Eulogy of Ruth & Ezra Mileikowsky by Marie Misselyn on Mt of Olives - June 26, 2019.
Dear family and friends,
I am very proud to be here and I would like to honour Gil's parents with some memories.
From the very first moment I met Ezra and Ruth, I was impressed by their Love and Dedication to each other.
When I called Ruth, she often asked me to wait a few minutes or to call back because she was preparing dinner for Ezra.
Ezra had to be encouraged to eat and meals were very important for his health.She said to me : “Tu sais, je dois m’occuper de mon mari!”
Ruth always reminded Ezra to take his hat and his cane when they went out, in order to protect him against a cold. She was aware of his wellbeing every moment of the day.
When hospitalized after her stroke, Ruth was telling me: “Je veux mon mari, avec sa canne et son chapeau”. She missed him very much.
For Ezra, Ruth was number 1, he could not live without her. When unfortunately Ruth was in the hospital he always asked how she was ?
During that period, I sometimes used to look after Ezra in order to give Gil the opportunity to sleep a few hours and to assure Ezra’s safety when he got up in the middle of the night. That’s when I could hear how Ezra was calling Ruth or Gil while sleeping.
But even awake Ezra wanted to know where Ruth was and needed to be reassured that she would join him soon.
Each time I visited Ezra and Gil in Israël, the first thing Ezra asked me was, “How is Ima ?” and the second thing was, “When is she coming to join me in Israël ?”
Ruth was very attached to traditions, she liked to explain me the different special days of the year, for example Chanukah, the celebration of the light. She was very proud of her roots.
Although the fact that Ruth had difficulties to see, she followed the news, reading the newspapers and keeping some articles for me to discuss about. I remember that she had a particular admiration for people who dedicated their lives to improve the human condition.
She had a strong personality and at the same time I can testify that she was very tender. She had a particular way to express her feelings to people she liked, calling them ”ma chérie, or mon chéri”.
Family, Friendship, Honesty, and Fairness were the guidelines in her life.
Ezra loved music, especially classical music. We shared lots of happy moments listening to Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi and others. But he also loved Greek music like the sirtaki, singing and dancing with the music. Ezra was not a man of many words but his eyes were very expressive, and his humor was exceptional.
I had the opportunity to visit Ima and Abale many times. They loved their sons and grandchildren. During their whole life they encouraged them to develop their talents in order to have a happy life.
Art was important for Ima and Abale. We shared the conviction that Beauty in Art or Music improves the quality of Life and makes people better.
I remember the day we went to the most important art event in Europe, called Tefaf in Maastricht. As there was a lack of wheelchairs in Tefaf, I took my parents’ wheelchair for Ezra and drove to the Netherlands with Ima in my bus, in order to continue our never ending conversation. Ezra sat in the more comfortable family car with Gil.
I was very impressed by the fact that Ima could name every artist of every art work from a distance, without any error. She was an excellent teacher.
Finally, I am very greatful to have met Ima and Abale and to have contributed a little to soften their last years.
Imale and Abale, wherever you are, rest in peace, together!
I am sure that, as 2 stars in the sky, you protect Gil and the people he loves.
Let’s enjoy Life and Beauty to honor Ezra and Ruth