In Loving Memory of Ruth & Ezra Mileikowsky

DR. GIL MILEIKOWSKY'S EULOGY TO HIS MOTHER, RUTH
MILEIKOWSKY BEN-DAVID
(The Eulogy was delivered after that of Ambassador Yitzhak Meir)
Yitzhak Mayer, I almost wanted to call you Rabbi Meir, because you quoted passages from the Old Testament and from Jewish tradition, this was very moving and I am so very grateful to you. As old friends you and your wife Rivka were very close to Mum
and Dad. It is only now, in order to identify her, that Dad has seen Mum for the first time after more than two years of not having seen her, and he is obviously heartbroken. Anyone
who knows Dad knows that he does not say much but when he does it is relevant and to the point. All that Dad said now when he saw Mum was "Life is too short to be little". Dearest Dad these were words uttered by Benjamin Disraeli.
Dad always told us that his greatest achievement in life was that he had successfully persuaded Mum to marry him.
Yitzhak, you spoke in general terms about memory, but for me personally, and for my Dad and the grandchildren, Mummy will always be with us and within us for evermore.
Mum's body has departed but her wisdom in life, her enormous love, her good heart and her passionate desire for knowledge in every sphere, extended not just to the arts but also to medicine, politics and many other subjects...
Mum will always remain with us, our very dear Mum, she taught us to continue in her stead. Mum's enormous courage and willpower was the factor that brought about a situation
in which she was in intensive care in Belgium for two, to two and a half months. No patient has even been in that Ward for so long. Her enormous strength was such that Professor Martine Piccart, one of the most important women in the medical world,
was moved to describe Mum as " The Strength of Nature".
Fate dictated that in 1956 Mum and Dad came to the same hospital for the birth of my brother, and that it is also the place where she passed away.
Mum always loved entertaining and being a good hostess so much so that even in the hospital she still wanted to give us tea, coffee or cookies.
As Yitzhak said, Mum's attachment to the State [of Israel] was above and beyond, so much so that she was even singing "Hatikva" in the hospital. One day I went into the
Ward and I heard a song that I recognized and I heard Mum singing " We have still not lost our hope... ".
Her love for Dad, the family, her children and grandchildren, her relations and the Safa cousins was unquestionable. When they came to visit us in Belgium, Mum and Dad always welcomed everyone with open arms in their home.
In the last two years when Mum was alone with carers in Belgium, she would repeat again and again in English: "I want my husband and my kids", Mum we heard you.
After Dad had taken a nap or had been asleep, the first word he would utter upon waking up was " Ruthi ! "
A wonderful love story like that of Mum and Dad is like the original story of "for better or for worse".
After Mum and Dad got married in 1948, their devotion to each other just got stronger. For instance, despite Mum's condition, Dad vehemently wanted to see her every day at the Hospital.
Mum never believed that she would outlive her mother in terms of age, she having died at age 50 or thereabouts, and thank g-d she succeeded in reaching the age of 87.
Our grandmother, Yehudit "Yetta" Ben David, of blessed memory, was the daughter of the author, Pinhas Shehnovits.
Mum also taught us words of wisdom such as " that the truth is the best lie ".
Mum also often told us that in order to get to know the real character of a person then, as our sages recommended, it is necessary to observe how a person behaves in the following situations: "what is in his glass, in his pocket and his anger".
Mum ought to have been with us in Israel on July 18, 2012 for more than two years.
At this point I wish, on Mum's behalf, to express my gratitude to all those who have supported her, and who have come here today to support us, in order be of assistance
to her in her grave condition health-wise and who made every effort for her to return to be with Dad so that they could both be together in the time left to them.
First and foremost I would like to mention Elia, you are unquestionably family, you were the first person that I called from Belgium to find out about solutions and you immediately organized it so that I could speak to the most senior expert on the subject.
Since we arrived in Israel, without you it would not have been possible for us to achieve what we have achieved. We shall never be able to thank you enough.
Ruchele and Natile, Ido and Dafna, David Shimron, Alex Lipsky, Meir Minsky, the Chief Rabbi of Belgium Rabbi Gigi, Yehudit Asraf Safa, Shaike, and many others who repeatedly tried to make it so that this sorrowful situation would not occur and
continue.
Dad gave a clear instruction to his Lawyer " Bring my wife back ! ". As Yitzchak said, an unequivocal instruction showing courage and strength. Since we returned to Israel, Dad has asked me every day "when is Mum coming? ...when is Mum coming ? "
Over the last two months had has asked me with great concern " how is Mum doing?"
As I was in Belgium for more than two months, I fought on together with the team of doctors and nurses to try and help Mum who fought right to the end, otherwise they would not have helped her. Up to the last moment Mum impressed them very much with her strength and willpower and all the considerable obstacles she had already previously overcome.
It is interesting that since I returned from Belgium Dad has not asked me even once "how is Mum doing ? ". I waited apprehensively but he did not ask me. Dad has apparently sensed and understood what happened. I have never felt or understood the meaning of the words " heart ache ". Over the
last few days these words are no longer just words. Regrettably, this is the truth, this is exactly the deep and enormous hurt that I feel.
My dear Momele, you will always live on in our hearts and in our deeds. We earnestly pray that our Dad will be blessed and live to be present at the Bar Mitzvah of his grandson Leonardo, in Israel next year, g-d willing.
AMEN