par Albert Bivas
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She was the only daughter of the Rishon Lezion, Chief Rabbi of Palestine, Rafael Meier Panigel and Vinizia Halevy Panigel. She had only one biological brother, Yehuda Shlomo Panigel who died young and two adopted brothers: Yehuda Bechar and Eliahu Moshe Bechar Panigel that her father “adopted” and raised/educated.
She was married to the Rishon Lezion Hayyim Moshe Eliachar. They had nine children, six sons: Joseph, Isaac, Moreno, Jacob, Meier and David and three daughters: Esther Eliachar Calamaro, Simha Eliachar Meyouhas and Beya Eliachar Haffif. They also adopted two children as was the custom then, one boy, Abraham, and one girl, Gracia. They had twenty-five grandchildren and over thirty-five to forty great grand children. She was blessed with a long and healthy life; she has known and enjoyed most of them and also some great-great-grand-children.
Some of the other names of the families who are descendant from her are, as of today: Abravanel, Amzalek, Btech, Bivas, Bru, Cohen, Douek, Horvatz, Mizrahi, Navon, Nuhim, Sabah, Safdieh, Sakal, Sasson, Shammaa, Smouha. Weil, Weinberg, Zeimer. (Note: Some of these names may not be in use by any of her descendants because they are the maiden names of their mother or the maiden names of married women descendants from her).
She was referred as “La Mana Grande”, which could be from the Spanish “Grand-Mother” and it also could come from the French “La Grande Dame” (the Great Lady) for indeed she was “a Grand Lady” by pedigree, ascendance, the descendants that she engendered and her life achievements and devotion. She was the sole surviving biological child of her parent and she engendered a large progeny. As the wife of the Chief Rabbi of the Holy Land of Palestine she contributed immensely to her husband, her family and all the communities of the land. She was “The Matriarch” of the clan. Her descendants are currently scattered all over the world. They lived in Egypt, Lebanon and other parts of the Arab world and the Ottoman Empire until the Middle East crises and the creation of the State of Israel when the Jewish communities of most of these countries were eradicated. Currently they are mostly scattered within the “western” countries such as France, the United States of America, Canada, Brazil, and Argentina among others. She lived until past of the creation of the state of Israel and when she passed away, she and her families who lived in the neighboring Arab countries had probably not met each other ever again since that time in 1948.
She was a known healer, wise and spiritual. She kept plants that she cultivated for the cure and relief of ailments. She was well educated and very knowledgeable and experienced in this science that she constantly researched and improved. She was consulted on this subject by all: family, neighbors, friends, and beyond. She was a pious and religious woman and a modest one notwithststanding of all her accomplishments. Though a traditionalist she was quite a forward looking, progressive woman. Her daughters were educated at par with her sons. All who knew her and whose life she touched acknowledged her as a miracle health worker for her skilled performance of the awesome results of her treatments. She would do it casually with care and sensitivity benevolently to all that she met and came to her in need to seek her service. Her memory can only be a blessing to all her descendants and the world. May it always be so with the grace of G-d.
Albert Bivas
Published in Los Muestros #81, December 2010