What we will miss most about our friend Birte Edwards is her enthusiastic and warm personality. The Modiin Knitting group will never be quite the same and all our members mourn her loss. Over and above the group, she was always a dedicated volunteer in ESRA Modiin's second-hand book shop.

Birte was born in Denmark on June 23rd 1949. She lived in England for a time before making aliyah. She moved to the Old City of Jerusalem where she met and married Stephen Edwards, the English Israeli TV announcer. They had two children, Karen and Guy.

Birte worked in many different jobs, but her first and lasting love was being a tour guide. She specialized in groups from Denmark and was an expert on the Christian sites and churches all over Israel. She had a vast knowledge of Israel's history from the different perspective of all the major religions. Charismatic and talented, her loves were her family, knitting and crocheting, reading, going to the beach, sunsets and coffee dates at the drop of a hat. Anyone in need, family or friend, knew that Birte would provide a shoulder to cry on or more practical help if needed.

Birte enjoyed volunteering at ESRA and was always an asset at the ESRA bookshop, due to her broad knowledge and fluent Hebrew, which drew many a hesitant Israeli into the bookshop to peruse the Hebrew literature.

She had her own ideas on politics, religion, health issues and so on, which meant that her friends often disagreed with her. But we always could agree to disagree, and the valued friendship the Modiin ladies had for her never faltered and became even stronger, because conversations with her were never dull.

But perhaps Birte will be remembered most fondly by the knitting ladies for her expertise and imaginative ideas which so enhanced the items we made for our various projects, such as all the wonderful crocheted soft toys she crafted.

Birte had moved to Modiin from Jerusalem, and later to Beit Horon, but was thinking of moving closer to her family before she passed away. She was extremely proud of her children and two granddaughters, Zohar and Alma.

The Committee and members of ESRA Modiin express their sincere condolences to her children. She will be sorely missed.

By Rhona Berzack, Chair of ESRA Modiin's Knitting and Crocheting Circle, with additions from Shoshana Cramer