AT THE UNVEILING: ZVI BAR-YAM—Father
September 8, 1991 Plaque dedication ceremony
Aureet, we have come here again to let you know how hard, how difficult it is for us without you. I wish I could tell you that we knew how to cope with the pain we feel. We know you would disapprove of the way we continue hurting, the way we neglect ourselves and our friends, and expend our energy so that there is little left to give support to each other. We hope though that at the end of this day we will feel that the period of grief reached some closure and we will be able to resume our creative/constructive family life you were so proud of.
The family has been working hard together on several projects. We have tried to improve the public safety in order to prevent future tragedies; we have worked on several memorial events; we have produced cards with your paintings and poetry; and now we have just completed a book in your memory. All this time we just wished that you could be with us working on these projects - you would have had so much to contribute - and we kept imagining the joyous spirit you would have added to the family effort.
Today we have come here, on your birthday, to give again expression of the deep love we have for you and to dedicate this monument to your memory. Three years have passed since your 33th birthday that we joyously celebrated with you; two and a half years since the horrible accident that took you away from us. Today on your 36th birthday we will unveil in your memory the Jerusalem stone we brought from Israel. This stone will symbolize our roots and awareness of our history - a stone like this was placed also as a monument to our people at Auschwitz. It will also tell the story that it was in Israel where I met your mother and where we began together the dream about having a family and having you.
When you were born we gave you the name Aureet - a little light - spelled like Aurora. You were beautiful and pink and the nurses called you "Rose" or "Rosy". Remarkably, we have learned recently that the stone we brought from Israel is called Rosa Aurora in Italy. This stone will tell how deeply we cherish every moment of light and warmth, joy and love you gave us. It will tell about the happiness you brought us over the 33 years of your life.
