In memory of my sister Gabrielle "Gaby" Abraham.

Sagone, Corsica. Late 70's or early 80's.

Sagone, Corsica. Late 70's or early 80's

1993 - August / September

August/September 1993

Jerusalem, Dec 1993 - Armenian store

Jerusalem, Armenian store, December 1993.

1996 - Rue des Princes

Rue des princes, 1996.

Paris - Sept 1993

Paris, September 1993.

1994 February - Cafe Marly

Cafe Marly, Paris, February 1994.

Musee Guimet - July 1994

Musee Guimet, Paris, July 1994.

Rue Nobel, Dec 1993

Rue Nobel, December 1993.

October 10

The calendar in the kitchen, rue Nobel. I assume she set it in the evening of October 9th, so it would be ready for the next day.

Eulogy - Dimanche 28 octobre 2007

Eulogy read on the one year anniversary unveiling ceremony.

Psaumes

Nous sommes comme le vent
Notre vie n'est qu'une ombre qui passe.

Nous sommes balayes comme un reve qui s’efface à l’aurore.
Nous sommes comme l’herbe
Qui fleurit et pousse un beau matin,
Et le soir venu, se fane et se flétrit.

Le temps de notre vie
Ne dure que quelque annees
Et toute notre existence n’est que peine et misère
Car le temps passe vite et puis nous disparaissons

Apprenons donc à bien compter nos jours,
Afin de devenir sages

L'homme retourne a la poussiere
Et la poussiere retourne a la terre…
Mais son esprit reste avec nous
A toujours.

3
Il aura fallu cette maladie peu connue, quelque chose de "pas sympa" comme tu m'avais annonce, pour nous montrer l'immensite de ta force, de ton courage, et de ta pudeur.

Tu ne t'ai jamais plainte, tu n'a rien demande, tu ne voulais deranger personne – et surtout pas ton petit frere. En plein cauchemard, tu as prefere faire semblant que tout allait bien.

Tu ne supportais pas les gens qui ne peuvent pas s'empecher de pleurnicher et parlent sans arret de leur petits malheurs. Tu etais discrete, secrete, pudique. Tu ne voulais pas parler de toi-meme – ca ne se faisait pas chez nous.

Alors tu preferrais rire et pretendre que tout allait bien. Tu a menti a tout le monde, pour ne pas avoir a repondre aux memes questions sans fin que tu ne voulais plus entendre – si les gens ne comprenaient pas, tu arretais de les voir. Et si j'osai te poser une question de trop, tu me disais "ah arretes, tu m'embetes". Alors a la place on parlait des enfants, et puis de projets de voyages ensemble, et puis de toutes les choses qui t'tinteressaient : les nouvelles expos, le dernier concert, du prochain spectacle, de voyages a Budapest ou Buenos Aires…

La premiere fois que je t'ai vu dans la rue apres ton operation, je ne t'ai pas reconnu. Je ne sais pas si tu t'es apercue. Tu n'as rien dit. On n'a bien sur jamais parle de tes cicatrices, de ton visage change. La seule fois que je t'ai entendu en parler, tu as juste dis en regardant une vieille photo "Ah, j'etais photogenique". C'est tout – tu as meme reussi a dire ca sur un ton leger.

Je ne sais pas comment tu as fait. D'où tu trouvais cette force, ce courage. Ou plutot, si. Evidemment, tu avais appris ca chez maman.

Vers la fin, quand les problemes sont revenus, et qu'il etait devenu trop difficile de faire semblant de croire en l'illusion d'une guerison – tu as juste dis que tu etais fatiguee et que tu avais besoin de te reposer…

On m'a dit que tu etais souriante, tu avais l'air sereine, comme si tu revais paisiblement, contente de dormir.

J'espere que c'etait vrai, et pas juste une derniere politesse / delicatesse que tu aurais fait pour pour nous cacher la realite et nous epargner de la peine,

J'espere que tu es partie doucement, en revant
Et que tu continues de rever.
Et que la paix est maintenant venue pour toi

— — — —

El Mal’e Rachamim

Kaddish

Dimanche 28 octobre, Stele funeraire - Unveiling

October 9, 2007

L’inauguration du monument funeraire aura lieu dimanche 28 octobre, a 14 heures.
Cimetiere de Pantin
Division 147, Ligne 12, Tombe 25


The unveiling will take place on Sunday, October 28th, 2pm.
Cimetiere de Pantin
Division 147, Ligne 12, Tombe 25

9 Octobre

9 octobre - 9 octobre

A tree grows in Brooklyn

May 6, 2007

A tree grows in Brooklyn - May 5, 2007

Carrol Park, Brooklyn, May 5, 2007

This is the tree we planted on November 26 in honor of Gabrielle. With us were Louise, Zelda, Barbara, Joy & Mickey, Julie, Adam, Ben & Justin, Sandi & Richard, Adee, Shirley, Ari & Izzy, Heather, Jeff, Julia & Natalie, Rianne, Fabiana, Fabio & Ceci, Justin, Alyson, and of course David and Arielle who helped with the planting.

1998

1998

Paris, July 1998. Photo: Larissa Gurskaya.

Haifa, Summer 1973

Haifa, 1973

Haifa, summer 1973. We were staying at Lea and Ernst Rosenberg’s house on Kadima street, on the Carmel Heights

Dec 1999

Dec 1999 sofa

Rue Nobel, 1999

Summer 1979, Sagone - Corsica

Summer 1979, Sagone - Corsica

Dans la maison de Laure a Sagone en Corse. August 1979.

Summer 1972 - Givatayim, Israel

Summer 1972 - Givatayim, Israel

One of the few times she had long hair. Givatayim, near Tel Aviv, 1974.

August 1982, Parafrance

August 1982, Parafrance

Parafrance offices, August 1982.

Portrait, annees 60

Annees 60

60's

Summer 1966, Varengeville

Summer 1966, Varengeville-sur-mer

Summer vacations, near Etretat, Normandy. 1966.

Israel, 1993

Israel 1993 - No Smoking

“We appreciate you not smoking in our home”. Israel, 1993.

Boulogne, 1976

Sur le balcon, rue des princes (1976 automne)

Sur le balcon, rue des princes. Automne 1976

Israel - Caesaria: 1973

Caesaria 1973

On the beach in Caesaria, Summer 1973.

Polaroid Book: Rue Nobel, self-portraits (1994)

Self-Portraits. June 1994

Self-portraits. June 1994

Polaroid Book: Rue Nobel, self-portraits (1993)

Self-portrait. June 1993

Self-portrait. June 1993

Polaroid Book: Rue Nobel, self-portraits

Polaroid Self-portraits Book

Two pages from polaroid self-portrait book.

Self-portrait, RueNobel August 20,1994

Self-portrait, rue Nobel. August 20, 1994.

Self-portrait, May 1995

Self-portrait_1995_may

In the kitchen rue Nobel, holding a photo with the two of us in Etretat in 1966.

1961, Ecole Lazare Hoche

1961: Ecole maternelle Lazare-Hoche

Ecole maternelle Lazare-Hoche, 1961.

Madrid, March 1999.

mars 1999 Madrid

Madrid, March 1999.

Martinique, 1994

Martinique, 1994

Martinique, 1994.

Sweden, 1974

“The little mermaid” - Sweden, 1974 “

The Little Mermaid by the fjord. Sweden, 1974.

Paris, Summer 1998

Bastille, summer 1998Bastille, summer 1998

Bastille, Summer 1998.

Purim 1960 chez Madame Rachel Gordin

Purim dans le jardin d'enfants de Madame Rachel Gordin. 1960.

Chez Mme Bernheim,  nov 1963

Chez Mme Bernheim, Paris. November 1963.

Early Sixties

La bicyclette rouge, dans la cour de l'immeuble

Rue des princes. Early 60's.

1960: Dans le fauteuil du salon, rue des Princes

Rue des Princes, Spring 1960.

Etretat - 1963

Etretat, 1963.

Troisieme anniversaire

Troisieme anniversaire.

Dans le fauteuil, rue des Princes

Rue des Princes.

Email #1

Dear Gaby

I went to the apartment to water the plants. The big ficus tree isn’t doing too well - actually, I have to be honest - it’s not alive anymore … I should have taken better care of it. I guess it’s too late now.

I also picked up your mail. Nothing special, the program for the next season of the Paris Orchestra, I’m sure there’s a lot of stuff you like. There’s also an invitation to an opening at an art gallery - I’d never heard of the artist, I guess a friend of yours?

You had an appointment at Roussy - do you want me to talk to them?

Oh - and also - there was one of those letters from the Cancer Society, asking for a donation. They sent a sheet of stickers with the sun and a flower, and your name and address on top, you know, to use as your return address on your mail. I didn’t think that was too funny.

What else can i say? I still check my email in-box, to see if there’s a message from you. Weekends are the worse - Saturday and Sunday mornings, it always takes a little while before I remember I shouldn’t wait for the phone to ring.

Did I tell you? a number of people you worked with have sent really nice letters. Someone from Italy, someone from Spain, I think someone from England, or Germany… I’ll check again, I need to write to them and thank them. I haven’t been very good I’m afraid - not as good as all these people have been to me.

And the people from the office have been amazing, they really miss you. Seems like they were part of the family in a way. Even though you hid everything from them - they really cared for you.

And Mme Tounkara - what she told me that day - the way she described you - it was really incredible. What a good liar you were. You fooled her too, she had no clue what was going on. and she was one of the last people to see you - she said you were joking, smiling. what happened?

Anyway… I have to go now, back to work

Oh, the kids miss you - David keeps asking for you - it’s so hard to explain - in the beginning I think he blamed me - I understand. and I still don’t know what to say to him.

And there’s a tree growing in Bklyn - it’s still small and naked - I hope when spring comes it will be less miserable - maybe when the first buds come out - we’ll see

voili - voilou

je t’embrasse - tu me manques tu sais

D.

Three songs

April 19, 2007

In November we decided to plant a memorial tree in a park near our house. I knew I wanted to say something before the actual planting but was afraid I wouldn’t find the words or the strength to say them in public, so I considered reading lyrics from a few songs that were endlessly playing in my head at that time. In the end I decided I couldn’t rely on other people’s words.

These Days
Gordon Lightfoot, as sung by Nico

Well I’ve been out walking
I don’t do that much talking these days
These days–
These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do
For you
And all the times I had the chance to

I’ll keep on moving
Things are bound to be improving these days
These days–
These days I sit on corner stones
And count the time in quarter tones to ten, my friend
Dont confront me with my failures
I had not forgotten them

Death Don’t Have No Mercy
Reverend Gary Davis

Death don’t have no mercy in this land
Y’ know death don’t have no mercy in this land, in this land
Come to your house, you know he don’t take long
You look in the bed, you find your mama is gone
Death don’t have no mercy in this land

I said death don’t take no vacation in this land
Death don’t take no vacation in this land, in this land
Come to your house, no he doesn’t stay long
Look around the room, you see your father will be gone
Say now death don’t, death don’t take no vacation in this land

Death will leave you standing and crying in this land
I said death will leave you standing and crying in this land, in this land
He comes into your house and he don’t take long
You look all around and you find your sister gone
Death don’t have no mercy in this land

Death don’t have no mercy in this land
Death don’t have no mercy in this land, in this land
Come to your house, you know he don’t take long
You wake up one morning and your whole family be gone
Oh, death don’t have no mercy in this land

Close Watch
John Cale

I still hear your voice at night
When I turn out the light
And try to settle down
But there’s nothing much I can do
Because I can’t live without you
Any way at all

Mobile Phone Photos (St Remy)

  • Self-portrait - St Remy - Mar 7, 2006Mar 14, 2006 (St Remy)
    Coucou. baisers. HI DAVID. Hope you find my portrait funny. Sending you des baisers. Love, GABY.
  • st remyMar 8, 2006 (St Remy)
    C’est mon tel. Diner a 18:30 et dejeuner a 11:30. Kisses.
  • St remyMar 13, 2006 (St Remy)
    Vue du bout de jardin. baisers.
  • Mar 24, 2006 (St Remy) The Queen from the Cour des Miracles. Love and show it to David and Arielle. Gaby.

Gaby emailed me these photos from the hospital from her cell phone. She asked “Did you show the photo with the halo to David? Did he laugh? Didn’t he think it was funny?”

The “Sainte Gaby” Picture was sort of a private joke I think - dad had made a drawing on top of a photo of mom - we thought it was funny and sweet after all these years.

Sainte Gaby