Reuven Moskovitch (1928 - 2017)

Reuven Moskovitch, one of the early members of Wahat al-Salam - Neve Shalom, who lived here during the 1970s, died on August 4, 2017, at the age of 88, of heart failure.

On August 6, according to his long-standing request, he was buried in the village cemetery, in the presence of family, friends and community members. Several WAS-NS members recounted their memory of Reuven from the early years, or of working with him more recently.

Reuven came to live in Wahat al-Salam - Neve Shalom during the years of its formation, in the mid to late 1970s. He helped to recruit others such as Abdessalam Najjar (followed by his wife Aisheh), and Nava and Coby Sonnenschein. He worked very hard to establish the community - physically, logistically, organizationally - as well as through fundraising efforts. A German speaker, he was instrumental in the establishment of a friends association in Germany. Even after his departure from the village he helped to make its name known through his writings and public speaking, and raised funds for various projects.

Reuven, a Holocaust survivor, worked as a history teacher. He always remained a totally committed and optimistic peace activist, often challenging mainstream Israeli opinions. For example, in 2010, following the Mavi Marmara incident, he personally joined the Jewish Boat to Gaza as its oldest passenger (see memoriam). He was honored by the village on several occasions and took part in official occasions and events - where he would often play a tune or two on his beloved harmonica. He remained particularly interested in the awareness of history and historical narratives as a way to build bridges of understanding, and so in recent years encouraged and contributed towards the establishment of the Peace Museum and related efforts.

May his memory be blessed.

(The photos show (1) )Reuven on the occasion of his 80th birthday, and (2) Ilan Frisch, one of several community members who spoke at the funeral).