Itzik Kozin

Itzik was born in Israel, shortly after its statehood. Like many Holocaust survivors, his parents, Genia and Moshe, never spoke about the life they lived before they came to Israel. Itzik’s brother-in-law shared what little information he had: Moshe, Itzik’s father, was a soldier in the Polish army, and spent most of the war fighting in the Russian army. He returned to Krementz, his hometown, after the war and discovered that his wife and son had perished, together with his own eight siblings. Only one sister remained – she had come to Palestine in 1936.

Genia was born in Poland and during the war was in a labor camp with her three sisters. No one remembers the name of the camp. They met in the Poking Pine City displaced persons camp in Germany, where their first child, Pnina, was born. The young family arrived in Israel in 1948 and was sent to a ma'abara (temporary dwelling for olim) near Hadera. Moshe was drafted to the IDF and fought in the battles of Latrun. A year or so after arriving in the ma'abara, Moshe, Genia, and Pnina moved in with relatives who lived in a house known as Beit Hashomer, amidst the orange groves near Kibbutz Na'an. It was there that Itzik was born.

When he grew up, Itzik began his schooling in Na'an, where he discovered basketball. When he was eight years old, his mother died of cancer, and life took a turn. His father remarried eventually, and built his home in Ganei Hadar, near Beit Hashomer. Itzik was very close to his father and sister and kept up his ties with them over the years. His fond memories of Na'an led him back to kibbutz life.

Itzik was sixteen when he joined the Aluma hakhshara and arrived in Be'eri in October 1966. The hakhshara did not arrive as a group, but as individuals whom Ze'ev Wexler, an educator, gathered from groups of the Noar Haoved V'halomed youth movement, and Ahuvale, who cared for the youngsters, was a mother figure for them. The young people came and went, and finally about 30-40 remained. They had morning classes four days a week, and the rest of the time was devoted to kibbutz work. Itzik began working with the field crops, and happily for him, driving a tractor did not require a license. The young people of the hakhsarah were a close group, and did not mingle with the kibbutz members. They lived in cabins by the clinic, worked in the kibbutz, and developed their own local color and experiences.

Some 18 months after arriving in Be'eri, the group enlisted – all together – to Nahal. Itzik was selected to go to train as a squad commander and joined the paratroopers’ 50th battalion. Upon discharge from the military, only 10 Aluma members returned to Be'eri, among them Itzik and his good friend Haim Zohar. When Haim got married, Itzik became a significant part of the Zohar family, a full partner to family meals, celebrations, children, and grandchildren. He had the same relationship with many of his friends’ children. For years he was part of Shiri Lingwood’s household, and her son Tal says that Itzik was like a second father, a true close friend.

Ella, Itzik’s only daughter, was born in 2009. She did not grow up in his home, but he loved her and was very proud of her. Itzik was a farmer, working with the field crops, until he was about 40 years old, when he decided it was time for a change. He moved to the printing house, where he began working on one machine, gradually gaining mastery of another until he reached retirement age.

Retirement offered new paths: He worked at the bike shop in Be'eri, was Erez’s driver on day trips, and worked with Avivit in the nursery.

Itzik was known as a sports lover, especially basketball and athletics. At the same time, he was interested in nature and history. He was a generous man, who always brought something to his hosts. He had many friends and a regular breakfast “parliament” in the communal dining room.

He was a real character, who loved to complain about the situation. He had a phenomenal memory for local nostalgia, and he could be trusted to be privy to the most recent gossip. He had a talent to recall charming anecdotes about kibbutz members, past and present. Among friends he would take the liberty to mimic local figures and make a definitive comment on each one. There were also the occasional political arguments. Itzik would tease Udi Peled about his opinions – with which he actually identified. The two of them would smoke together, have a drink, their laughter ending with a strong cough. Despite his barbed words, there was not a mean bone in him, and his stories were full of humor and love of the people of his home – Be'eri.

Itzik was murdered on Saturday, 7 October 2023. He was 72 years old.

May his memory be a blessing.