Carmela and Nadav Resnick

Nadav Resnick was born in Kibbutz Shefayim on July 29, 1941 to Chaim Resnick and Chana nee Leib, an elder brother to Batya (later Prizent-1945) and Tzvi (1949). Chaim Resnick, Nadav's father, was the son of Asher and Batya Resnick who were born in Vilnus. Chaim (1914) studied at a Hebrew high school and was a member of the Shomer Hatzair Youth Movement. He moved to the Land of Israel, along with his wife Chana, in 1938 on the 'Atrato' ship. His parents and his brother were killed in Ponary. Chaim passed away in 2000. Chana, Nadav's mother, was the daughter of Herschel (Tzvi) and Rachel Leib. She was born in 1913 in Slonim, Russia. She was a sister to Mordechai, Aliza, Raizel and Sheyna. Chana worked as a seamstress. She participated in the "Pioneer Training" in Baranavichy where she met Chaim. Her family members, who remained in the Slonim Ghetto, were all killed in the Holocaust. Chana passed away in 2002. Chaim and Chana joined Kibbutz Shefayim and were married there. Chaim served in the Palmach between the years 1944-1946. In the kibbutz he worked in various jobs and Chana worked as a seamstress in the kibbutz workshop. Nadav studied in the school in Kibbutz Shefayim. He was very interested I nature; wrote articles on the subject, collected butterflies and established the nursery with the aid of his teacher, Levy Anikov. In 1955, at the age of 15, he received an accordion and from then on he enjoyed playing it. In 1959 he was drafted into Battalion 890 of the paratroopers, he served as a squad commander and as an instructor in the paratrooper training school. After his release from the army he left the kibbutz. He studied physical education at the Wingate Teacher's Seminar for two years. During this period he lived in the boarding school, "Neurim" and was a counselor in 'Aliyat Hanoar' (Youth Aliyah). After completing his teacher's certificate he moved to live and teacher at the Hadasim Boarding School. At the same time he studied at the Wingate School to become a trainer for athletics. In 1966 her moved to Jerusalem and studied for his Master's degree in Geography and Education at the Hebrew University. He later completed his doctorate in the Faculty of Life Sciences. His research was on Parasites in the Poultry Department. During his studies he met and married Carmela Gapil. Carmela was born in 1944 in Mosul, Iraq. She and her family came to Israel in 1952. They lived in Kiryat Ata. Carmela studied in the Teacher's Seminary at the Hadsim Boarding School. She served in the army, as a teacher, in Tiberias and at the Kaduri Agricultural School, during the years 1964-1965. Nadav and Carmela met in a folk-dancing club at the Hebrew University. Carmela studied Bible and Philosophy. She lived in Rehavia in the "Pioneer Women's House" which today is the Ben-Zvi Institute. They were married in Kiryat Ata on May 28, 1965, during the tense waiting period prior to the Six Day War. The couple lived in Kiryat Yovel, at first renting an apartment until they bought one of Zangvil Street. They were both teachers. Nadav taught physical education at the Boyer High School (1966-1972) and in Ort High School (1972-1980). Carmela taught ninth grade in the Geulim School. She served as a substitute teacher in the Alliance School and taught in the "Eradicate Ignorance" Project that taught Hebrew to new immigrants. Nadav and Carmela had three children: Vered Reznick-Wexler (1968), Tomer Hadad (1972) and Hagai Reznick (1977). Carmela passed away in spring 2009. During the years that Nadav taught he used to jog to school from his house. He would always pass by the store 'Maskit" on Rav Kook Street in Jerusalem. Maksit was founded by Ruth Dayan in 1949 and housed in the Women's Pioneer House in Rehavia. It eventually became a government company that encouraged and developed local art and traditional crafts amongst the new immigrant community and others. The Maskit carpets which display motifs from the world of nature and the landscapes of Israel attracted Nadav and he bought many carpets over the years. In 2018 he donated 29 carpets that were woven in the Maskit factory in Umm Al Fahm and which were designed by different artists, to Yad Ben-Zvi. They are displayed throughout the complex and represent the new Israeli spirit in the arts and crafts after the establishment of the State. Today (2019) Nadav Reznick spends his time writing about education, Judaism and art and he paints quite a lot. Read more