Jan 20, 2022
May her memory be a blessing
Oded’s grandmother, Miriam Redlich, passed last night in her sleep at 95 years of age.
She moved from Poland to Israel when she young, before World War II took hold of Europe. She married the love of her life, Zev, and had two daughters. Her youngest daughter, Rachel, is my mother-in-law.
Oded is one of four boys so his mother welcomed me into the family with open arms. Finally, she had a female ally. When I married Oded, his grandmother had six grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. She passed away with a total of 12 great grandchildren, three of which we contributed.
She was an avid painter, traveler and cook. She traveled to China, Jordan, Morocco and the US, all on her own, after her husband passed. She hosted friends for cards once a week and never missed an opportunity to ask if there was something she could do to help.
When Oded and I moved to Israel in 2015, Miriam graciously offered her apartment to us as a home base. We had stayed with her on a trip a year earlier and we gratefully took her up on the offer. We ended up living with her in her four room apartment for six weeks. She woke each morning, at 88 years old, and cooked breakfast for Aviv and Maya (then 2 and 3 years old), played games with them and even made them handmade play dough. She babysat for them many evenings when Oded and I apartment searched or sat in the café downstairs trying to figure out our next steps.
In the six years since we moved on from her apartment, she has been an integral part of our lives and our children’s lives. Yuval says that he has two grandmothers: Rachel and Miriam. She was best known for her chicken soup, her warm hugs and her impeccable style. I never ever said goodbye to her without her taking both of my hands in hers and telling me how much she loved me.
She was the definition of unconditional love, something I feel even now, knowing she is no longer with us.
May her memory be a blessing.
