Zilla Loon Obituary (1947 - 2023)

Zilla Loon, age 76, passed away on October 26, 2023. Preceded in death by her parents, Chaim and Hannah Leah Platkewich. She is survived by her daughter, Chen-Li (Albert) Levy; son, Leehu (Carolynn) Loon; sister, Shoshana (Yoel) Schumacher; grandchildren, Judah and Lynnlee Loon, Hamutal and Gabriel Levy; nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Zilla was born 76 years ago in a Displaced Person’s Camp in Santa Maria di Leuca, Italy. Her parents were survivors of the Shoah who met on a train bound for Italy, while fleeing the horrors of anti-Semitism in Europe. In December of 1947, when Zilla was just under a year old, she and her parents boarded the Haganah ship, The Unafraid (Lo Tafchidunu). They boarded the ship at night on a rope ladder. Her father, Chaim, held her in one arm, climbed with the other, and carried a knapsack on his back. There were many young families with small babies who boarded the ship that night, so the sailors distributed sleeping pills for the babies. It had to be very quiet as they left the port that night and any sound of a crying baby could alert the authorities. All the babies fell soundly asleep except for Zilla who wouldn’t stop crying! One of the sailors approached her father and threatened to throw her into the sea if she didn’t stop crying, saying that he could not endanger an entire ship for one baby. Her father punched the sailor in the mouth and told him that he had already lost a wife and three children in the Shoah and would not lose his daughter as well. The sailor turned and walked away after having lost two teeth from this exchange. The ship was discovered by the British and the survivors of the Shoah and their babies were diverted from the Port of Haifa to the island of Cyprus and once again were detained in camps. The conditions in the internment camps in Cyprus were harsh. It was a very cold and rainy winter and there were few provisions for babies. Chaim made a diaper for his daughter from his undershirt. Golda Meir visited the camps in Cyprus and negotiated with the British that families with babies less than a year old could leave to Eretz Yisrael. Since Zilla was just under a year old at the time, she and her parents were given priority to leave the miserable camp in Cyprus. Zilla often said that when she misbehaved as a child, her father would say, “We should have let them throw you into the sea!” To which she retorted, “But I was your ticket to Eretz Yisrael!” Zilla received her Ulpan Certification from Israel, her B.A. from Tel Aviv University, and her M.A. from The Ohio State University. Zilla was a teacher for over fifty years and she loved teaching. Zilla taught Hebrew language, Israeli culture, Hebrew literature, Hebrew Bible, Israeli film, and Yiddish. She received the “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers” award in 1998 and in 2002. Zilla was loved by her family, friends, and students. Graveside services will be held at 10:30 AM on Tuesday, October 31st at New Tifereth Israel Cemetery, 2565 Performance Way. Shiva will be observed by the family privately. In lieu of flowers, donations in Zilla's memory may be made to Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) at www.kkl-jnf.org