Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Multidimensional Advocate for Israel Left Us

Eulogy for Batya Dagan Z"L
From R-Menachem & Batya Dagan with close friends Ari Bussel and Moshe Barzilai-Photo Ilana Kadosh
 
Nurit Greenger 
 
She may not have been famous but she should have been. She was uniquely talented – gifted with the pen, with the paint brush and with her mouth. Most of all she was kind of an iron dome for Israel and the Jewish nation. 

A pillar in the Los Angeles community have left us, her direction Heaven.
Batya Dagan, born in September 12, 1933, passed away at the age of 80, leaving the world emptier of people with substance.

When I first met Batya I was intimidated. She did not know how to play the social game. What you saw that is what you got. But after I was privileged to get to know her from near that was a game changer. A friendship developed.
Batya invented the method of defending and criticizing Israel that we all use today. She was the among the first in the advocacy for Israel group way back when newspapers where printed and e-mailing was a new game.

When she was healthy we discussed situations in which Israel found itself. Her pen wrote in Hebrew better than in English and we worked on several articles together. There was a lot to learn from her sharp mind and immense knowledge.
Batya loved Israel and was furious when she appeared helplessness at times. Her criticism should have been bound into a guidebook for the government of Israel to use.


Batya's pen shredded the anti-Semites and the enemies of Zionism and Jewish Left camp - in the U.S. and Israel alike. Batya was tough, brave and grand and her words like flames; she was a quick-thinker and wonderfully talented. Her talent with the brush and the painting she stoke with it are beyond impressive.
In the few times when I visited her eclectic home, she gave me a private concert on the piano and showed me many of her diverse in style paintings.
Batya was inspiration, to me and to all who met her and got to know her talent. Her memory will remain as such.
It is difficult to say goodbye to people who leave an indelible print on the world.
We lost a soldier for Israel and a great teacher.
We are all saddened. Her husband Menachem and son Carmel, her friends, Israel and the world will miss Batya.
May Batya's memory be blessed.

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