Wars are stupid and cruel, yet sometimes, so it would seem, inevitable.
On 25 April we commemorated Remembrance Day (Yom Hazikaron) for israeli fallen soldiers and also for victims of hostile acts. On this day, my thoughts wander to a cousin of mine - Marcel (Moshe) Calacuda. Marcel was killed in 1973, at the age of 26, in the war with the Egyptian Army, near the Suez Canal.
We were both born and grew up in the same remote, little town in northeastern Romania. We were not only cousins, but also neighbors; our families lived on the same street, in houses at close distance from each other.
Marcel was quite a naughty boy , but very loved for his energy, cheerfulness, and friendliness. He came to Israel as a lad of 16, after graduating in Romania from a vocational school. During the first year he devoted himself to learning the new language (hebrew). Next, he got drafted into the army. After finishing his military service, he started working in a mould foundry, at Haifa Bay.
He was successful in everything he did. : military tasks, work, sports (soccer mainly), public activity (for the benefit of the local youth, and the local council of the town) etc..
He got married in 1972, and wanted to build the family house 'with his own hands' . Well, this plan, as well as the plan of enlarging the family by bringing kids in the world, got ruined by the war that broke out a year later, in 1973.
Marcel was burried in the military plot at the Kfar Hasidim- Rechasim cemetery., in Haifa district, northern Israel.
'May your soul rest in peace, dear cousin Marcel !'
War is very sad. May your cousin rest in peace
ReplyDeleteWars cause loss of lives and terrible sadness.
ReplyDeleteWar destroys communities, destroys families...
ReplyDeleteGeneral Vegetius (Roman, 4th century) wrote "Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet" - "If you want peace, prepare for war". Hard to comprehend.
Well said! As for "if you want peace prepare for war" - it might refer to preparations meant to intimidate and discourage the hostile party.
Delete26.
ReplyDeleteMay he rest in peace.
Yes, aged 26, with plans and aspirations, with deep love for life and people.
DeleteI am so sorry for your loss and you are right about wars.
ReplyDeleteI wish I was wrong about wars, but sadly, I am not. Wars are a waste of human life and should be prevented by all means.
DeleteSuch a sad story. Wars are horrible and I wish humans could negotiate and prevent wars. We are supposed to be the most intelligent animals??? It is interesting that you remember on 25th April the same day that we remember the ANZACs but we also have remembrance Day on the 11 Nov.
ReplyDeleteIntelligent or not, we humans behave even worse than animals, both in wars and in everyday life.
DeleteSeveral years ago, I visited an ANZAC memorial in southern Israel, and was impressed.
How lovely you wrote about your cousin, lovely to read Duta. May he RIP.
ReplyDeleteWe had ANZAC Day here in Australia same day where we remember all those who died in the Wars.
Thank you for your kind words. I know about ANZAC, as we have here several ANZAC memorials. I've been to one of them, located in southern Israel , near Gaza Strip.
DeleteThanks for this post. A reminder of how close war is and how ruthless it ruins many paths. May he rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Ellie, war is 'ruthless ' and 'ruins many paths'. No doubt about that.
DeleteSo very sad. This is a lovely tribute to your cousin.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you grew up in Romania, thought you had always lived in Israel. My niece is married to a man from Romania, so it's a special place for our family.
Thanks for your kind words. It's nice to know you have a "roumanian" in the family.
DeleteThis is really sad. My condolences.
ReplyDeleteVery sad! Thanks for the condolences, Jenn.
DeleteWhat a wonderful tribute to Marcel! Such a sad loss for the family. Rest in peace, Marcel!
ReplyDeleteThank you. Yes, terrible loss for the remaining family. The family of the fallen soldier everywhere, gets thorn apart.
DeleteWe never forget, do we. And we shouldn't. Marcel -- along with all his other qualities -- was very handsome and it hurts that a war didn't allow him to live the full, complete life he so deserved to have. Big hugs to you.
ReplyDeleteHe was indeed handsome, athletic, and with many good, positive traits of character. What a loss!
DeleteThanks for the hugs.
How sad. War is a cruel business. (Sansthing)
ReplyDeleteWar is all things bad, and should be prevented. Politicians are not doing their best to spare the lives of people.
DeleteA sad loss indeed and at such a young age, Duta.
ReplyDeleteHe was at the age when one has the whole life ahead of him. His parents are no longer with us. Neither is his sister. He's survived now by his youngest brother and nephews.
DeleteDearest Duta,
ReplyDeleteThere are no words for describing such a loss for the very reason of war... FREEDOM as we know it is not for FREE!
Such immense personal sacrifices by often very young people ought to be remembered and respected.
You at least wrote a loving memorial in his name and that will make him smile down from heaven. Souls never die... they remain with us till we meet again.
Big hugs,
Mariette
Both of us have been in Romania and we very much love the Eastern European culture—especially its music and dance
'' Freedom is not for free" - true.
Delete"Souls never die..." - true again.
Thanks Mariette for your kind words, and for liking romanian and east-european culture (especially music and dance).
You're quite welcome Duta and if you scroll down on my blog, to Labels you find 5 posts about Romania...
DeleteThank you very much. I will look for those posts.
Delete💞
DeleteI am so sorry about your young cousin. No generation, and no country has been spared :(
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather was in the Russian Revolution and lost a kidney. My father was conscripted into WW2 and although he was not wounded physically, he returned home devastated by what he had been involved in. My generation fully understands the importance of self-defence in our own country, but not bombing civilians in other peoples' countries.
Agreed. " No generation and no country has been spared". Compared to other places, your Australia is a oasis of peace, safety, happiness. You're lucky to live there, Helen.
DeleteThat is so sad, Duta. I don't know how anyone recovers from a loss like that. For what? For war? I think I'd carry some anger for a long, long time.
ReplyDeletePeople suffering this kind of loss (parents, siblings,spouse, kids) go on living, but they are not as before the tragedy. They feel hollow inside.
DeleteThe hallmark of a true all rounder - He was successful in everything he did.
ReplyDeleteWar is justified when one wants to defend your own country from invaders, but that is not the case with what is happening around us now.
Yes, Marcel was like that, an all-rounder, a young man of many skills and abilities.
DeleteAs to the last part of your comment, I'm afraid nothing good is happening around us.
Marcel's story is so very sad. Thank you for sharing it, DUTA. We live in a sometimes, very cruel world.
ReplyDeleteGood to see a comment from you, Bica!
DeleteWe live in a cruel world, and Marcel's tragic story is part of it. Sadly, this cruelty seems to never end.
So very sad.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely tribute to your cousin.
May he rest in peace.
All the best Jan
Thank you, Jan. Fifty years since then, and it still hurts.
DeleteSo sad...too young. War is cruel, so very cruel. But, as I mentioned in my own post, humans never learn from the past. A life wasted...not allowed to be fulfilled...so very sad.
ReplyDeleteHere in Australia, on 25th April, we always honour our Defence Force members, past and present...through our ANZAC Day. This year is the 108 years anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli, on the Turkey peninsula by the Australian and New Zealand soldiers (hence the name "Anzac".
We must always honour the brave who fight for our freedoms....
Lest We Forget....
"Humans never learn from the past" - how very true!
DeleteWe don't do enough to prevent these horrible wars; we should do a lot to always honor the fallen, the brave soldiers that gave their life for the country.
very sad story...
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Kathy. I always feel sad when a life is lost, especially when it's a family member.
Deletetoday my mother in law told me, that in our city there have been an awful accident and two people died...
DeleteIn a way, road accidents are like mini-wars; people get injured and sometimes killed.
Deleteyes... and you never know when and why it happens...
DeleteDon't know if you remember me, but just thought I'd stop by to say hi.
ReplyDeleteHi. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteIt's sad that he lost his life so young.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is, Mary. It's very sad and distressing.
DeleteDuta, thanks for your comment on my post today about blogger flagging comments as spam, when they are short ones from actual blogger. You suggested that I might consider moderation by email as many others do, but I have no plans to add to my email. It's far less than many others receive and that is fine with me. Blogger certainly has its share of issues.
ReplyDeleteI like email moderation as it enables me to retrieve a comment which was placed by mistake by the commenter on the wrong post.
DeleteSo sad about him. I've also had blogger moving most of the comments to spam on my blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Nas.
DeleteWhat will be the reason why humans do not understand each other with words leaving aside force? Surely theambition.
ReplyDeleteVarious reasons - you name it, they have it.
DeleteOh Duta, I'm so sorry for your loss. He sounds like a very special person. Your memories are sweet. May he rest in peace. I agree with you regarding war.
ReplyDeleteHi Sandy. Thanks for your kind words. The world we live in is a cruel one, and it generates cruel wars.
Delete