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Lea Spector Kadish Hellner was born 13 January, 1926, in San Francisco, CA, to Anya Friedman Spector and Itzik Spector. She studied from the age of 4 at the Music Conservatory in San Francisco, piano. Her family moved to Oakland She had one older brother, Albert Avraham Spector. She came to Israel in 1949 to Kibutz Sasa in the north of Israel and married Amram Kadish, returned to the US and had a son, then divorced and she returned to Israel in 1953 when her son was 3 years old and her parents came a few years later as well. She moved to Kibutz Gevat. She met Moshe Hellner in 1957 at a party in Tel Aviv and they got married and moved to Jerusalem and two daughters were born in 1958 and 1959. She taught music and rhythm in an elementary school. She had an art workshop for disadvantaged children in her home. They lived in the middle of Jerusalem and Moshe renovated the house in the middle of Independance park that had been a donkey stable and a turkish women’s prison.
For many years she was a “dream catcher” working on people’s dreams. She was a wonderful mother. She was a writer and painter, throughout her life. She wrote diaries of her life and her work with other people. She loved Judaism and Israel. She was very colorful and the house was always full with people living and visiting there. She was a free spirited person.
The last 20 years of her life what she loved was reading about Kabalah and Chasidism, stories of the bible, it fed her soul and kept her grounded. She always made people feel at home, very curious about other people, a vibrant and warm household ;”always add another glass of water to the soup”. She died of ovarian cancer in 2011.
If you have any additional letters either from or to Lea that you would be willing to share, please let me know.
January 3, 1992
My dear Annette,
Hope this letter and enclosed translated will of our Grandfather Israel Friedman finds all of you in good health and good spirits!! –
For me, it was truly a labor of love to ‘hear’ again the language of my mother and of my father – my familiarity wit the written yiddish comes from the sweet letters I used to receive from both parents when I was away in the world learning how to become – dare I say – a ‘mensch’? I havec miles and miles of yiddish that I read out loud in order to get the sense and meaning of the words, the sentences, the long messages of caution and Blessing!! I had to hear the words while reading them to re-embody the significance of thir meaning – and this stood me in good steaed when I took upon myself the translating of the will – I thank you for the impetus – and I thank my parents for the exercise!! – the other, among many other aspects, is the Hebrew that was part of our Grandfather’s references and concepts and general expressions of which I am familiar and are beloved to me – the most moving are his thoughts and beliefs concerning the eternality of the Soul – and the temporality of the physical existence – This is my understanding and my basic value in my own life! So – you see – much has been evoked in this translation, I hope to be forgiven for any errors – conceptual or language ones – I have read the will to a few who know yiddish/English/Hebrew and concur that it is a good translation – but who knows about the slippery error?
May I suggest that, if you see it as I do, copies be made to be sent to all the grand-children and great-grandchildren of this very sweet and lovable man, as I remember him – though I was very young when he died {hebrew or yiddish inserted here} – so waht do you think? A lovely gift fro mthe family to the family?!
We are ending our 3 month vacation in Hawaii – and on our way tot eh daunting East – since we have been at the end of the West – here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean! Needless to say that this vacation has turned out to be a lovely SPACE in REAL TIME that afforded both of us, rest, refreshment, recreation, and wonderful contacts with American Jews who found thir lot in Hawaii – I touched Jerusalem every {hebrew letters inserted here} (Saturday) with a warm group of congregants that meet in a Unitarian church 3x a month – and 1x in Pearl Harbor at the Aloha Jewish Chapell!! (Intriguing, no?) – study groups that met in wonderful homes – giving us a glimpse of Jews who wished to remain Jews in an enveloping and isolation environment – they are succeeding – though haltingly!! – I hope to see many of them as visitors in Jerusalem – and I can return their warm hospitality!! – Amen.
We have been in contact with Jerusalem, all is well – and at this moment inundated in snow – lovely for the kids!! – hard for the mothers!
So – we wish you and yours the best of years – for health – for growing – for loving – Amen.
I am, Lea Spector / Friedman Hellner, your 1st cousin – daughter of the eldest daughter of Israel Friedman – she headed the long list of sons and daughters – and your father was one of those sons!!
Hooray.
Our love to you both,
Lea
P.S. We are just ending our 3 month stay in OAHU – Jan. 14 where we refreshed, recreated and now prepare to push on to complete our world Tour! Japan next – then Hong Kong – Bankok – and INDIA – daunting – and challenging. We’ll learn how the world will treat us – I hope we shall communicate again from Jerusalem, beloved city!
L.
P.P.S. Moshe suggests that if you are sending the Translations to members of the family – that you includ also, the Yiddish Original (copy) – so there should be an understanding that their ancestor ISRAEL (son of Ephraim) Friedman wrote i nYiddish and knew Hebrew and not ENGLISH! –
A good observation, no? Also maybe a list of those members of the family who live in ISRAEL addresses etc. – and their generations – as well as all the Rabbinical families existing in U.S.A. yes?? No? L & M
