JERUSALEM — George Lebovitz was born in a displaced persons camp in Italy, the son of Holocaust survivors Eugene and Kate Lebovitz. A 1963 graduate of Shawnee Mission East High School, he recently completed the six-month training course at Yad Vashem, the Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority and official Holocaust memorial in Israel, to be a guide.
“I was looking for a volunteer venue and with my history, this was the natural thing,” said George. “I remember my father crying at my Bar Mitzvah because my grandparents were not there. I wanted to continue the memory of my grandparents. Deciding to be a guide was a very emotional thing.”
How did he get from the suburbs of Kansas City to the suburbs of Jerusalem? It all began when he fell in love on his first trip to Israel.
Right after graduating high school, when he was still 17 years old, George went to Israel as part of the very first Greater Kansas City Pilgrimage led by Joe (now deceased) and Tzivia Gaba. The group had free time upon their arrival in Jerusalem at the beginning of the trip. So three girls in the group went for a walk, met three Israeli girls and proceeded to introduce them to other members of the Pilgrimage. That was when George met Aviva Ben-haim, a 17-year-old seventh-generation Israeli.
The two teens immediately liked each other. So while the group was still in Jerusalem, they went out on group dates. The Kansas Citian even met some of Aviva’s family.
One free weekend, George returned to Jerusalem and wanted to see Aviva again. He visited her sister’s home and learned that the young lady was in the hospital following minor surgery. Of course he went to the hospital to see how she was doing.
Not having any place to stay in Jerusalem, a friend of Aviva’s family made arrangements for George to stay at the hospital. That gave him extra time to spend with Aviva.
“I’m not sure it was love at first sight,” said Aviva. “We hardly knew each other but when he stayed in the hospital, I thought, here was a guy who took time to visit me and spent the whole time in the hospital. I thought, this is a very special guy.”
Before his summer trip ended, George made arrangements to see Aviva again.
“I didn’t know if he would ever come back,” Aviva said.
George attended the Jewish Theological Seminary/Columbia University program in the United States. But he decided to return to Israel, this time on a year program for youth leaders from abroad called Machon l’madrichei chutz l’aretz.
He dated Aviva once again, although George says, “when we fell in love is hard to pinpoint!”
They got engaged in December 1964, married in April 1965 and returned to the Kansas City area in June 1965. Here, they began teaching at Congregation Ohev Sholom.
George went back to college, this time attending the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Aviva taught preschool at Kehilath Israel Synagogue. While going to school, he became tween director at the Jewish Community Center and then KI youth director; both worked at Barney Goodman camp and taught at KI.
In 1968, they were the leaders of the Greater Kansas City Pilgrimage to Israel.
“I felt when you get, you have to give back,” said George. “I was hoping to give those kids a love and attachment to Israel like I had gotten on the pilgrimage five years before.”
After their return, while George was still in school, their two children, a son and a daughter, were born.
George received his Bachelor of Arts and master’s degrees from UMKC, meanwhile working for the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. The Lebovitzes continued working in Jewish education after they moved to Cincinnati in 1972 and Aviva began to work in real estate. He worked for the day school and she earned her college degree. George continued his education as well, earning a doctorate in educational administration.
Since there was no yeshiva high school in Cincinnati for their son, Yaron, they moved to Los Angeles in 1981, still working in the fields of Jewish education and real estate.
In 2007, they moved again, this time to San Antonio, Texas, to complete some real estate business while preparing to make aliyah.
Three years earlier Yaron, now a doctor, had made aliyah. While visiting him, Aviva says, one day she asked herself, “what are we doing in Texas?”
So the following year, in August 2008, 45 years after George participated in that first pilgrimage and met Aviva in Israel, and 43 years after they got married, George made aliyah and Aviva returned to her native country.
“I believe this is the place to be,” Aviva said. “I loved Israel. I am amazed how changed Israel is and we are enjoying being here. I wish we would have come before.”
Becoming acclimated to living in Israel was much easier for George and Aviva because they both spoke Hebrew and their son and his family had come before them.
Aviva keeps busy as a volunteer at Yad Sarah, “an organization that offers free medical equipment for sick people.” She also takes classes and spends a lot of time with their six grandchildren, ranging in age from 20 to 1 month old.
“For us, this is something new, to have our grandchildren so close. That is a treat!” Aviva said.
Both Aviva and George participate in learning weekends — with Eretz Ahavati (I love the land) and Avot u’meyasdim (fathers and founders) and are both avid bridge players. They also still have their business in Texas, which George administers.
“This is the place for the Jews,” says George. “If people come with the right attitude, adjusting is not difficult.”
