en_משפחתו

Israel Yeshayahu’s wife
Rina Yeshayahu, of blessed memory
Nee Badihi

Rina Yeshayahu was born on Friday, October 8, 1913 in Sanaa, Capital of Yemen, and passed away on August 13, 1986 in Israel.

Rina came on Aliyah to Israel with her family, The Badihi family, during the Great War, when she was only three years old.

Due to the war, Rina and her family had to endure a difficult life and extensive wanderings.

They arrived, by sea, to Jaffa where they lived among the Arabs.

The Ottomans expelled the Jewish inhabitants from one place to another and thus, the family found itself in Kinnereth, Yavniel, Zafed, Zichron – Ya’acov and other locations, constantly living a life of poverty and starvation.

Following the British occupation, Rina and her family returned to Neve – Zedek in Jaffa.

Rina studied at The Alliance Israelite School (presently - The Susanne Dallal Building) and, in her teens, became a nurse.

She joined “Ezrat Achim” – An association for community assistance for OLIM (newcomers) from Yemen, operating in Tel-Aviv. There, she met the Secretary General of the association and the clinic, Israel Yeshayahu, her future husband, to whom she devoted her entire life.

Rina and her family left Neve Zedek a short while after the riots of 1929. Since they wished to live in the outdoors, they purchased a plot of land, in the sands, and built their new home by the seashore, in North Tel-Aviv, where, in later years, the Tel –Aviv port was to be built.

After her marriage, she brought her husband, Israel, to live in a shack which was close to the port, in the same courtyard with her mother, her sister and her brothers.

About five years later, the couple left the shack and built a house in the city of Holon where they lived until their last days.

Whoever knew Rina and was able to observe her demeanor, could rank her among the exemplary mothers, modest and humble yet women of deeds, engraved in the noble stamp of Judaism as “A woman of valor”.

Her diligence and devotion prompted her to take care of the house and raise the children with ultimate dedication.

She was a beloved grandmother to her grandchildren and was even privileged to have a great granddaughter, Shayla, from her first grandchild Ra’anan.

Ever since her childhood she loved animals and plants. In the family’s chicken coop she always had chickens and chicks and her loyal dog was forever at her side.

In the courtyard of her house she planted a lovely garden, to the joy of family members and guests alike and, it even won her a prize for its beauty.

Rina was blessed with a warm and lovely voice and would always sing her beautiful tunes at every family gathering or whenever she was approached by others. Quite often, one could hear her sing even while she was occupied with various household chores or immersed in her embroidery and sewing or any other hand work which became a source of entertainment and joy for her.

Rina demonstrated a great interest in the affairs of the public and the State. She stood, fearless, by her husband’s side, accompanied him wherever he went and supported him throughout his climb up the leadership and social ladder.

She was a true partner to his struggles and successes and saw in him a dedicated, faithful, and wise captain of the ship of her Yemenite brethren, The Workers’ Union, The Country and The State, as he was one of the most salient leaders among all of them.

Rina’s dignity, her persona, imbued with a deeply rooted Jewish spirit and filled with beauty and charm, were obvious to all.

Her home was always wide open. Her offspring – Avinoam, Na’ama and Gilad seemed like olive plants around her table and many friends would find themselves, especially during the Sabbath and the holidays, enjoying the marvelous sense of warmth that always prevailed in her home.

When she passed away, she left behind a sense of pain, a void and longings for days of warmth and happiness.