Index
Abrams, Marge and Bob
Adiri, Dina
Anderson, Sheila and Lee
Ben-Reuven, Moshe
Bieber, Rebeka
Halfin, Ariela and Shlomo
Itzhak
Kern, Sue
Lerner, Tammi and Motti
Levin, Tanya and Yuri
Machnai, Leemor
Reich, Hayuta and Simeon
Schillinger, Don
Sharma, Prabha and Rakesh
Stern, Ron and Judy Baylin-Stern
Strauss, Richard
Willner, Ardith and Leo
Abrams, Marge and Bob
E-mail, Feb 4, 2005
....
We were greatly saddened to hear the news about Yoki. We are sorry we cannot be
with you .... tomorrow, but our thoughts are with you, Eris, and Yermi at this
difficult time.
We have such fond memories of Yoki's wonderful spirit. It was always a joy to be
in her warm and friendly presence. We can only imagine how hard this must be
for you, and we send our deepest sympathy.
....
E-mail, Feb 3, 2005
....
I am with you, with all my heart.
I loved Yochi, she was very dear to me.
Big hug
....
E-mail, Feb 28, 2005
....
It is impossible to explain how much we loved Yoki and how much we will miss
her. Our love goes out to you ...
....
Ben-Reuven,
Princeton
E-mail, July 17, 2005
To Yoki
From a Friend
Yoki's was a life, for all I know, of power, energy, ambition, fire. Her
sculptures indeed convey colorful power, and, as Adi says, impish humor. They
do not just reach out, but actually grab you. If your hand is not on the
banana, it is already sculpted on the floating water tap. As the most important
thing in art is its tangible echo inside us, Yoki's creations accomplish this
effortlessly. You are already engaged, just standing in front of it.
Yoki was obsessed with beauty, and order, which do not ordinarily mix. So her
chess boards, periodic tables of the elements, space-age bazookas, and finally,
her vibrantly colored but symmetric jewelry, are all constrained expressions of
both. Her special glazes used on her magnificent colored jewelry pieces needed
firing in a furnace, and retain a quality of fire, heat, energy. Hers was not a
life of searching, uncertainty, or slow transform. Yoki had to live like a
bright intense star, no alternative.
Yet we all age, lose our edge, our beauty wanes, our eyes, still bright as
coals, begin to sink. Our back starts to bend, stiffness grabs at our knees.
Wrinkles, fat, blue veins, the daily painful battle with gravity, worse, with
mirrors. The majority of us will submit, navigate the long, well charted
channels of moderate existence, slowly, carefully consuming our life energy,
gradually sinking deeper until at last. But some of us tie ourselves to the
mast of our life ship, again to hear the enchanting sirens of youth, this time
after opening of our inner eye. In trance, again this music is burning through
our body like summer wine, even as our ship rushes the shallows. This is not
chance, or "fate" or cruel coincidence. It is the cold choice of the
soul, as engraved on our life-tablet within. A noble choice of intent, not a
conscious "I choose".
Some of us, when faced with an inevitable ending from a grave disease such as
cancer, just give up. Say softly, take me, I am yours now, like life, like
love, in death. And leave quietly with the agent of Full Stop. Others will
first fight, then give up and go through with the rest, some faster, some
slower. Yet some special others, will just look it in the face and say, I am
here to dance for as long as I will. You wait. And so goes a hide and seek
spiral, drawn, painful, gradually losing more and more ground, having to toil
superhumanly to present a normal, bright, perfectly glamorous, face, posture.
It takes a Great Warrior to do this, and she was.
Yoki's courage, power, will stay with us.
Bieber,
Rebeka
rbieber@studiored.net
E-mail, Sep 2, 2005
Yoki to me, was a queen. She had an enviable natural grace and calm. But that
was apparent. Special souls have a way of embracing spirit and holding it in
balance. Yoki could. She could, dance with the exuberance of a child and the
engagement of a woman. I loved to see her dance.
Yoki, to me, was a mother. She was nurturing and loving. She knew how to listen
and how to offer guidance. She raised two beautiful individuals whose spirits,
like her, are deeply rooted in their Jewish heritage yet they are free and
curious about the world.
Yoki, to me, was a partner and wife to A., her anchor. He provided her the
safest haven to be the creative individual to which she aspired. It is most
apparent, but no limited to, her sculptures. Art informed her and she
surrounded her home with personal treasures. She pleasured in bringing people
round a table and reveled in cooking. As did everyone who sat with her.
Yoki, to me, will be in the heart of all who knew and loved her.
Chatham
E-mail, Feb 2, 2005
....
We are deeply saddened by the passing away of Yoki.
Yoki will always be remembered by us as a cheerful, friendly, and generous
person.
We admired her brave struggle with the disease, and loved and respected her.
Please accept our deeply felt condolences.
....
Itzhak
E-mail, Feb 3, 2005
משתתף
בצערכם
ההיכרות
בפגישות
הקצרות עם
יוכבד
וגבורתה במלחמה
העיקשת
במחלתה
השאירו
בזיכרוני
רושם אשר לא
יימחק
יהי
זכרה ברוך!
יצחק
03.02.2005
Kern, Sue
E-mail, Feb 3, 2005
....
Yoki and I became friends after meeting at one of the Sugar Loaf festivals in
Timonium a number of years ago. I admired her jewelry and, more important, her
spirit. We chatted occasionally through e-mail and, of course, I'd see her at
the
.....
not a week went by that I did not think about her.
.....
Sitting at my desk, writing this, I think of the vibrant, talented woman who
was a joy to see and talk to. You have my sympathies, of course - but rather
than mourn her death I will try to find some way to celebrate her life.
....
Lerner,
Tammi and Motti
E-mail, Feb 3, 2005
....
We got the sad and painful news. We loved Yokhi so much. She was a real
lioness. We saw her struggle from afar and couldn't but admire her strength,
her courage, and her passion for life. We hope she didn't suffer unnecessarily
in her last few days.
Unfortunately we can't be with you in these difficult days. Please, give her a
flower from us and all our blessings for the way she has now taken.
....
Levin, Tanya
and Yuri
Kingston,
E-mail, Feb 4, 2005
....
Please accept our deepest condolences on the loss of Yoki. We still cannot
believe that this has happened. I see Yoki talking to me when I visited you 2
months ago. She was next to me when I had the injury to my leg. Yoki was more
than a friend to us ... There are many other fond memories of Yoki by which we
will always remember and respect her. She was just an AMAZING person. I ....
find it very difficult to express my feelings.
I know how difficult it is for you .... to go through this difficult time, but
I know that you are strong.
....
Machnai,
Leemor
E-mail, Feb 7, 2005
....
In spite of having known Yoki only since ...., I was immediately taken by her
amazing personality, inner and outer beauty, dynamism and joy of life.
....
Reich, Hayuta and Simeon
Letter, Sep 25,
2005
...
גם עתה
אנו מתקשים
להאמין שהיא
איננה עוד, מה גם
שבזכרוננו
הטרי נחקקה
דמותה העליזה
ומלאת החיים
במסיבה
המופלאה
שערכה לכבוד ... ,
כשהיא כולה
קורנת מאושר
ואהבה אליך
ואל הילדים
(וכמובן
למחלה אין
כל זכר...)
...
... עם כל הצער
והכאב, יש לך
סיבות רבות
לנחמה ולגאוה
– יוכי השאירה
... בת ובן
מקסימים עם
משפחות
חמות
ואוהבות, בית
נהדר שבו כל
פינה אומרת –
או יותר נכון
צוחקת –
"יוכי" (זכורה
לנו היטב "המכשפה"
התלויה
במטבח
ו-"אינשטיין"
בכורסא) והעיקר
– כפי שנראה
גם באתר
היפהפה שהקמת לזכרה
– ים של
זכרונות
מתוקים מחיים
משותפים,
שנגדעו אמנם
טרם זמנם, אך
היו מלאים
ומאושרים.
...
P.O.
Box 21768
schill@dca.net
E-mail to Israeli folk dancers, Feb
2, 2005
....
I just received word that Yoki Ben-Israel has passed away. For those of you who
were fortunate enough to have met Yoki, I am certain that you will agree that
she had a warmth about her that had an impact on so many people. She would
brighten a room like few could. Whether you were a close friend or simply an
acquaintance, she could touch you in a way that most people could not. Yoki
will be missed.
....
Kanpur, U.P.,
E-mail, July 11, 2005
....
we pray that her soul rests in peace and God gives you and your family strength
to bear her loss.
....
E-mail, July 23, 2005
We find it difficult to believe that Yoki is gone. Standing in her studio
during the shiva, looking at her wonderful art, her presence was tangible to us.
She was so full of life right to the very end, so sweet, loving and beautiful
at her daughter's wedding. And at the same time, the bravest, toughest person
we ever met. We will always remember her.
E-mail, July 12, 2005
A lovely site for a lovely person.
Willner,
Ardith and Leo
E-mail, Feb 5, 2005
....
Remembrances of joyous days gone by, of the loving moments that you two shared,
of the bright shining spirit that was Yoki resonate in all of our memories and
will always be with you.
Our deepest and most heartfelt regrets for your very great loss.
In fondest memory,
....
On Sharing - by L.B. Willner
When good friends come to meet
Then passing time can scarcely cool
The ardor of memorable moments shared
Good times, under cooler reflection to be understood.
It seems we scarcely met
When hastened feet have scattered our directions
And separated now by space and time
We think of what it meant to be together.