Cynthia Barmor 1947 - 2024

Cynthia transformed so many lives. An ardent advocate for Israel, ESRA and Modiin, she enhanced the entire community. But above all her passion was first and foremost her family. She was intensely proud of her three children and cherished every opportunity to spend time with them. And she adored her eleven grandchildren.

Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, by the time she was twenty Cynthia was married with a child and had made aliyah. Trained as a radiographer at the world- famous Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, she went on to work in the same capacity in Israel. However, it was not enough to support the family, which by now included a second son. At that time there was little of the much more sophisticated assistance now available to immigrants through the Jewish Agency or through organizations such as Nefesh B' Nefesh, and it was a struggle to get established. At one stage Cynthia held no fewer than four jobs in order to make ends meet. It was an enormous sadness to her that she was unable to see her parents again before they both passed away at a relatively young age – and perhaps it was this, combined with the fact that her memories of her own grandparents were of distant remote figures, that made Cynthia determined to leave a very different legacy, and in that – as in so much else – she has totally succeeded.

A precious daughter, Chaya, joined her brothers Michael and AB after a pregnancy which, as Cynthia had been warned, was extremely problematic. By now more financially secure, she returned to Cape Town for the delivery, having found a doctor among her former colleagues at Groote Schur who believed that he could help. Some thirty years later in a typically meticulously planned family roots trip, Cynthia took Chaya back to South Africa to thank him. The fact that two of Cynthia's children now work in the medical field, Michael as a leading pediatric neurologist and Chaya as a senior physical therapist and manager, is perhaps a reflection of Cynthia's passionate and well-informed interest in medicine and science. The career of her second son, AB, though very different, could also be seen as indicative of another side to Cynthia. He is a distinguished photographer much in demand for festivities and family portraits. Photography was one of the skills at which Cynthia loved and excelled. Cynthia enjoyed games of all kinds –it was not about winning or losing but of relishing the opportunities for socializing. Fascinated by numbers, Cynthia arranged regular meetings to play Mah Jong, Kaluki and Canasta, and was a long- time Scrabble enthusiast. She was also a superb swimmer and a former swimming instructor.

It could be said that it was this combination of rationality and creativity which made Cynthia so outstanding. A superb administrator, she tackled tasks with a scrupulous attention to detail. In 1973 she started working at the Jewish National Fund- JNF -, eventually becoming head of the American Department. She subsequently spent four years in the United States in the role of National Projects Coordinator. She was later to put all this experience to excellent use for ESRA's benefit. She arranged, and sometimes led, group visits to different sites, many of which she had helped to develop as a fundraiser and as an administrator. Her tours were always rigorously organized – and ran on time. A natural communicator, she was clear, knowledgeable and entertaining, her natural vivacity enlivening any topic.

Cynthia was someone who did not just talk about needs, but worked to meet them. In 1986 she had started a voluntary organization for children with learning disorders, but it was when she moved to Modiin some twenty years later that she created the biggest impact. She had no regrets at leaving Jerusalem where she had lived for over thirty years, because at this different phase of her life she was then going to be much nearer to two of her precious families of grandchildren. A chance meeting with Jackie Klein led them to decide to join forces to galvanize the existing local ESRA branch in Modiin. It subsequently became one of the largest and most successful in the country. Cynthia always said that she was the more impulsive and impetuous but that Jackie was the steady hand on the wheel. They introduced a dynamic range of activities, and established the bookshop which has become a center of communal life. Each week more than 50 volunteers keep it open for six mornings and three evenings and it continues to make a major financial contribution to ESRA both nationally and locally. Cynthia and Jackie went on to establish Modiin's own local project working with the local council to provide a facility which gives children with special needs, a safe space for support, learning and play. It was Cynthia's genius for public relations which ensured that it became known as Neve ESRA.

Chair of the local branch for some nine years, Cynthia simultaneously served on the ESRA National Executive between 2016 and 2019, but she eventually decided that it was at the local level where she really wanted to focus her energies. Somehow she managed to find the time to do many of the tasks which are now distributed between different committees. She ran the bookshop, organized its roster, initiated events and increased the membership numbers. When Jackie eventually returned to live in South Africa, Cynthia continued chairing the branch on her own for a further three years.

While still so active in ESRA, Cynthia was also involved in other voluntary work. When she realized that a disabled resident in her apartment block was finding it progressively more difficult to attend synagogue, Cynthia helped to establish one within the complex. The Hamegenim Synagogue continues to thrive and expand. She was the moving force in setting up a Women's Rosh Chodesh group, meeting monthly to discuss a range of topics. But, of- course, being Cynthia, there was still much more to do and she never lost her passion for Israel. She was rightfully extremely proud of the public relations role that she voluntarily took on with the Israel Air Force. She could be disparaging about her skills in spoken Hebrew, but Cynthia's written ability was exceptional. She worked in both English and Hebrew and wrote many articles for ESRA Magazine and provided the photographs to go with them.

Every family who visits members in the armed forces has reason to be grateful to Cynthia. Once she realized that on a typical base there was nowhere for serving personnel and their friends and relatives to get together, she lobbied Keren Kayemet to make suitable provision. Every site now has a facility for visitors and military staff to meet up and relax. All of her older grandchildren, or "grandies" – the source of so much pride and affection, are continuing her association through their own military service.

Children remained at the heart of Cynthia's professional life. She had a key role at the Schneider Children's Hospital at Petach Tikvah, helping to raise funds and providing all the English translations for the director and staff. When we left for Spain on October 8th on a long- planned holiday, little did we know that this would be our last trip together. One of my abiding memories will be of Cynthia frantically translating a complex document for the world's media on her mobile phone, highlighting the plight of the children who had just then been taken hostage.

Highly compatible travel partners – we are very different personalities. Cynthia had a great sense of direction – I have none. She was always hot while I was always cold. But she was a truly wonderful friend and companion for whom no task was too much trouble. There are so many of us who have reason to be grateful for her verve, kindness and generosity. She was a force of nature whose energy and sheer love of life enriched us all. Cynthia's unexpected passing has left not only her family bereft, but many throughout ESRA, and in particular, ESRA Modiin.