The motto: acceptance of the different and the other
Eli Linskill Shur Haifai (born 1955) is a biochemist, a self-taught painter who mainly paints emotions, whose motto in life is acceptance of others and differences. He is married to his partner Uri Linskill and they have two sons together.

The beginning of the journey of life - on the Hatchim road
Eli Linskill Shor's childhood began as the son of Holocaust survivors who began their life's journey on the path of Hatchim. Undoubtedly these bumps gave their signals in the next generation, but at the same time accompanied by a clear dimension of an optimistic view of life.
Linskill Shore is self-taught, drawing since 2008. He is mainly interested in the emotional expressions of the cartoon characters, where his paintings are drawings in white pencil on black paper, charcoal and rapidograph pencils, as well as watercolors and acrylics.

"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 host's house - to the stories, to the emotional baggage and to the unique personal point of view.

"Nevertheless" and despite the inferno of the Holocaust - Benjamin and Chava qualify
After they managed to escape the inferno of the extermination camp, they met in the Ural mountains in Russia, a farmer who escaped from the Lodz ghetto, and Benjamin Shore. There they joined together and continued their journey to the rest of life.
Benjamin was the only survivor among his 12 brothers and sisters, while Hava had one sister who survived the Holocaust because she was able to immigrate to Israel already in 1930.
Binyamin and Chava qualified for Israel on the ship "Nevertheless" which was purchased by the Mossad for Aliya B in March 1946. The ship was named "Nevertheless" because it set sail a few weeks after the capture of the "Exodus", an event following which the British expected the migration to stop.
The ship was given the code name "The Invader" and in the summer of 1947 preparations began for her sailing to Israel from the open sea coast in the Gaeta area, which is north of Naples in Italy. Sleeping berths were installed in the belly of the ship and it was equipped with canned and dry food and water in an amount that would meet the needs according to the estimated number of expected sailing days.
The ship was seized on its way to Israel, and the migrants, including Chava and Benjamin, were sent to the detention camps in Cyprus. They were married in 1949 and about two years later their eldest son Michael was born, who later became Eli's older brother.

A childhood of restrictions, prohibitions and survival
Eli defines his childhood as a period in which the family lived accompanied by many characteristics of survival. In the Hadar neighborhood, in a small apartment with a shared kitchen and bathroom, 3 families lived together, therefore, restrictions and prohibitions constituted a substantial weight in everyday life.
Playing with the neighborhood children on the streets of the area and focusing on studies were the purpose of Eli's childhood, this when at the time the mother of the family made a living sewing clothes while the father held 3 different jobs at the same time.

A student of the Raleigh school - who humbled himself to the sect
The elementary school where Eli attended was the "Gaula" school, and after that his parents thought it would be better for the boys to continue their studies at the Reali school. For this they will try their waists and even deprive themselves of any sign of recreation or pleasure throughout the rest of their lives.
Except that 'Alia and a thorn in her'. Eli remembers "that it was very distressing to be the poorest child in the class at the Raleigh school". He even speaks about his prolonged absence from school due to typhus (a fever accompanied by severe headaches, a general bad feeling, lack of appetite and a distinct disturbance in the digestive tract.
Usually the disease is caused by contamination of food or water and originates from the salmonella bacterium) - Leka was infected. Until now, he is clouded by the lack of attention from both the teaching staff and the management to his prolonged absence.
Most of all, the excuses... from the management:
We called your house and you didn't answer.
When in practice there was no telephone at all in their home, and from the class's side: "We came to visit, but we thought it was impossible for people to live in this dilapidated building."
Despite all this - Eli was a very good student, and was even "the teacher's favorite", when they loved him the most.

From the army, a direct journey to the Technion
Shor fulfilled his military service as a saboteur in combat engineering, and even engaged in training on this subject. When he finished his service and without any period of discharge leave, he began his studies at the Technion.
Eli financed the tuition payments and his personal expenses with the help of various jobs and especially as a postman/messenger for the distribution of water bills. Eli Shor graduated from the Technion with a degree in biology and chemistry as well as a teaching certificate for that.
At the beginning of his career teaching chemistry in the upper division of a high school in Acre - Shor was sure he would be a great teacher. But reality was not a bed of roses. After about two years in this position, he realized that he had to calculate and look for a new route.

Biochemist at Rambam Hospital laboratory
Later, I was accepted to work as a biochemist in the Rambam Hospital laboratory. For 35 years, he was involved in diagnosis and performed biopsies. A biopsy is a tissue sample taken from a living body. In fact, it is a medical examination of tissue or cells for a proven and clear diagnosis of diseases in the human body.
This tissue examination is done in a dedicated laboratory with the help of a microscope or by means of chemical, immunological or genetic technologies.
According to his explanations, this is a job with a lot of responsibility on the one hand and on the other hand quite abrasive. Because, the doctors rely one hundred percent on the answers of the laboratory and therefore the laboratory teams must do their work faithfully, and God forbid they should never make a mistake in the diagnosis.
This cardinal responsibility - burnout and the fatigue of the journey prompted Eli, at the age of 62 and a half and after 35 years of work in the laboratory, to take early retirement.


revealing the exit from the closet
When Eli was about 24 years old, he was overwhelmed by the pressure and the desire to match the social environment, and I told his parents about being a man who was attracted to people of his own gender.
The reaction of his mother and brother to this information was contained. But how sad is the thing when his father thought otherwise and even shared with one of the neighbors, when he told her that his son is mentally ill...
Since those days many waters have flowed in different streams, times have passed and even changed, and Eli has known a number of significant loves. He met the object of his special and most important essential love at the beginning of the year 2000.


Mid-life changes
When Eli was about 44 years old, he met 30-year-old Uri Linskill during a social group event. The meeting was so powerful and so special that after only two days of getting to know each other they moved in together.
Uri is a geologist working at the Israel Mapping Center, and already at the beginning of the relationship he informed Eli that "by the age of 35 I would like to be a father to a child".
Eli narrates and emphasizes the mindset of the Israeli audience about the distance of the social attitude, the common thought and the general agreement towards a couple of adults without children - compared to the "hugging consensus" when those people are a couple of parents.


The Linskill-Shore family
Eli and Uri came to a one-time group called "Parenting in a different way" which was held at the Lyobek school in Asher Bahadar. Of all the people present at this meeting, I felt a good connection and a graduate of Oshera Duak, a science teacher at the open school who was present in the group.
After a time-out of friendship, coordination of expectations, testing of desires and boundaries - he joined them together and even signed a legally valid parenting contract, in which it was clarified the desire of the three of them to give birth to two children who will be brothers. This legal contract formed the anchor for co-parenting with future custody of both children.



Brothers: Assaf and Yoav
When Eli was 49 years old and Uri was 35 years old (like a dream come true) the son Assaf was born in joint parentage with Ushera. Today the eldest son Asaf is a 20-year-old soldier, serving in the navy.
Two years later, Yoav was born, who is a boy with a very high IQ, who is on the high-functioning autism spectrum.
Yoav has long since finished his studies at the social high school in Bat Galim. He enrolled in studies at the school where they study in an active, vibrant and living space. A school where children, teenagers and adults meet and work, alone and in groups, when everything is conducted in full autonomy, with an emphasis on influence and thinking about how to promote issues that promote the school community, the local community and they even influence Israeli society. Yoav finished a grade 12th in the 'creative course' and even passed the matriculation exams.
In Assaf's room, on top of an antique dresser that was nicknamed "Mamuta", there is a collection of iron tools and unique swords and in Yoav's room a collection of magnificent Lego pieces depicting superheroes from movies.

(Photo: Racheli Orbach)


Mutual respect Linskill-Shore-Doak formula
Every Saturday evening, all members of the Linskill-Shore-Doak tribe gather for a common dinner. The location of the event is in accordance with the shared custody procedures. Although the boys grew up and grew up (and are still growing up) into this situation, and the ritual is clear and constant - but it is evident that most of the difficulty lies in the fact that each of the houses operates with unique dynamics and legalities slightly different from its own.
After coordination, which makes up most of their lives, everyone gathers together, all members of the extended family, for a Shabbat dinner.

Everyone has their own place
About 15 years ago, the Linskill-Shore family moved to their current location. And according to Yoram Tahar-Lev, their home is in a Haifa neighborhood, in a neighborhood that is not a neighborhood of luxury, but not a neighborhood of poverty either...
"There is one neighborhood not far from here
Its roofs are red and a palm tree raised its top
A very nice neighborhood called a neighborhood...
And it looks just like any other neighborhood
This is not a neighborhood of luxury, this is not a neighborhood of poverty..."
Each of the sons, in the house of the two fathers, has his own room with the objects that interest him and are close to his heart.
On the other hand, in the living room of the house, which is used as the living space, there is a desk (an elegant writing desk with storage solutions for writing instruments, which is usually designed in an antique or vintage style) with paintbrushes on it and it is used for Eli as a work area. Right in front of him stands another secretary, with a computer station, which Uri uses as his work area.


Linskill-Shore House: Hall of Works of Art
At the end of 2008, after 35 years of working in the laboratory and upon his retirement, Eli began to create and especially to paint. He began his journey without any formal knowledge. Uri is self-taught, creating mainly figurative paintings in white pencils on black paper, as well as watercolor and acrylic paintings.
Since that time, Linskill-Shor has managed to present his works in 4 solo exhibitions and a large number of group exhibitions in Israel and around the world and even in a group exhibition at the Museo Bellini in Florence, in October 2022.
In the exhibition that was held at Abba Khushi's house in the summer of 2023, he presented together with his partner Uri - an exhibition of his paintings and Uri's photographs which was called: "Seize the moment". These are photographs that capture moments in the human circus and combine with paintings that have a momentary expression and emotion.
When Eli draws emotions in black and white, he intends to convey a message with insight and a future view, as he even wrote on a painting showing his eldest son's face as an adult:
"To look to tomorrow and be excited,
see the day and feel,
to tell about yesterday and to feel"
Today, their house is a hall of works of art - in terms of an exhibition of Eli's paintings and Uri's photographs, and in addition to that, there are many works by the artist Yigal Tomarkin, Uri's brother-in-law, all over the house.


The kitchen is the heart of the house
In Eli's opinion, the importance of the essence of the value concept 'home' is a personal and internal memory of the smell of the food being cooked in it.
According to him, the kitchen is the beating heart of the house, which circulates warm and family blood to the other rooms. This is the place where family meals, original flavors and comforting pots are born, where the members of the household fuel their bodies and souls.
Because of this, already at the beginning of their residence in this apartment - the kitchen space was upgraded. The wall that enclosed its borders was removed, and became an integral part of the living space.
Uri likes to cook and even bake and is very strict about the ritual of shared meals. For example, at noon every Friday of the week (according to the schedule of joint custody dates) a "pasta pesto" meal, the favorite of all family members, is served. Uri makes sure to include Yoav in the preparation of this meal and create the dynamic of a father with his child - in terms of a childhood memory experience that remains forever.


Balcony-view-painting
A balcony in a high-rise building plays an important role in the living space: it is a place where you can enjoy a beautiful view and the peace of the day and/or evening, sometimes accompanied by a glass of wine with the family, or invite friends for a pleasant time.
In the residential building where the Linskill-Shore family lives, which was built many years ago, the tenants decided to upgrade their quality of life and add balconies to their apartments.
This is a sun terrace that meets a variety of needs that have arisen in recent years such as a wide place to hang laundry on the one hand and on the other hand a place to entertain in an outdoor space where there is fresh air, a place where you can sit comfortably and relax with a cup of coffee on weekends, holidays and evenings. A place where you can grow spices, flowers, pots and medicinal plants - in short, an external and separate part that simply allows you to look outside without leaving the door of the house.
Eli and Uri often host on their balcony, and are even amazed by the view that emerges from it both in reality and in the painting.



Additional changes during life - the box of wedding photos
An item close to Eli's heart is the box of wedding photos that is permanently placed on the table in the living room of the house.
The Linskill-Shore couple who have been living happily together since 2000 - decided to officially realize their partnership in a civil marriage ceremony in Copenhagen on 10/5/23. It was an exciting ceremony with exciting and touching memories.
Befitting a couple with artistic/creative souls - they will probably choose something unique to them instead of a "wedding photo album".
This is how the photo box was created, which necessarily contains the photos of the unique ceremony. The box was decorated by the younger son Yoav with an understandable engraving, which symbolizes and shows the fathers on their wedding day.


The silver candlesticks and "Mama's rose cookies" pots
Eli's mother is "presented" in the living room by two items essential to his heart. Hava's mother, who, as mentioned, was a hardworking woman who denied herself any sign of hedonism - saved her time and used it to buy Shabbat candlesticks. It is a silver candlestick with 4 reeds which symbolized for her her nuclear family: her husband Binyamin and her two sons Eli and Michael. These silver candlesticks are brilliantly placed on top of the piano in the living room.
Other items used as a tribute to his mother's memory are 3 clay sculptures (material), made by his hands which were made in the pottery workshop under the guidance of the late craftsman Kobi Eyal and they are called "Mama's rose cookies". A memory of those fragrant cookies his mother baked.


The lamp that is above the dining table
During Eli and Uri's visit to the glass museum in the heart of Kibbutz Nachsholim, a very unique lamp caught his eyes. In the impressive stone house from 1891, built by Baron Edmond de Rothschild as a factory for the production of glass bottles for the wineries in Zichron Ya'akov and Rishon Lezion - "winked" and looked into his eyes a wonderful lamp, which Eli's soul longed for.
Atz ran, researched and found that this lamp was made by the artist Yehuda Ozan. This is an artist whose works are sold and displayed in galleries, institutions and homes in Israel and around the world. Yehuda Ozan refers to the lighting fixtures that he creates as 'sculpture in light', since every lamp that comes out of his workshop is a complete work of art.
This magnificent work of art was purchased and is used as the central lampshade above the dining table.



The selected book: "The History of Art" - Yossi Waxman
From the library, which is usually full of books, Eli chose this book, which is very close to his heart, and for good reason. This is the eighth book by Yossi Waxman who is a designer and writer and especially a resident of Ein Hod.
In fact, this novel unfolds the existence of the establishment of the Ein Hod artists' village from an imaginary point of view on the one hand but very much related to the reality that was on the other. The book was published in 2015, and was very popular both among art lovers and those close to Bohemia.
"The History of Art" is a novel that tells about an artist who reluctantly came to the village of artists, as well as about a painter who tells the story of the founders of the village. Among other things, the painter's many lovers and admirers appear, as well as the voices of wild boars and forest spirits are mentioned, as well as paintings and sculptures that come to life and speak as if they were human beings.
During the reading it is possible to distinguish and draw conclusions related to topics related to thoughts between art and the living body, between the personal and the political, and between impossible loves and this routine love that is taken for granted.



The eyes are a mirror of the soul
Eli claims that he is a "man of the people", although recently the social life and the various meetings have decreased a lot. He explains that the situation is both the result of the harsh reality prevailing in the country as well as personal maturation and "material fatigue".
In the past, the Linskill-Shore couple persisted in listening to the concerts of the 'Classical Music Circle' in Haifa as well as watching various plays and events - but today they make sure to maintain a constructive relationship in Tendo.
As a team, together and with one bow, they have deep conversations, where the eyes are the mirror of the soul, solve logic puzzles, go to exhibitions and galleries - and even practice yoga with the trainer Shimarit at the studio in Kabavir.


Accepting the other and different - will bring peace and tranquility
According to Eli's understanding: in all areas of life the main motto is to accept the other and the different - which is the one that will bring peace and tranquility. According to him, the essence of 'acceptance of others' is in various aspects and it focuses on issues related to appearance, skin color, clothing, height, behaviors, abilities, disorders and disabilities.
Also, like all the people of the place - I wish for better times, when boys will return to their borders, as the words of Itai Zilberstein's poem say:
"and sons came back to their borders
Bring back all your children
to give their blood their souls
They guard the house with their bodies
and sons came back to their borders
Return to you your sons
Bring them back to their home
To keep your sanctity within your borders."
Let us also add, say and be told: Amen. let it be.


Fascinating article, a beautiful house with art and cultural treasures. Is one painting the dam in Kfar Bloom?
It's so fun to see the whole complete story of life
And dealing with homosexuality from a very broad perspective that includes love, raising children, art, work, relationships...
It was exciting and respectful…
Wishing your family many years of happiness
Successfully
I enjoyed the interesting and colorful article, about special people, there will be many such articles.
What a beautiful, interesting and encouraging article!!!
Eli the artist - your works are very moving and impressive.
You have won and may you be who you are!!
The works of the artist Ozan Hagar in Harish.
I was happy to see you wrote about you and your family. Oshera was my daughter's teacher, and we meet occasionally on the street in the Horev area.
Your former home
I would like to know where the couple's home is?
Eli is an amazing painter
His works are full of emotion and very original. I read the article to Deti Abu. About the talented Eli and his work and his family.
I have power
proud of you
Thank you Rachel Orbach
For a fascinating article
A fascinating couple with a past, present and future
I wish the couple continued good life
Full of joy and art
Thanks
I invested time in a long and detailed article about Eli's life and work and I profited. He introduced himself in full disclosure detail as much as possible in the article and aroused interest.
A stunning, exciting story
Thank you Racheli Orbach, and once again you managed to captivate me with this week's story. - The family of artisans.
The article moved me and made me very happy, knowing Eli and Uri, two talented creators, each in his own field, who are always pleasant to meet.
Indeed a fascinating record..and his black and white drawings are worth mentioning. Congratulations to the pair of creative artists Eli and Uri for the comprehensive and fascinating article.
A talented friend and artist, who discovered the way of creation in recent years, good luck and continued enjoyment and creation, a beautiful and interesting article.
A very moving article... Thank you Eli for your personal story and for sharing and openness of you and your family!!