Narkis Hand

Narkis, Narkisi, our Kisi, was born in Be’eri and had a classic kibbutz upbringing, including communal living. The fifth and youngest child to mother Simha’leh, a native of Israel, and to father Efraim (Epi), may he rest in peace, who immigrated from Iraq as a baby.

Simha’leh, Narkis’s mother, ran away from her Tel Aviv home at 16 to learn and practice kibbutz living in Be’eri, fell in love with the place, and refused to leave. Epi, Narkis’s father, came to Be’eri after completing his military service, following in the footsteps of his aunt, Rachel Behor-Zaig, who was part of the Iraqi faction of the founders of Be’eri. Epi and Simha’leh met and married on the kibbutz. Simha’leh was a caretaker for young children and a cook in the dining hall. Epi started his career as a truck driver back in his military days. Later in life, he also served as a driver for organized trips to the Sinai Peninsula.

Narkis, born in 1969, was a member of Kitat Hadar, which included 15 boys and girls. Even as a child, she knew how to stand her ground and was willing to work hard for what she wanted.

When she was ten years old, she started taking classical and modern ballet classes. Since then, dance became a central, significant element in her life. She pursued it throughout childhood and adolescence, and for many years thereafter. An introvert, dance allowed her to express herself, imbued her with confidence, and afforded her a regal posture. Narkis looked just like a flower—tall and proud. Her kindness was apparent on her face. She was a good listener, a great helper, and very beloved by her classmates.

As a teenager, she chose to work at the kindergartens and children’s housing. Like all other kibbutz youth, she was recruited to help out in the orchards and the factory. She was a disciplined, industrious, studious girl who graduated high school with excellent grades.

She enlisted in the military and served as a weather forecaster at the air traffic control tower at Hatzerim Airbase. She loved her role, loved her friends, and was loved by others. It was impossible not to love her.

She continued dancing all throughout her military service, and went traveling the world upon her honorable discharge. When she returned to Israel, she was accepted into the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem. However, she found her studies disappointing and decided to drop out.

Narkis returned to the kibbutz, where she met Thomas (Tom), an Irish volunteer. They married in 1993, when she was 24 years old. A year later, she gave birth to Eden, her parents’ first grandson. And so it happened that Narkis, the youngest of the five Tzoref children, was the first to marry and become a mother. Two and a half years later, in 1997, Narkis and Tom had a daughter, Nataly. The two divorced about three years after that, and Tom remained on the kibbutz. Thanks, among other things, to Narkis’s kind and generous nature, the two remained close friends, raising their children as a team. This was a conscious choice: Narkis made sure Tom never lost his role as their children’s father.

Later on, Tom met Liat, may she rest in peace, and the two decided on maintaining a relationship, Liat in Haifa and Tom on Be'eri. They had a child together—Emily. When Emily was two years old, Liat died of cancer, and Emily moved to Be’eri to be with her father.

Narkis accepted Emily with open arms, treating her as one of her own. She took her in as an inseparable part of the family, a sister to her children and a beloved cousin. Emily participated in holiday celebrations and family trips, and Narkis’s relationship with her was an example of pure, unconditional love.

Narkis was a doting mother, and her children were very attached to her. Raising Nataly and Eden filled her life with joy and meaning. As the kids got older and became more independent, Narkis and her mother grew closer, always seen together. As Epi’s aunt, one of the Be’eri founders, aged, Narkis took her under her wing as well, caring for her tirelessly.

Narkis was the glue that held the family together, and the one everyone turned to. Thanks to her, relatives living all over the country maintained a strong connection. But along with her devotion to her family, she never forgot to take care of herself. As an adult, she returned to dance classes with her childhood dance instructor, caring both for her body and her soul, which remained the soul of a dancer. She never allowed herself to be inactive: in recent years, she started practicing Pilates, and adopted a new hobby that filled her with enthusiasm—she enrolled in a clothes-making course in Be'er Sheva, bought herself a sewing machine, and started making charming dresses and tunics.

Narkis worked for the kibbutz insurance company, a job she found enjoyable and meaningful. She was the heart of the office, always spreading love and grace around her. Working alongside her was a treat. Her patience, attentiveness, and compassion made her a fantastic employee. Clients were comfortable approaching her, and she always responded in kind. She never dodged a phone call. Every client wanted her to take their case, knowing they were in good hands.

Narkis, you will be sorely missed. We, the members of Kibbutz Be’eri who survived the horror, will remember you in death as wonderful as you were in life, and will do our best to walk in your footsteps, perpetuating the values to which you always adhered.

Rest in peace. May your memory be a blessing and may your soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life.