age of 88 after contracting the coronavirus. At the time, there were only 883 cases of the coronavirus in Israel, versus today’s 809,870. But today, b’chasdei Hashem, there are also 5,035,562 Israelis who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“Today a year has passed since the death of my father-in-law, Aryeh Even, who was the first coronavirus fatality in Israel,” wrote his daughter-in-law Yael Shteiner.

“Aryeh was secular and we’re chassidim. My husband Yishai, his youngest son, is a ba’al teshuvah. After a year of such division among us, I think it’s worthwhile to say a little about him.”

“Aryeh was a Holocaust survivor. He immigrated from Hungary, settled in a kibbutz and served in the Air Force. He didn’t know much about Yahadus. He only remembered that his Savta called bread ‘Hamotzi’ and he knew how to recite the aleph bais with a Chassidish accent.”

“There could have been a huge gap between him and us, but no – it was the opposite. He was a much-loved father and grandfather. My husband was very attached to him and visited him several times a week. He slowly softened toward the changes in our lifestyle.  For example, he started answering ‘Amen’ to our and his grandchildren’s brachos – we were very moved by this.”

“On our last visit to him at the nursing home with all the grandchildren – of course, we weren’t aware that this would be our last visit – he bought us mehadrin pizza, like he was alway makpid to do. Always with a smile, with concern, with love. He died on Shabbos, alone. We weren’t with him, because of the pandemic.”

“One of the most touching moments I remember is from the last winter of his life. Again, we weren’t aware that we would soon part forever. My husband and I were walking on the street in the pouring rain. Suddenly my husband remembered a joke someone had told him, and he just had to call his father and tell him despite the rain. I remember telling him that his phone will get wet, but he just couldn’t resist calling his father.”

“These words should be l’illui nishmas Aryeh ben Franz Ephraim, z’l, the first coronavirus victim, and in memory of all the other coronavirus victims this year, in the hope that the last coronavirus victim will truly be the last.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)