Zelfa bat Blor Shakhmoroff
January 20, 1932 – October 25, 2021
Cheshvan 20, 5782
Zelfa was born in Afghanistan into a traditional religious Zionist Bucharian family. Her mother, Blora, was from Margilan and her father, Zvi, from Khokand; located in the Uzbek regions of Asiatic-Russia. For generations her family was involved in the Silk Road Export-Import Business. They moved to Afghanistan during the Bolshevik Revolution. Zelfa’s father realized his dream come true when Israel gained Statehood in 1948. Leaving everything behind, Zelfa, her parents, sisters and brother made their way to Iran to board an airplane to Israel. In 1952, Zelfa married Bezalel, a Bucharian Jew who was given a farm in Kfar Ganot near Tel-Aviv for his service in the Israeli Army Reserves after having served in the British Army since 1939. In 1953, their first child, Sarah, was born followed by their son, Pinchas, in 1954. In 1957, a job offer made it possible for Bezalel to move the family to New York. Zelfa and Bezalel, both employed, worked hard to put their children through Yeshiva and to purchase a family home. In 1974, Zvi was born as a surprise and a blessing for them both. He cared for them in their home until each passed away זכרונם לברכה
