The stories behind the faces

Five Israelis became irrevocably linked when - in a sudden explosion - a terrorist ended their lives.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
hadera fatalities 298 (photo credit: Channel 2)
hadera fatalities 298
(photo credit: Channel 2)
Jamil Ka'adan, 48 Jamil Ka'adan was a resident of Baka al-Gharbiye. He was a Hebrew instructor in the local schools and left behind five children. Ka'adan's death was the latest in a series of tragedies that have struck his family in the past month. Two weeks ago, Ka'adan's 84-year-old father died, and at the end of September, his younger brother died on the operating table unexpectedly. On his way home to Baka al-Gharbiye Wednesday, Ka'adan decided to stop at the local bank, and he was caught in the area of the explosion when the 20-year-old suicide bombed detonated himself in the Hadera market. "We lost a wonderful father and a great educator," his children said tearfully. Sabiha Nisim, 66 Sabiha Nissim, 66, was a resident of Moshav Ahitov. She habitually visited the market almost every day with her husband Aharon, to buy felafel at her usual stand. She recently retired and promised her family that now they would be able to enjoy more time together. Wednesday, her husband Aharon hugged her body and would not leave his longtime companion until emergency teams came to evacuate him. He stared at the destroyed felafel stand that they had so frequently visisted, and told his son that his mother had been killed. "Around five, my father emerged from his initial shock after he was taken to the hospital. He told us that our mother was no longer alive," Nissim's son relayed. The family then traveled to Abu-Kabir Forensic facility to identify Sabiha's body. Sabiha Nissim leaves behind her husband, six children and eight grandchildren. Mikhail Koifman, 68 Mikhail Koifman, 68, a resident of Hadera, immigrated to Israel from Uzbekistan in 1993. He is survived by two children and his wife as well as grandchildren. In Uzbekistan, he was a senior manager at an automotives plant, but could not find similar employment in Israel. His funeral was scheduled for Thursday at 2:00 p.m. in the municipal cemetery of Hadera. Pirhia Mahlouf, 53 Pirhia Mahlouf, 53, a resident of Hadera was shopping for food to prepartre a celeberatory meal for her daughters, who were set to begin their university academic year on Sunday. She stopped on the way to grab a sandwich at "Felafel Barzilai" when the terrorist struck. Mahlouf was a longtime employee of the Bank Leumi branch that was near the market. She was survived by her husband Hayim, two daughters and a son. Mahlouf was scheduled to be buried Thursday at 3:00 p.m. in the Hadera municipal cemetery. Ya'akov Rahmani, 68 Ya'akov Rahmani, 68, was a resident of Hadera. He was in the market on the fateful day because he had agreed to look over his friend's vegetable stall so that his friend could attend a memorial service. Rahmani, a retired factory worker, is survived by two daughters, a son and eight grandchildren. His funeral was scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Thursday, at the Old Cemetary of Hadera.