Paul Arie HARARI

1920 - 2021

HARARI, Paul Arie Paul Harari was born July 20, 1920 in Bucharest, Romania. He fled his birthplace in 1944 to escape persecution of Jews by Nazis, their fascist sympathizers, and subse-quent Soviet invaders. He traveled through Europe and attempted to enter Palestine, but was imprisoned by the British on the island of Cyprus. He was later released by the British and smuggled illegally at night by boat, along with other displaced European Jews, into Israel in 1948. The movie Exodus, starring Paul Newman, realistically portrayed the perilous lives of these refugees. In Israel, he held various accounting-type positions. He also served in the Israel Defense Force, discharged as a Sergeant, and received a citation for the Sinai campaign (1956). His family lived in Michmoret, a small fishing community north of Tel Aviv along the Mediterranean coast. In 1958, he immigrated to Brooklyn, NY along with his wife and two young sons in search of the American Dream. He obtained a high school equivalency degree and worked for the Hebrew Publishing Company. In 1960, the family moved to North Plainfield, NJ where they lived for the next 25 years and he held numerous accounting positions in retail and manufacturing businesses. He retired in 1985 and moved, with his wife Ruth, to San Diego to live by his youngest son, David, an Ob/Gyn physician. In New Jersey and California, he and Ruth raised Weimaraner dogs. In 2004, they moved to Spokane to live near his oldest son, Joseph, a veterinary surgeon, and his family. In life, Paul's interests included fishing, playing chess and table tennis. He was a voracious reader, particularly of spy novels, and enjoyed classical music and completing cross word puzzles. Paul also was a strong fan of American football and international soccer. With his European background, he was fluent in several languages including Romanian, French, Italian, German, and Hebrew. He is survived by his son David, daughter-in-law Julie, and grandchildren Jonathan and Caroline all in San Diego, and son Joseph in Spokane and grandchildren Hannah and Eve in Missoula. He was preceded in death by his wife Ruth, who passed away in 2009. The family recognizes and appreciates the care provided to him by the staffs of Spokane Cardiology, Internal Medicine, and the Touchmark retirement home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Jewish Family Services of Spokane. A private graveside service was held at Mt. Nebo Cemetery on Tuesday, March 23rd.