KOCHI: A memorial service was held in Israel in honour of Soumya Santhosh, the caregiver from Idukki who was killed in a rocket attack at Ashkelon in Israel on May 11. The function, organised by Cochin Jews in Israel, at Taoz, a settlement near Jerusalem on Monday, was attended by Anitha Nandhini, deputy chief of mission, Embassy of India at Tel Aviv. Jews from Kochi who migrated to Israel in the 1950s are settled in Taoz. Sherly Benny, sister-in-law of Soumya, who works in Israel, also spoke at the event.
A fundraiser for Soumya’s son Adone’s education was also announced at the event, said Zipora Meir, a volunteer and one of the organisers of the function, speaking to TNIE from Israel. Naomi Perlman, the 83-year-old holocaust survivor for whom Soumya worked, was badly injured in the rocket attack and is still under treatment, said Meir.