Although there is so much to say about my dad, whatever I share with you is only a small fraction how amazing he really was. My dad was a really special person. For my dad, his wife and his kids were his LIFE. I have one very clear memory from when I was around 5 or 6 years old. At that time, my dad had a home office where he would do his work. I remember going up to him and saying “dad dad” and when I saw he was on the phone I started to walk away. He then stopped his phone call and said “what do you need?” And then I told him “no no dad it’s fine it’s not important” I didn’t want to bother him while he was working. He then immediately hung up the phone and said “no Kayla, what is it, I always have time for you”. My dad always put his kids first. I always talked to my dad about anything and everything, he always gave me the best advice and made me feel like everything would be ok. For my dad family time was very important to him and he didn’t like if any of us were on our phones. When we would go out to family dinners he would collect all our phones and would make a pile of our phones in the middle of the table. We actually all loved this and even random people in the restaurants always made comments about it and would add their phones to our pile and shared how they will start doing this with their own kids. I always watched my dad treat everyone with so much respect. All his employees were not just people who worked FOR him, they were people who worked WITH him, they were his friends. My dad would even give his own car to his employees over the weekend to use for themselves with their families. My dad loved loved having guests. He always wanted his home to be filled with so many people and so much happiness. Over my entire life I always watched my parents work as a TEAM. They stood by each other through good times and challenging times too.
Throughout the time my dad was sick, Chesed 24/7 held us up when we could not stand up ourselves. Our time in the hospital turned from hours, to days, to weeks, and ultimately many months. Chesed 24/7 constantly had an overstocked bikur cholim room with anything and everything a person may need while being away from home. The bikur cholim rooms were filled with necessities like food and drinks, and even the tiny things nobody thinks of like phone chargers and toiletries. Chesed 24/7 provided apartments near the hospital for us to stay in over Shabbat to ensure that my dad was not alone. They had volunteers constantly checking in on us in the hospital, being a sense of support and comfort. I am beyond proud and honored to have been given the zechut to be by my dad’s side throughout his very long battle. Thank you to Chesed 24/7 for being there for us during the hardest time in our lives. Ultimately, I believe with my whole heart all of this is part of Hashem’s master plan! May every dollar donated bring my dad, Benyamin Ben Mordechai, the highest aliyah in Shamayim.
Love,
Kayla Carmili
