Isaac Siton was visiting Kibbutz Be’eri with his family when the Hamas terrorist group attacked the southern Israeli community on 7 October, killing him, his wife Chana, his son Tal and Chana’s sister Pessy.
Siton was a long-time member of the diamond industry and a popular figure at manufacturer Grandview Klein Diamonds, where he was manager of the company’s Namibian factory.
For company president Moshe Klein, Siton’s death is “an open wound”. Speaking to Rapaport this week, Klein shared his memories of Siton’s kindness, dedication and expertise.
How long did you know Isaac Siton?
He was with us for 18 and a half or 19 years. He started in South Africa as an assistant manager. For the last 14 years he was the manager in charge of our factory in Namibia. He never raised his voice to anyone and was a father figure to many. He was a phenomenal human being and his death is an open wound for us.
How did you find out about his fate?
He was living in Windhoek, Namibia, but he went home [to Israel] for a well-deserved vacation after completing a huge expansion of our centre in Namibia. He and his wife met their son and her sister there. When we couldn’t reach him, we thought maybe he was a hostage, but when we got confirmation that Pessy and Tal had been found, we knew that Isaac and his wife were dead.
What was he like as a person and as a colleague?
Isaac was a true professional with a lot of knowledge and who understood diamonds. Nobody was better than him at teaching – he had the right amount of patience. He taught single mothers and children and he would sit with them with all the patience in the world and take people under his wing. He certainly didn’t deserve to die like this. No job was too big or too small, and whatever the challenge, he would say, “Don’t worry about it. He was one of the kindest people in the world.
How is Grandview Klein coping with the loss?
We had a big memorial service for the staff last week and we’re having another one in Namibia next week. He will always be a part of our family. We will probably name a building in his memory. We’ve had an outpouring of love and support, and as a practising Jew it’s encouraging [to see people’s] sincere support.
We call ourselves a family business because all of our employees are literally like family. For this to happen to one of our key people is like a punch in the gut.
We’re mourning one of our own, but there are another 1,500 families who are mourning their children, grandparents and others. It’s such a tragic event.
