Efraim Talmon, 1925 – 2009

Wife and Family

Marriage

Efraim and Batel Talmon were married for over sixty years, and knew each other since age 14. Here are some photos of Batel and Efraim together.

Batel and Efraim as a young couple, ca. 1950
Batel and Efraim as a young couple, ca. 1950.
Batel and Efraim as an older couple, ca. 1980
As an old couple, ca. 1980

Batel had passed away recently, at a ripe old age. A memorial site for her will be uploaded soon.

Family

Efraim and Batel had three children (two daughters and a son), eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. For over 30 years, the extended family would meet (practically) every Friday night – with Batel cooking most of the food, Efraim doing most of the legwork (deliveries, shopping, etc.). Naturally, festive meals were also made on holidays.

Numerous special occasions were celebrated in their house, as well – with food being prepared, in some cases, for literally hundreds of people. These included children's (and grandchildren's) bar Mitzvahs, weddings, and more.

The result of these 30+ years? That the family, including all the grandchildren, know each other much better than most other extended families, and keep in touch more. This web site – a collaborative effort of all the grandchildren – is a (small) proof.

This is not the place for the children and grandchildren's biography. For now, a couple of photos will have to do; for some go here.

Four generations of women
Four generations of women: Batel, Na'ama (her daughter), Meirav (Na'ama's daughter), and the baby Lotem (Meirav's daughter).
Friday dinner table with food
Unless there's tons of food, it doesn't count. On an average Friday a table this size would (barely) be large enough to fit the first courses – as here. The main course would be another table or two, of course. And I didn't mention dessert. Oh, and there is bread and drinks and...

Recently, one of Efraim's granddaughters found a “love letter” (actually, more of a humorous “how are things at home and school” letter) from Efraim to Batel, then his girlfriend. It is – typically of Efraim – funny, in excellent Hebrew, and quite informative:

Letter from Efraim to Batel