Paul Vince Castelvi
Paul was born in Pampanga, Philippines, the son of Lourdines and Lilina, the third of four children. He was a mischievous child, perhaps a little too precocious. He wasn’t a big fan of school, but graduated from the local high school in the town of San Fernando. He worked odd jobs after graduating, and migrated to Saudi Arabia at the age of 25, to work as a school bus driver.
It was there that he met Jovelle “Bell” Santiago, at the baptism of a baby born in the Filipino community. He was 33; she was 24. Bell liked Paul instantly, but decided to be careful. “My heart was saying yes, but my head told me to watch out, because I had to make sure he didn’t have a wife back home.” Paul courted Bell for a full month before she agreed to give him her phone number.
Bell was working as an orderly at a hospital. But after two and a half years, in 2015, she no longer felt safe in Saudi Arabia and decided to go back home. Paul missed her. A month after her departure, he took time off and surprised her in the Philippines, where the first thing he did was ask her parents’ permission to marry her.
Paul and Bell had to wait to get married, because Bell’s sister was getting married that year, and it is customary in the Philippines to wait a year between weddings. In the meantime, they planned to return to Saudi Arabia together, but Bell had a friend who worked in Israel and told her going there was a better option. She migrated to Israel, and Paul joined her shortly after, in December 2018.
Paul worked on Kibbutz Erez for a year. When the elderly man he was caring for passed away, Paul moved to Be’eri, where he cared for Arik Mor for a short period before being hired by Eviatar “Tari” Kipnis, who had motor disabilities. Tari and Lilach were thrilled to take him in, and Paul and Tari developed a friendship founded on their mutual interests: cooking, exercise, cycling, and kayaking.
Paul was tall, muscular, and strong, and was able to help Tari with any kind of exercise his illness allowed him to practice. On good days, they worked together at the bicycle shop, taking breaks to cook Turkish coffee. On difficult days and during periods of hospitalizations, Paul chose to stay at Tari’s side outside of normal working hours, alleviating the man’s loneliness during those long, challenging nights.
Over the years, especially when Tari’s health was better, Paul became more of a friend or relative. He stayed on the second floor of the house, in an attic converted into a studio apartment with a balcony. He cooked for Lilach and Tari and always loaded the dishwasher, even though the family members protested. He kept a vegetable garden and took pride in his crop—especially the hot peppers.
Paul wasn’t afraid of rocket attacks. A religious man, he chose to pray rather than go into the safe room. He lifted weights in his attic and played basketball with kibbutz members. He connected with the local children, was open and curious about life in Israel and specifically on the kibbutz, and was familiar and beloved by all members.
In 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Paul and Bell got married in a modest ceremony at the Embassy of the Philippines in Tel Aviv. Lilach and Tari threw a reception for them in their home, including a white wedding gown and a bouquet.
Bell worked at Kibbutz Or HaNer, not far from Be’eri. The newlyweds matched their vacation schedule, going to Tel Aviv together twice a month and meeting during the week every chance they got. Every night at nine o’clock, they spent an hour talking on the phone.
In February 2023, Bell found out she was pregnant, due in October. Everyone was thrilled, and Tari and Lilach invited Bell to spend her maternity leave in their home. Paul made plans for a surprise visit to their families in the Philippines along with their baby in December 2023. Tari and Lilach were going to buy them the plane tickets as a gift. Later on, Paul dreamed of moving with his wife and child to America or New Zealand, find a job that would allow him to be home every day by five o’clock, and be a family man.
Paul and Tari drove to Or HaNer during the first week of October to load all of Bell’s things and the baby gear—including Nike sneakers, so that the baby could become a basketball player—and moved them to the attic in Be’eri.
On October 7th, everything went up in flames. That morning, Paul and Bell had a short text exchange. He told her he was in the safe room with Tari. By 9:30 A.M. he was no longer responding to messages. The next morning, Bell was evacuated to Tel Aviv with the rest of Or HaNer’s residents. She had no idea what became of Paul until two days later, when she received a call from the embassy. Paul was identified by the tattoo of Bell’s name on his arm.
Jason Paul Junior was born on November 4th, 2023, less than a month after his father’s murder. A photo of Paul, along with his ashes, are set by the baby’s crib.
May his memory be a blessing.
