My mother, Zipora Whyman, who has died aged 86, was always so full of life and radiated goodness. Whether dedicating herself to her family or spending time with friends, she was forever busy – creating works of art, gardening artistically and cooking her renowned dishes.
Steadfastly loyal, Zipora embraced and connected with people from all walks of life with her warmth, sense of humour, spontaneity, wisdom and extraordinary kindness and generosity. She spoiled her family and friends with her made-to- measure meals that incorporated Middle Eastern and European cuisines, thoughtfully taking into account everyone’s specific preferences.
She was born in Jerusalem in what was then British-controlled Palestine. Her parents, Esther (nee Matlub), who took in laundry, and Ovadia Ella, a farmer on a smallholding, were Kurdish Jews who had journeyed there from northern Iraq in the 1920s. Zipora was the eighth of nine children and it was advantageous in many ways that she spent most of her teenage years living on, and doing her schooling at, two kibbutzim in northern Israel – first Gan Shmuel and then Sa’ar.
On Kibbutz Sa’ar she met Edward Whyman, a British volunteer from London, and they were married in 1964. Afterwards they lived for a year in Ghana, where Edward taught French and mathematics, before settling in the Manchester area. Over the next few years, as Zipora raised me and my brother, Dan, we also spent time in Paris, Brittany and Jerusalem in addition to Leicester and London, as Edward worked as a nuclear physicist. While I was at school in England, Zipora taught me Hebrew and modern Hebrew literature, which I studied under her guidance to A-level.
In 2002 Zipora took a college course in floristry and she enjoyed flower arranging. She also created a collection of pressed-flower pictures and participated in floral competitions around the country, with judges commending her “exquisite” work.
She is survived by Edward, Dan and me, and a grandson, Joel.
