Eliezer and Etti Gruber
Eliezer and Etti GruberCourtesy of the family

Eliezer and Etti Gruber, a couple in their 90s from the Shomron (Samaria) community of Karnei Shomron, passed away on Thursday at the Ma’ayanei Hayeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak within two hours of one another.

Earlier in the week, Eliezer felt ill and was admitted to the internal medicine ward in the hospital due to severe pneumonia. On Thursday morning, Etti complained of severe pains in her stomach and her family took her to the emergency room at the same hospital. Her condition deteriorated shortly thereafter and she passed away.

Just two hours later, Eliezer's condition deteriorated as well and he was taken to the intensive care unit where he passed away as well.

The two were brought to rest on Thursday evening at the Karnei Shomron cemetery.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva after the funeral on Thursday night, the Grubers’ son, Yossi, recalled the story of his parents, both Holocaust survivors who were married 68 years ago.

Yossi’s mother was a survivor of the horrific experiments conducted by the notorious Nazi criminal Josef Mengele. Despite the harsh abuse, she managed to survive and carry her sister almost 900 kilometers on foot.

Eliezer, recalled Yossi, was forced to assemble railways by the Nazis and was among the few survivors in his camp.

After the war, the couple were for a long time unable to have children due to the abuse his mother underwent at the hands of Mengele, but 12 years later a miracle occurred and they had two children, Yossi and Bentzi, both residents of Karnei Shomron.

Yossi recalled that his parents had difficulty getting over the Holocaust, so much so that it was decided to write a new ketubah for them, stating that the couple must not talk about the Holocaust and move on with their lives.

"If dad would talk about the Holocaust, mom would stop him and vice versa. This is how they were able to move forward,” he said.

It was a difficult evening for the two sons and the entire family, said Yossi.

"They were very close to each other. I’ve never had to deal with such grief, but its doubly hard for the family with both of them gone. It looks like they did not want to leave each other on earth alone,” he said.