My father, Micha Harchol, son of Shmuel and Menucha, born in Kibbutz Kinneret, passed away on January 31st, 2012, at the age of 73, due to complications from a severe spinal infection.

My father worked as a nuclear physicist for most of his life and played a key role in the development of Gamma detectors. My father is also the source of inspiration for my artwork, a character in my animations, and graciously endured my impersonation of his voice and mannerisms. My father was buried in the Kinneret Cemetery, along the banks of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), next to his parents and two brothers, Avner and Eliahu. It is an historic site where Naomi Shemer and Rachel as well as many of Israel’s pioneers are buried. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

During the last ten years of his life, my father and I would talk via Skype every Saturday for several hours. This is a video that I shot about a year ago, in which my father sings a song to me and my son. The song tells how Rabbi Akiva (known in the Talmud as ‘The Head of all the Sages’) said that the center of the Torah (the commandment from which all other commandments stem) is: “Love your fellow as yourself”.

While my father told me that his first name was an acronym about Kibbutz Kinneret, I prefer to believe that he was named after the prophet Micha who was known for emphasizing justice, compassion, and humility, qualities whose importance my father impressed upon me throughout my life.

I love my father and miss him very much.

Hanan