KIDNAPPED
Aviad Ben Izhak
Ramat Gan, June 2017
Yehiel set and counted the minutes. He was half an hour early, couldn’t even imagine being late. He set, waiting for the meeting to start, glimpsing at his watch repeatedly, while time seemed to stand still. One of the most senior executives in Israel, with numerous articles and magazine profiles to his name in all possible media, buttoned in a suit and a tie, “his work clothes” as he called it. He chose this spot, a small neighborhood café, with a private room. All the way to this place he looked in the mirror, making sure he was not followed by some journalist or photographer. From the moment he left his parking spot at his office, he had dark glasses on, fearing someone will recognize him. He removed the sunglasses only once he was shown into the private room and the door closed behind him. To be 100% sure, he set with his back to the door, fearing that by chance, someone will open it and recognize him. When he didn’t look at his watch, he looked back, wishing the door will already open and the meeting started.
A waiter came and filled his glass with water. Distracted, he put his hands in his mouth and started biting his nails. He hasn’t done this in 40 years. He knew exactly when was the last time he did that. It was on his first date with Dalia. They sat in a restaurant and the conversation went smoothly. At a certain stage, she said he was causing her trouble with her father. He had no idea why.
“My father claims that men that bite their nails and cannot control it… have a weak character and are untrustworthy.”
He stopped biting his nails, looked at her and said, smiling, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to get into trouble with your father on the first date…”
She laughed and blushed. This was the last time he bit his nails and Dalia was with him ever since, the mother of his children and “his better side.”
Now, without even noticing, this obscene habit returns, after so many years. He took his fingers out of his mouth and waited for the rest to join, eager to discover all the information about what bothered him for years.
Ramat Gan, the 70s and 80s
It bothered him and intrigued his curiosity since childhood, the fact he was “different”. A dark-skinned brown-eyed child to Ashkenazi parents, Caucasian with blue eyes.
Yehiel asked many questions throughout the years, but usually did not receive a satisfactory reply. They would bite their tongue and avoid his question. Just before his Bar Mitzvah, his parents told him he is adopted because they couldn’t have children. Every time he would ask about his biological parents, they said the same, “let it go, it’s not that simple, just don’t ask. Trust us, you’re better off this way.”
He couldn’t put it sentence to rest, he realized they were keeping something from him, and wanted to know what.
At a certain stage, he started thinking that he was one of those kidnapped children, children that were kidnapped from their families in the 50s. One day, he asked his parents, but they replied briefly “you were not kidnapped,” they determined, “you’re adopted, give it a rest.” But he was only more bothered by this reply and was never able to really leave it behind him.
Israel, summer of 2016
Dalia organized the vacation to the last detail. The year of mourning over his adoptive father ended a few days earlier. He mourned over his father as he mourned over his mother a few years before. Dalia decided it was about time he “ventilates” his feelings, gets some rest and relaxes.
They were sitting by the pool in the luxurious hotel on Mount Carmel. He took a deep breath from the mountain air and gazed over the pines surrounding the hotel.
“Did you know?” she said and looked into his eyes, lowering her sunglasses and taking another sip from her pink cocktail, “I checked regarding your biological parents, I’m sick of how this issue bothers you.”
“Seriously?” he played dumb and smiled.
“Yes, seriously,” she imitated him, “and your guys are so loyal to you that even before they finished helping me, they were probably already at your desk telling you all about it.”
“Could be,” he laughed out loud.
“Anyway, with the help of you guys, I was able to find the leading person in this field. His name is Yoni, and you won’t believe it, but he lives a 10-minute drive from here,” she said and burst out laughing. Her laughter ended when his lips met hers.
Yoni met with them the same day. The meeting lasted a few hours and led to months of investigation, DNA tests, and thorough inquiries.
Yehiel followed each step impatiently. He spared no effort and money until the investigation successfully ended. Now, all that was left was this meeting, the meeting he had been waiting for since he discovered he was adopted.
Ramat Gan, June 2017
The first woman to arrive was Dalia. She came in, wearing a smile, about 20 minutes before the scheduled time. She leaned and hugged him, feeling his anxiety.
A few minutes later, Yoni joined them, accompanied by an elderly woman in a wheelchair and her caregiver.
Yehiel embraced her as if he was just a young boy. She didn’t stop whispering “my Yehiel” “my boy” “I named you…” Dalia hugged them both.
When everybody calmed down, the caregiver displayed a cardboard file packed with newspaper clippings. It contained endless articles on the beloved son the proud mother gathered throughout the years.
Yehiel didn’t move from his mother’s side and a few minutes later, introduced her to her grandchildren, grandchildren she had never met.
***
She kept to herself a few details and even at her advanced age, wouldn’t disclose them. What she did say required great effort.
She was raped at the age of 16 and discovered she got pregnant. She wouldn’t say who the rapist was or reveal any details about the circumstances. “I’ll take this to my grave,” she said shakily.
Someone established contact with the adopting family, who lived nearby. She gave them Yehiel and they help her provide for herself since she was disgracefully kicked out of her house.
After giving birth to Yehiel, she was never married or had another child. She never left the city. She followed him his entire life from afar, watched him go to kindergarten, school, return from the army… and then via the media. She saw how successful he was, becoming the famous executive he is, fanatically keeping and filing every clip that had to do with him.
The author
The author - Aviad Ben Izhak (Lieutenant-Colonel), former commander of the Military Computer Science School (Mamram).
Specialist in creating genealogies and locating family members and roots. Seasoned in creating genealogies that include thousands of people.
Aviad is the founder of Yedaat – Genealogy and Family Trees.
All rights reserved to the author – names of products and companies are independent registered trademarks!
