My mother, Carmia Baler [neé Paster] passed away this morning. She was 84 years old. Born in Givat Ada to a 2rd generation family of Israeli farmers. Her parents, 4 brothers and sister later moved to the moshava Benyamina (moshava is a colony of independent farmers in Israel who own and work their own land). She was named in honor of the first fruit of the vineyard (Kerem-ya – vineyard or God). She was the epitome of the Israeli Sabra – strong and independent yet soft and fragile. She joined the underground anti-British extremist group “Lehi” (also known as the “Stern Gang”) to fight for the independence of Israel. She named me – Efrat, after the code name she was given in the underground. She named her eldest daughter- Hanita after the Kibbutz where her brother was killed when it was established. She served in the fledgling Israeli army as a truck driver (she intentionally waited for the first women truck drivers’ course!). She married George Leonard Baler in 1951, a Bostonian who volunteered to fight in the war of independence. George passed away this week, 11 years ago on the Eve of the Jewish New year. They settled in Jerusalem and lived in the half Arab half Jewish neighborhood of Abu-Tor. The family was sent in 1965 to Winnipeg, Canada and in 1973 to Boston as emissaries of the Jewish National Fund. Carmia worked for a time as a pottery restorer for the Rockefeller Museum in the archaeological digs on Mount Zion (on the grounds of the house of the high priest Caiaphas). Later she opened a Nursery and landscaping business, where she physically did the gardening and landscaping work. In the early 90’s my parents moved to Tel-Aviv, there she studied and became a Jewelry designer. Best known for the jewelry she made out of the ancient coins my father found with his coin detector. A few years later they moved to Kibbutz Eilot to be near my sister and where she passed away today. She was an independent and free spirited soul, strong willed yet childlike and sensitive. She spoke fluent Arabic and was called “Bint El Balad” (Country Girl/Salt of the earth) by her Arab friends. She spoke her mind and was true and real as you can get. She leaves behind her daughters Hanita and Efrat, son in laws Shmuel and Benny. Her grandchildren – Yair, Roni and Arielle and a brother, Arnon. We will miss her always.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 11:59:13 +0000
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