Tova Buganim was born in the Scottish Hospital in Tiberias, in 1955, to parents Freha and Nissim Buganim who immigrated to Israel from Morocco about three years earlier. Her parents, who lived in Tzemach transit camp, had six children at home, four boys and two girls.

Tova was transferred to the hospital after the medical staff informed the parents she had hepatitis. Freha, the mother, came to the hospital to nurse the child several times. The last time, when she arrived, she was informed that the girl had died.

Throughout her life and until her death Freha claimed the girl looked healthy, and often sadly murmured, "How could it be that a girl so happy and healthy is dead." She was told that her daughter was buried in the cemetery in Tiberias. After the death of the father, Nissim, Freha went to the cemetery to look for the grave, but the man in charge, ( who is now deceased) did not know what she was talking about and did not recognize such a grave.

The sisters and brothers Buganim, that after Tova’s disappearance were blessed with two more siblings (two girls), grew up with the story of Tova’s death, but without certainty that the father or mother ever saw the girl after her death – which is very doubtful.

The facts are: There is no death certificate; the Interior Ministry could only give the child's identity number and date of death as April 1955, no day. No grave is to be found (although a search has been done several times). There are many such testimonies, including from the Poriya hospital, and the mother, Freha, never accepted that Tova was dead.

Barak Buganim