Moisés Lederman, just turned 100, decides to make aliya
Brazilian businessman, retired but active, plans to take care of his daughter and extended family in Israel
BRAZIL — “I want to take care of my daughter,” Moisés Lederman told The Times of Israel Thursday on why he has finally decided to make aliya with the help of the Jewish Agency at the ripe age of 100.
“I always wanted to live in Israel. I visited there many times, but I was married to a Brazilian woman who didn’t like to live in a place with cold weather so I never had the chance. In September 2010 my wife passed away and I decided to finally make aliya. I want to take care of my daughter and to be close to my family.”
Lederman, “Moshe” to his friends, celebrated his 100th earlier this month. Born February 15, 1912, in Chelm, Poland, he is the youngest son of Yaakov and Leah Lederman, who also parented Fanny, Meir and Paula.
Moshe immigrated to Brazil in 1930 at age 18 and settled in Recife, in the north, where he already had family and where there was a tiny community of Jewish immigrants from Poland, Russia, Romania and Serbia.
He worked in the family business as a merchant and in 1942 married native Brazilian Miriam Alkalai, who was from a Sephardic Jewish family. Together they had three children, George (deceased), Eliezer and Leah, who both now live in Israel. Moshe has seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Moshe loves to read books and newspapers in Portuguese and Yiddish. He continues to be an active participant in Recife’s Chabad House and has always instilled a love of Jewish tradition in his children and grandchildren.
On February 15, Moshe celebrated his 100th birthday, and he still radiates optimism. He is full of energy and continues to plan for the future.
In March he will make aliya, and he plans to live happily ever after with his children and their extended families.
