Olga Zimmerman: "Arik Was in Romania"

Last month, when we spent a week in Israel writing about the daily evolution of Ariel (Arik, for friends) Sharon’s health, one of the reader’s of the Jurnalul National webpage brought reproaches upon the fact that we haven’t written about Sharon’s two marriages and his wives, sisters, were born in Romania.

LIFETIME STORY

The media presented the two marriages of Sharon (the first with Margalit, Gali, as Sharon used to cocker her, and the second with Lili, her sister). Sharon’s family, that went through a lot of tragedies, wasn’t so present in the press articles. Few of us know that Ariel Sharon had a son in his first marriage, but he died in a stupid incident, while he was playing with a gun, which went off and killed him. This tragedy came shortly after another: the death of his first wife, Margalit. A car accident on the 2nd of May 1962. Olga Zimmerman tells the Sharon family lifetime story, with its tragic and happy moments, in an exclusive interview for the Romanian-language newspaper, "Viata Noastra". She is Ariel Sharon’s sister in law. She is an Israeli woman born in Brasov, who emigrated in Israel in 1946 and who recites full verses from the Eminescu creation.

EMIGRATION

"In 1946, I, together with Margalit, my sister, integrated in the Israeli society. Afterwards, Margalit became Arik’s first wife. After an accident, my sister died and left a baby behind. My other sister, Lili, became Arik’s second wife to be able to take care of the baby", Olga explains. Afterwards, Lili and Arik had two boys, Omri and Gilad. Lili died of cancer on the 25th of March 2000.

They were six brothers, Eiezer and Itzhak Zimmerman, Margalit and Lili Sharon, Yaffa Drukman and Olga. Olga is the only one who is still alive. She dedicated her life to art and she is still creating. "It is true that I still work. I can’t stop, it is a passion that I cannot stop. All the things that you see here (tens of paintings and sculptures "master" the apartment) is my creation throughout my entire life. I discovered this passion for painting when I was 20 years old, but the one for sculpture is due to a University professor born in Bucharest, who has been living in Israel since 30 years ago. Her name is Lelia David-Zoaf and I want to thank her with this occasion for everything she did for me", Olga Zimmerman stated to the "Viata Noastra" newspaper.

THE SHARONS

Her family was born in Brasov, and Olga still remembers the sweet places of her childhood, telling her love for Romania. "I was only 17 when I came to Israel, when Margalit and I were staying at the boarding-school, and when Arik was a commander at Hagana (the first Israeli army). They met, they fell in love and, then, got married. I got married afterwards and I started to study Belle Arte at the University in Haifa", the sister in law of the Israeli PM confesses. "Do you know I haven’t spoken Romanian for 60 years? In my family, I spoke Hungarian, because this is how the times were, and then I came to Israel… I drank the Brasov water, the Romanian water, and this is what remains for eternity…Romania gets into your veins", Olga says.

VISITING US

Olga Zimmerman rarely went to Romania since she immigrated to Israel. Six or seven times. "I went to Romania nine years ago together with Lili, Arik’s former wife, and with Yaffa, our other sister. Romania is changed, but it still reminds me of my childhood and adolescence there. Arik went to Romania as well, together with Lili, and he loved the country", Olga tells.

She saw Arik for the last time four days before the vascular accident on the 4th of January, after which Sharon went into a coma and only a miracle can take him out of it. They have always got along very well and this is why she prays for Arik’s health together with her family. Unfortunately, Ariel Sharon won’t ever have the opportunity of visiting Romania again.

Translation by Sorin Balan