Israeli ambassador’s wife dies of cancer

RUHAMA Tzur, wife of Israeli ambassador Shemi Tzur died late on Thursday night after a long battle with cancer. She was 53.

Mrs Tzur came to Cyprus in 1993 with her husband when he was posted here as ambassador.

During her years here she was actively involved with the Cypriot community in many areas, particularly in matters of education and health, and was course co-ordinator responsible for scholarships to Israel and for exchange courses.

Ruhama Tzur was personally involved in helping to arrange medical treatment in Israel for people who needed it and many benefited from her generosity in this area.

She was also actively involved in voluntary organisations for underprivileged children and with the mental health associations in both Nicosia and Larnaca.

Together with ambassador Tzur she travelled extensively across Cyprus visiting many remote villages.

She was born and went to school in Jerusalem. She studied economics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and late joined the Israeli Ministry of Finance. She worked in the manpower department, the VAT department and in the department for free trade with the EEC, USA and Canada.

Ruhama married Shemi Tzur in 1969 and the couple had three children. Their first post abroad was to South Africa from 1973-1979, followed by a posting in 1980 to Istanbul. In 1985 they were posted to Sydney, from where they returned to Israel in 1989.

The embassy in Nicosia has opened a book of condolences for Mrs Tzur. It was open yesterday from 12pm to 3pm and will be open again on Monday from 1pm to 3pm.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.