Beit Knesset

S ince Effie and Seymour came to live with us our home has changed. My partner Tom and I decided on two Siberian siblings, as I have cat allergies, and it turns out the breed is hypoallergenic. They are also big, fluffy, and ‘dog-like’.

So what’s changed about our home? There is now a welcoming committee who will run to greet you at the front door and help you take your shoes off, especially if there are shoe laces involved. The kitchen sink is now an exclusive spa, which doubles up as a water fountain. The dining table is now a sun lounger, and the sofa is now a climbing frame - who knew there were so many ways to get inside a sofa? Clothes on the drying rack are a fantastic source of entertainment, and they lie underneath them like a mechanic under a car, batting at socks and tea towels.

Little noises, squeaks, scrambling and thuds are expected, and I now make sure any suitable cardboard packaging is left out in case it’s fun to play in. My morning routine now includes two extra mouths to feed, and a cosy evening in front of the telly now involves (if we’re lucky) purry, soft, warm companions.

When the house is empty now, it’s not empty. When Tom went away for business recently I didn’t feel like I was on my own. Our home is absolutely theirs too now and that’s a very special feeling, as it feels even more like a home for me.

We got to know Zohar as one of Martha’s LJY friends, later as her boyfriend. We holidayed together and with the wider family. He was a younger brother-figure to our eldest daughter Rosa. We spent a large chunk of lockdown all stuck in the house together. We spent so many good times with Zohar, far too many to list. In essence, he joined our family, and we loved him.

The Trust was launched at the Arc Club, Hackney on 17 December 2022. 100+ people came together in an Open Mic event. We sang songs, danced, read poetry and it was a wonderful tribute. More can be found out about The Zohar Dean Trust on the Instagram and Twitter pages.

Zohar’s 23rd birthday fell on the 22 December 2022. Martha and Rosa had a star named in his memory. The star is in the constellation Capricorn.

As many of you know Zohar died in a tragic accident on the 1st of June 2022. He was 22 years old. To say it is hard to lose someone so young and so full of life is an understatement. We have been devastated by his death. Of course, Zohar was loved by so many: his beautiful family, his friends from school, Leeds University and by the whole LJY community, of which he was a part of for so long.

Zohar’s name quite literally translates to brightest spark and he was exactly that. He inspired everyone he met.

The Zohar Dean Trust has been established to keep Zohar’s memory alive and to raise funds to ensure that other young people are able to have new, enriching experiences.

Martha, Rosa and Zohar’s good friend Adam Aradi are the founding trustees, and a committee of his family and closest friends has been formed to make decisions about the future of the Trust’s direction.

Many friends in the FPS community knew Zohar and we hope that you might find some comfort in reading the above information, as well as in supporting The Zohar Dean Trust.

With love, Miriam & Graham (Martha & Rosa’s mother & father)