We emigrated from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco in 1956, my father David may his memory be a blessing, and my mother Tamu may she be granted a long life. I, Aliza, was the eldest, aged three and baby Rachel was one and a half. We reached Haifa in a ship and from there to Moshav Adirim in the Ta'anakh region. My mother went to give birth to her third daughter in Ha’emek hospital. She was born on March 20, 1965.

While my mother was in the hospital the nurse that accompanied us, who would stroll around in the Moshav and supposedly was our tutor. Her name was Tova.

This nurse came to my father, we were at home with our Grandmother and baby Rachel. She said that she can see Rachel is not feeling well, and that she must be taken to the hospital. We all remembered she was fine and healthy; she had nothing wrong with her. The nurse took her to Ha’emek. Two days later, they notified my father that she had died because she had holes in her legs. Two days later my mother left the maternity ward and the nurse asked her to name the child after her – Tova.

My parents chose to call her Rachel-Tova (after the child that allegedly died, and the nurse from the state that looked after us).

When my sister she was old enough, we received a draft notice for a sister named Rachel, but for the first sister because when we arrived at the recruitment office we were sent back, we were laughed at and told she was far too young.

We have been in Israel for sixty years and this has not left our minds. Where is she? Maybe she will appear someday... Mother is still alive and we are waiting for her. We know her I.D number because it is sequential to ours.

Aliza Gabai Amar