Mordechai and Aryeh lived together as a couple for exactly sixty years.
When Aryeh’s health deteriorated and he was hospitalized, they were terrified that they would not be safe at the hospital because they were in a same-sex relationship. On Aryeh’s eighty-eight birthday, exhausted by anxiety and pain, they decided not to return to the hospital again. Mordechai told Aryeh that he could rest, and on that night, Aryeh passed away at their mutual home.
Mordechai is often wearing Aryeh’s clothes to feel closer to him
Even in his eighth decade, Michael, who is married with children, is still closeted. Coming from a religious family and community, and fearing exclusion, he shared his secret only with a very few. On living in the closet, he said, “It’s like you’re killing a part of yourself. A part of yourself is not alive
Eze was born in Mumbai, lived most of his life in London, and moved to Tel Aviv when he was 70-years old, where he now lives close to the proud center.
Despite his shyness, he is a regular participant in a proud theater circle and a social club for gay elders, who meet a few times per week. For many LGBTQ+ elders, these accustomed community-based social activities can reduce the sense of isolation and loneliness and enable community members to pay attention to the well-being of each other. With the outbreak of COVID, which was followed by strict quarantines, these important activities were mostly canceled.
He shared that it was his garden that provided him with a necessary comfort during the hardships of covid.” I had my garden, where everything was as usual. There was water, grass. I could work, watch how the plants grow, and take care of them.”
Dancing has been the center of Menashe’s life for most of his years. He lived in New York as a dancer and producer. But today, due to his health condition, he is unable to dance anymore. Although he has lived outside the closet for years, he often fears not being accepted, even in places supposed to be the safest, like with the GP.
“Her attitude might not be as good, or she might not respect me,” he shared.
Born in France before World War II, Shmuel says that he can often feel “old” because of how the younger generation sees him. ” I am still sensitive and able to feel exactly like a young person, and although I have wrinkles, I do not have wrinkles in my heart. But when a young person sees an old man, he “dries” him not only externally but in the heart.”