Zeev Wilhelm Wolf Yary

My father, was the best father to me I could ever ask for. He functioned as a father and a mother to me in many cases, as my mother worked during the day, and he worked many times at night. He was born in Vienna and in 1936 prior to Christal Nacht moved with my mother to Palestine. They lived in a little moshav called Kfar Yona and worked in the fields. I believe he didn't like it very much, as my mother told me he walked for an hour to Natania (to save money) a small town by the beach in Israel to have coffee and a cake like a regular Viennese man. My brother was born in 1940 and three months later he joined the British army in Israel to fight the Germans.

He was captured in Calamata Greece, and was a prisoner of was for about 5 years. When he came back to Israel after surviving the death march, he didn't recognize his son and had adjustment difficulties to the life in Israel and his family. I was born 10 years later, when he was working as a mailman and later as the manager of the mailmen in the general post office in Israel.

He was one of the smartest persons I have ever met. I think he was probably a genius or very close to it. He had a fantastic memory, no one could bit him at any card game. He was able to remember any card and calculate the probability of the left over cards. He used to play poker and cleaned everyone else. But my mother rejected that way of life, and instead they played canasta with two couple of friends every Friday night.

My father should have been a professor of history, his knowledge was so vast. He used to tell me every day pieces of history tales, as we walked to the beach every season of the year.

He was the best of the best. He was my father. I love him dearly, and will always miss him. He was a wonderful grandfather to my daughters Ayana and Naama.