Day 17 - Visiting the grave sites of the great grandparents

Today was a free day as far as the tour was concerned. With Simon and Raisie with us we took the opportunity to visit Samantha’s great grandparents, Samuel and Rebecca Jacobson. They were buried here in 1984 and 1989 just outside of Jerusalem.

At the grave site, Simon recited a prayer and then spoke about his mother and father. Rebecca was a respected woman in the community, and although she was not 5 foot tall, stood head and shoulders about others with her dedication to her husband, family and the Jewish religion. Samuel was a member of World Zionist Organization, a group founded by Theodor Herzl in 1897 (footnote – Simon’s middle name is Herzl, in honour of Theodor). Samuel was dedicated to creating a Jewish state for the people. He was a capitalist believing  you succeed through hard work and dedication. He also believed in sharing in his success by contributing both to his community, through donations and to his employees, through profit sharing (long before other organizations adopted this model)

Reflecting on the past

Samuel and Rebecca side by side

Rest in Peace