Dee family launches fundraising campaign in memory of Lucy, Maia and Rina
Surviving family members hope to raise £1.45million for three community projects in honour of the wife, mother and sisters murdered in a terror attack.
The surviving members of the Dee family have launched a £1.45 million fundraising project in memory of murdered mother Lucy, 48 and her two daughters, Maia, 20 and Rina, 15 years old.
On April 7, on their way to a family hiking trip near the Jordan Valley during Passover, the three British-Israeli women were shot by Palestinian terrorists. The two daughters were killed instantly. Rebbetzen Lucy Dee was seriously wounded and died of her injuries three days later at the Hadassah Medical Centre.
The women were buried in the West Bank settlement of Kfar Ezion.
During the week of the shiva, Rabbi Leo Dee and this three surviving children decided that with the assistance of the Efrat Foundation, they would launch a crowdfunding campaign with three main goals to personally honour and commemorate their loved ones:
The Rina Dee Youth Centre, as Rina was an active participant and counselor in the Ezra youth movement; Maia Dee’s Spring, a “maayan” (spring), commemorating Maia’s love for nature and water and the communal Lucy Dee Simcha Hall, in memory of beloved wife and mother Rebbetzen Lucy, who was so involved and significant in the community in Efrat.
Former Radlett United Synagogue rabbi Leo Dee, left his home in Hertfordshire in 2014 with his family to settle in the West Bank settlement of Efrat.
A statement announcing the crowdfunding initiative said: “They immigrated to Israel together, they chose Efrat together, they were murdered together, and they commemorate together.”
To date, some 2523 donors have supported the campaign, raising just over £150k.
Mayor of Efrat, Oded Revivi, said: “Since the disaster happened, the Efrat community embraced the Dee family. I was amazed to see that Dee Family chose to launch three commemorative projects, since Lucy, Maia and Rina were each special in their own way. I thank the Dee family for choosing to establish all three commemorative projects in Efrat. The living spirit of Lucy Maya and Rina will pass on through the ventures, our pain together, and together we will remember them.”
Donations to the campaign can be made here
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