The parents of Simcha and Mamo Hadad arrived in Israel from Tunisia in 1956. I was born in Jerusalem and everything was fine. After that, they moved to Netivot and in 1958 my mother went to Soroka Hospital to give birth. She had one child and was very pleased. They said, “You have another one”. She was shocked; there was no ultrasound in those days so she didn't know in advance she had twins. They told her, “don’t worry. If you don’t want the second one, we’ll take him. She was shocked: “What do you mean?! That’s my child!” She gave birth to both of them. They were healthy. They brought them both for her to nurse and they nursed on the first day and also the day after their birth and all was fine. On the third day they brought only one child, they said the other one was under supervision; that he needed care.

They did not provide her with any information. A week later my father arrived to take Mother and the babies. They got my mother ready and said nothing. They prepared her and one child. My father asked, “Where is the other baby?” They said, “He died” . “What do you mean, he died?! Where is his body? Bring it – we must bury him”. They opened the window and pointed to a field outside the hospital. ”That’s where we buried him.” My parents were never at peace with this for their whole lives, and Father insisted, especially in his last year, that we go and search for him.

We had a story in the family that someone saw a person with a great resemblance to the family in Netanya. We are always searching for him. My parents knew until the end of their lives that he is alive. I, his sister, very much want to meet him. It would be very moving. His twin died two and a half years ago. They were identical twins. If he is alive, we want him. We would be happy if finally the state did something to open this Pandora’s Box.

Do you know what this would mean for my mother? All her life she told me “perhaps you can look for him...”

Tzviya Drori – from the Hadad family

Tzviya’s testimony can also be seen in the sixth chapter of the internet series: Niviim Operation Amram- How Many Children Do You Have?