Naomi Zidman from Haifa - the house model in her golden age

The one who enters the gates of the Avantgarde Residence sheltered housing located in the heart of Carmel and meets an impressive woman who looks like the model of the house - will understand and understand that he has met 91-year-old Naomi Zidman.

Naomi - widow of Prof. Shmuel Zidman

Naomi, a Tamira woman with a unique appearance and a toned body, has been living for about 5 years - in the flagship project of the city of Haifa - "Avangard Residence". Mouna is located at 23 Haina St. in the prestigious sheltered housing for the elderly.

Naomi is a widow Prof. Shmuel Zidman who was the dean of the medical engineering department, which later became the Faculty of Biomedicine. The late Shmuel and Naomi Tel Aviv had 3 children, including 7 grandchildren.

"I live here too"

Here is the section that brings you fascinating Haifa characters in their homes where the introduction is through the stories, the charges and the unique point of view of the people who make up the human mosaic of our city Haifa. That is, these are the people who live and live here - just like the name of the section - "I also live here".

As part of this section we will get to know Haifa characters and their place of residence. The acquaintance is not through the square footage of the apartment, or a real estate appraisal or a design description only, but the essence of this acquaintance is to get to know the hosts' house - to the stories, to the emotional charge and to the unique personal point of view.

The longing for parents - never ends

In 1932, at the private hospital "Ein Gedi" which was in Tel Aviv, under the supervision of Dr. Asherman - baby Naomi was born by forceps to her parents Victoria and Shlomo Rubin. Almost a century ago, in 1927, Victoria and Shlomo arrived in Israel from Baghdad in Iraq, settled in Tel Aviv and in 1934 moved to Ramat Gan.

Naomi's father was a businessman and a financier and her mother, her character is dominant: a handsome, self-aware and strong woman, a relatively educated and liberal woman in the education of her children who even adapted very quickly to life in Israel.

Naomi says that she was very close to her mother, both during her mother's life and in her old age. Naomi notes with longing that her mother already lived in the "Ahuzat Beit" retirement home (nowadays the place functions as luxury sheltered housing) in Ra'anana - every week she traveled to her from Haifa to Ra'anana, and spent an entire day with her.

Childhood in Raz in the navel of Pardes

Naomi remembers a nice childhood in a house located in the navel of a spacious orchard on "Tsel HaGiva" street in Ramat Gan. Today this street is called Shoali Shimshon and on the land of the Orchard the Beit Zvi play school was established, named after Zvi Klair the 14th. As a child and teenager she was an apprentice and instructor in the Ramat Gan scout tribe and studied at Ohel Shem high school.

3S Eliyahu Edward Rubin the 4th

Seven children were born to Victoria and Shlomo Rubin, among them: Naomi, Claire (who will be mentioned later), and Eliyahu the 5th. 21S Eliyahu Edward Rubin the 74,75th, son of Victoria and Shlomo, was born in Baghdad, in Iraq. He served in the Palmach in the Harel Brigade, the Mefah Armored Corps "XNUMX XNUMX, and in the War of Independence he fell in battle in Jerusalem, in Katamon. He was XNUMX years old when he fell (mentioned in Aryeh Haskaya's book "The Battle of San Simon" pages XNUMX).

After her brother Eli was killed in May 48, there was great pain and enormous difficulty in the family. It is true that two nephews were named after Eliyahu, but very sadly and after a few years, in 1954 - Shlomo, the father of the family, died at the age of only 65.

"A military crush" in the city of Haifa

In 51 Naomi enlisted for military service in the engineering corps. She first served in Jaffa and after a drafting course was transferred to Haifa. She immediately fell in love with the city of Carmel.

In Haifa Naomi worked and sketched in the office of a chief engineering officer. An office that was located in front of the Officers' Club which was on Tznavar Street (what is now Sderot Hanasi) - and is close to the turn to the French Carmel. As a Haifaite soldier, she lived in the "Soldier's Barracks" on Ben Gurion Boulevard, near the old central station of "Egged" at the time.

Prof. Shmuel Zidman - the man with her

Shortly after her military service, Naomi went to the United States to study interior design. In New York, at the Israeli student club, she met Elam Hamudot, a graduate of the Technion, who was sent to Brooklyn Polytechnic University for his master's studies in chemical engineering. It was none other than Shmuel Zidman. In 55, when Shmulik finished his studies and even got a visa and a job to stay in the United States - the two got married in Los Angeles.

לכשפרצה מלחמת סיני – הם חשבו ורצו לחזור ארצה, אך הדבר לא הסתייע, ולכן הם שבו חייפתה רק בתחילת שנת 57', אל העיר בה גדל שמואל (ריאלי וטכניון). למרות שלנעמי לא הייתה משפחה בחיפה מהר מאד היא השתלבה עם כל בני משפחתו החיפאית של שמואל, איתם היא נמצאת בקשר גם כיום.

The late Shmuel Zidman continued his doctoral studies at the Technion and even became the dean of the Department of Medical Engineering, which later became the Faculty of Biomedicine. He was involved in many cardiac studies and received worldwide publicity. One of his students was Rafi Biar, who is an Israeli cardiologist and catheterist and biomedical researcher of the heart systems, and even served as director of Rambam Hospital.

The late Prof. Shmuel Zidman passed away in 2008.

3 children, including 7 grandchildren

The late Shmuel and Naomi Tel Aviv had 3 children, including 7 grandchildren. Along with all this, over the years they managed to travel around the world and even live in a significant number of countries during the "sabbatical years". They lived several times in New Jersey, New York and Los Angeles.

Naomi is very proud of her children and grandchildren and emphasizes that her daughter Anat and her son Adi now live in Los Angeles, while her son Gil has long since returned from the US and lives in Haifa.

She tells, and her eyes shine, that every Sunday of the week during the lunch hour her son Gil comes to her and they spend time together and even eat lunch together. She adds and points out that sometimes Gili cooks, sometimes brings prepared food and sometimes they go out to eat at one of the restaurants in town. Furthermore, she says with great pride that he makes sure to take an interest in her well-being, helping and supporting every detail, big and small, for the benefit of her complete well-being.

The decision not to leave Haifa

When the children grew up and the spacious house in the Dania neighborhood ceased to suit the parents - they moved to the Ahuza neighborhood. Naomi lived in this house for several more years, even after Shmuel's passing.

About 5 years ago she felt that she wanted to move to live in sheltered housing. She shot and tested many places around the country but in the end decided not to leave her beloved city, Haifa.

At the forefront of her mind was the matter of the location of the sheltered housing, as well as for her an equally important aspect: a new place, where the majority of the audience is considered "new tenants". Naomi chose to live in her current apartment which is in the heart of Carmel.

A quiet environment on the one hand and proximity to the center of Carmel with its many offerings on the other

In the sheltered housing that Naomi chose, emphasis was placed on aesthetics, hospitality and luxury. The design of the project is characterized by a combination of a building for conservation together with contemporary architecture, which was designed by the architect Guy Arbel.

The quiet environment and proximity to the active and diverse Carmel center make Avantgarde Residence attractive, comfortable and accessible. Like Naomi, anyone who loves culture and knows how to appreciate art, entertainment and an atmosphere of abundance - will immediately fall in love with the place. It goes without saying that this is an elite class, since "Avangard Residence" is part of the "Mano Shipping Group", owned by Moshe Mano.

Naomi loves her apartment and the garden reflected from her window. She really appreciates the activities and classes offered by the place and is especially active in the classes for: gymnastics, music, painting, swimming and gymnastics in the pool. Apart from this, Naomi often engages in creativity and handicrafts. As a designer she weaves rings and jewelry and knits fancy shoulder purses.

The mother's genetics were passed on to the daughter

Naomi is a handsome, impressive woman who looks like the model of the house. She makes sure to exercise at least 4 times a week as well as participates in water aerobics classes at the local pool. Naomi Tamira is 168 cm tall and weighs the same as she did from the age of 16 until now: 65 kg... and according to her words, "eats everything, as much as she needs".

The mother's genetics were inherited to her daughter Anat, who in 81 won the coveted beauty title "Sabre of the Year". A beautiful photo from that event hangs on Naomi's coffin, among other items close to her heart.

Certificate and souvenir from her husband

Another item close to her heart is a memento from her husband, a certificate of appreciation to the man who was by her side, Shmulik, Prof. Shmuel Zidman - the man who was with her, she loved and still loves him, and his memory is created forever.

According to her, there are no substitutes for our loved ones who are no longer in our world - but as she defines it, "the children and grandchildren now fill the gap".

Clear Yaniv - her hair for the wedding

The painter Clear Yaniv was Naomi's sister and 12 years older than her. Claire (born in Basra, Iraq 1921) was a painter, one of the founders of the "Teenage Group" and "Climate Group". She was one of the founders of the artisan village Ein Hod (1953), where she lived regularly from 1976 until her death in 2015.

In her paintings, Yaniv dealt with the position of the woman in the conservative Iraqi-Jewish society, and in her works she dealt with the description of the members of her family whom she remembered from her childhood. In one of the interviews, Claire said: "What interested me was the development of the girl's female identity and her relationship with her mother, this topic connects with the contrast with the father, who at the time was conservative and strict."

On the occasion of their wedding, the Zidmans received a painting of a fruit from Kleer's brush, which was kept and "walked" with them wherever they lived. Today this painting is on display in Naomi's contemporary museum.

The black leather armchair

When Naomi is asked which corners of her house she especially likes, she "shoots" immediately: everything... but she points out that she spends many hours on the comfortable black leather armchair. From this place she can watch the greenery that can be seen from the window of the house, as well as watch movies on the wide screen TV, and sometimes... take a nap. And in the afternoon - even to fall asleep.

Each model has a wardrobe

A standard closet contains a set amount of clothes and takes up a lot of space, while a closet concentrates all the clothes in one neat place and contains quite a few items. Naomi states that she has "a lot of clothes" and she loves them all and does not want to part with any item in her collection.

That's why she is very happy in her closet to which she assigned a room, which now has no essential use, and through precise matching she managed to turn the room into a closet where she can get dressed and organize herself before leaving her apartment. The special thing about her closet is the ability to go in and find everything she needs in one place - without opening and closing doors.

The highlight - the balcony

במעונה של נעמי מרפסת רחבת ידיים, בה ליד שולחן ברזל  מעוצב ניתן לארח ולהתארח. כאן ניתן ללגום קפה ומאפה ולצפות בגן הירוק והמקסים הכה קרוב אל גדר המרפסת. לנעמי יש אף "אצבעות ירוקות" המשתקפות בעציצים הנאים אשר בגזוזטרה זו.

On the north balcony, you can feel as if you are in the Tuscany regions of Italy, and accompanied by the fine coffee served here - the experience is extremely caressing.

A unique book - so as not to forget English

Naomi reads a lot. Recently she decided to borrow and read books only in the English language, in order to preserve the English language both in her mind and in her tongue.

The book that Naomi is reading now is a book by Ruth Jordan, who is a talented journalist, and also the first news anchor in the Hebrew section of the BBC. The book is an autobiography of the author and is called Daughter of the Waves (1983). This is a poignant, but heartwarming memoir that discusses the life of a teenager living in Palestine during the British Mandate.

The writer Ruth Jordan was born in 1921 in Bat Galim on the sea coast of Haifa. For Ruth and her peers, the Land of Israel was the only home and the only country they had ever known. These childhood years were an adventure and an education, which reflected the journey of the country in its formation. Ruth partially combines personal events with foundational events. Like for example: the refugee ships coming from Europe, and her agony when she saw them being evacuated back to their place of origin or to camps in Cyprus. The book describes with clarity, humor and empathy, childhood and country growing together. It goes without saying that this book won a special award in the United States.

Good relationships are important for happiness and health

Naomi is very pleased that she moved to sheltered housing just before the outbreak of the Corona epidemic. According to her, she is lucky because for this, at the time, she was surrounded by a supportive company and all the services that were required to continue her life.

The longest study in the world conducted at Harvard University and followed the factors of happiness - came to the unequivocal conclusion that relationships are important for happiness and human health, much more than money and success. Among other things, it was discovered that people with strong social ties have a 50 percent greater chance of surviving any given year.

Naomi says that since she has been living in this place, she feels like she is in a hotel. She doesn't have to worry about food, cleaning and cooking. She adds and emphasizes "and meets with friends every day as if she is on a trip abroad. What do you need more than that in life?" The answer: health and well-being.

Naomi adds and hopes that all the soldiers and the abductees will return safely, including her grandson - who just before finishing his master's degree in aeronautics, came to Israel from Los Angeles to serve in the North and now he is destined to go down to the South and serve in Gaza. As she said: May we all have a better future, security and peace.