Khalil Kimchi, born in Kfar Saba, who studied and was educated in the city, is the one killed on Thursday in the sinkhole accident that opened in a pool in a private house in Moshav Karmi Yosef. He was 32 years old when he died. His funeral will be held today, Saturday evening, at 22:30 at the Pardes Haim cemetery in Kfar Saba.
The late Kimchi, who had been living in Tel Aviv for the last few years, was swept into the sinkhole that opened up in the pool at a social event. He was located at a depth of 13 meters and MDA personnel pronounced him dead on the spot. He studied at Katznelson High School in Kfar Saba, graduated from Reichman University in Herzliya and worked in marketing and digital In the incident, another person was slightly injured and several more people panicked.
Kimchi, who used to upload thought-provoking posts with insights into life, left a mark that took on a chilling meaning. In a recent post he wrote on June 29, he shared about his thoughts about moving: “I’ve been living by the sea for 3 years now, wake up in the morning, open the electric shutters and this is the view I see in front of me. Blue, open, endless sea, with sailboats and surfers. Or maybe Actually, I don’t really see anymore. ‘Eventually, you get used to everything,’ said his uncle Tessa, and apparently you get used to the bad, as well as the good. Last month, I showed the apartment to a lot of people, I was looking for an exchange. Not a single one came in, and was enthusiastic to the core. “What, you’re crazy ? Why are you vacating this apartment? “I would never leave here”, “Drink coffee in the morning in this view? A dream”. Go explain to them that I even drink water with lemon in the morning, and that I haven’t done it on the balcony for several months, because it no longer excites me. But with every potential tenant who came in and got excited, something seeped a little. “Come on, I was once so enthusiastic about this apartment, I remembered. And maybe I really should appreciate a little more, what I have and where I live? First line to the sea in Tel Aviv! And with the apartment market now?! I’m not leaving!”
Later, Kalil wrote about how important it is to appreciate those little things and to cherish them: “We all know the short passage that tells us that if we have water to drink, we can eat, and we can even read this text. We are richer than most of humanity. Of course also We read it several times, and even, for one small moment, we felt that it changed something in us. Suddenly we appreciated a little more what there is. We were happy in our part. We saw life in a different perspective. We even shared it on Facebook, because we have a message to convey to the world! It lasted at best for an hour, an hour later we were already complaining about the cost of living, the traffic jams, the taxes, and our slow internet. Because the truth is, calling someone to tell us about proportions will never be as powerful as feeling those proportions ourselves, in our bones. Like The apartment – the same thing happens to us in many aspects of life. That’s all we need. A short reminder. Maybe we should show our apartment once a month? Just for the sake of it. To tell about our cool work, with the same enthusiasm we once told and to see the eyes of others shining, So that we will appreciate it a little more. Volunteer or hang around people who don’t have it, and not read texts about the poor sea in Africa, but to feel it around us every day. To create a reality for ourselves, or small moments of reality that will occasionally remind us of what we have.”
He signed the post completely with the intention of coming back and writing in the future: “And on this optimistic note, until I leave the apartment, the Shakshuka corner on the balcony will return, and every week I will host someone I don’t meet every day for a conversation about life and Shakshuka, and maybe it will help me appreciate the balcony a little more and experience The same in the eyes of others every week.”
Aviv, who was Khalil’s partner from high school and also during his military service, tries to believe the loss: “I think he was the person with the most friends I knew. I really remember that he was always surrounded, he was in the center, the most loved. He also always thought of everyone He always made sure everyone was amused. He was so smart, funny and witty. And I still don’t understand how and why I speak in the past tense. I open Facebook or the news sites and don’t understand why I see him there.”
Vared, who knew Khalil since his childhood in Kfar Saba, told about his extraordinary personality that stood out even then: “Our acquaintance began in elementary school with joint meetings at the agricultural farm, then in the division and we also studied together in high school. Over the years we were not the closest, but we would meet in happy and eventful times social, and he was a charm of a guy, happy, full of energy and a friend. Always made me feel special when we got to meet, a very valued childhood friend. One that you see once in a while, but it’s like we met yesterday. Lately we’ve been living the network, so we’re both very active And I get incredible inspiration from him. My heart is broken and undigested. He was a king. Unfathomable, shocking.”
The Mayor of Kfar Saba, Rafi Sa’ar, gave a eulogy: “A terrible tragedy. Khalil Kimchi, a member of our city, a beloved and special person, went out to spend time at a social event and was killed as a result of poor infrastructure and apparently negligence in running a business. Khalil was killed and he is only 32 years old. So sad and so unnecessary A very difficult week has passed through our city. My condolences to his family dear to my heart, may his memory be blessed.”
Reichman University stated: “The alumni organization of Reichman University bows its head with the tragic death of Khalil Kimchi in the terrible disaster in Karemi Yosef. Kimchi was a prominent social activist, and contributed greatly to the State of Israel. We wish to convey our condolences to the family.”
Kalil was found lifeless after hours of searching in the huge pit that had opened up. The Ihud Hatzla organization reported on the sequence of events that led to the tragic result: “At noon, a message was received at the Central District control center about a sinkhole that had opened in the pool during a pool party, as a result of which two people were trapped on the spot, fire and rescue teams from the Ayalon station were rushed to the scene. The shift commander who arrives first identifies a sinkhole in the center of the pool , when one of the captives managed to get out on his own while the other captive is determined to be missing. In addition to the police and the MDA, the YLM, Lehva, YHCA units of the Home Front Command and the canine unit are immediately rushed to the scene. The nature of the rescue is complicated due to the nature of the ground, underground tunnels that branch off under the area and the risk of a secondary collapse because the ground is soft. The units worked in full cooperation to establish contact with the trapped, using advanced equipment and devices for locating trapped people. After the tunnel’s decommissioning operations, the fighters were introduced with the help of dogs from the canine unit into the tunnel, while risk management is carried out throughout the length of the tunnel to protect the rescuers in the sensitive area, until it is located The missing person. In complex rescue operations, they finally managed to get the captive out of the tunnel, unfortunately lifeless. A message was sent to the family.”
Meir Zander, a medic from the Rescue Union, said: “This is a complex scene. According to the bathers, while they were in the pool, a sinkhole opened in the pool and as a result, a 30-year-old man was trapped in the rubble. Firefighters worked to rescue his body and unfortunately he was pronounced dead at the end of the rescue operations.” Mordechai Kahane, another medic of the Rescue Union, said: “The Hosan teams, the mental first aid unit of the Rescue Union, provided assistance to a number of anxiety victims who were in the pool at the time of the incident.”
The late Khalil Kimchi will be laid to rest on Saturday night at 10:30 PM at Pardes Haim Cemetery in Kfar Saba. The family resides at 9 Nahal Kana St. in Kfar Saba.
The Sharon Junction system participates in the family’s grief.
Of blessed memory.
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