Naviella "Navi" Lapidot

Obituary of Naviella Lapidot

Our beloved Naviella was born in 1954 in Ben Shemen, Israel, to parents who had immigrated from Germany and Czechoslovakia. She grew up in Haifa, where she excelled academically, even as she endured a very difficult childhood. From an early age, movement, music, and spirit became her refuge and her salvation. She danced throughout her youth and adulthood, devoting herself especially to interpretive dance as a path of expression and healing.

After completing her army service, Naviella served in the Israeli army while living on a kibbutz, working with animals-an experience that reflected her deep love for living beings and the natural world. She continued to follow a life guided by intuition rather than convention.

In the early 1980s, Naviella moved to Boulder, Colorado. There she earned her master's degree in Art Therapy from Naropa University and became deeply involved in the Jewish Renewal movement-a spiritual home where music, mysticism, and joy wove together in ways that fed her soul. During this time, she met Ted, and together they moved to Denver when their first child, Daphna, was three years old. Four years later, their daughter Yael was born. Though their marriage eventually ended, Naviella's devotion to her daughters and her path never wavered.

Throughout her life, Naviella held many roles with grace and passion. She worked in a law office, taught Hebrew, and guided bar and bat mitzvah students with devotion and care. She was always singing. As the lead vocalist in Los Lantzmun, a Jewish world beat band that she and musician Hal Aqua formed in the 1990s, her voice became beloved in the Denver/Boulder Jewish community. She stayed very active in the Jewish Renewal communities in Boulder and Denver. Music and dancing were always essential to her well-being; she was constantly working on her own development and healing. Joy was something she practiced deliberately - and taught her daughters to practice, too.

In 2008, she returned to Israel, where she built a rich and loving community. There she met Yaacov, with whom she shared many wonderful years of love, music, and spiritual connection. Together they sang and performed often, weaving music, spirit, and joy into their shared life. During this time, Naviella also taught laughter yoga, offering healing, lightness, and presence to many. She continued her deep spiritual work and healed important aspects of her relationship with her mother.

In early 2020, Naviella was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She faced her illness in the way she faced everything - listening closely to her body, trusting her intuition, and walking her own path. Over six years, she formed deep community with others living with cancer, offering connection, wisdom, and light even in the midst of suffering. She showed everyone around her what it means to live fully, even in the face of death.

When the war in Israel began in 2023, Naviella moved back to Denver, where she lived with her children, Daphna and Yael.

During this time, Naviella became an extraordinary grandmother to her grandchildren, Ozi (9) and Sivan (3). She was joyful, present, playful, and deeply loving.

To Ozi and Sivan, Tuli was pure light. She sang with them constantly - made-up songs, silly songs, Hebrew songs that carried generations of memory and love. She danced with them in the kitchen, got down on the floor to play, she celebrated every small victory, she made them feel like the most important people in the entire world.

Being their grandmother was one of the greatest joys of Naviella's life. In their eyes, she found reflection of all the light she had spent a lifetime cultivating. They adored her, and she adored them right back with her whole heart. The love between them was pure, boundless, and perfect.

In these final years, Naviella also did profound work deepening her relationships with her children. The years they shared together were filled with love, healing, laughter, and grace. For the first time in her life, she felt fully part of a family.

Naviella was a ray of light - deeply spiritual, unafraid to share her dreams, touching countless lives with her music and presence. She moved to the rhythm of her own soul until the very end, and her light continues to ripple outward through all who loved her.

The funeral is Sunday, Jan 4, 11 AM at B'nai Havurah: 6445 E Ohio Ave #600, Denver, CO 80224, with a reception immediately following at the temple. If you are able, Navi requested everyone to wear bright colors! For those who already packed their bags, we'll have small paper flowers that anyone can use to add a pop of color and nature to their outfit.

There will be a Zoom link prepared for those unable to be there in person.

For those wishing to support the family, here is a link to the meal train. Please sign up using this link if you wish to participate: https://www.giveinkind.com/inkinds/N7E5G2S/remembering-naviella-daphna-s-support-team.

For those desiring to make donations in Navi's name, Standing Together is an organization that was dear to her. (additional info on how to donate from the USA to follow below this post). Some have also decided to donate to B'Nai Havurah - details can be found on their website.