Carolin
Bohl

von Dirk Bruck am 07.10.2024 - 14:10 Uhr | melden

They were murdered on Oct. 7; then I found their final roll of film
They kept postponing their flight back home to Germany, stretching out their vacation in Nir Oz as long as they could. Caroline, Daniel, and I spent two weeks together with cameras, trips, bicycles, and fields. Until that Saturday, when I was in a portable shelter and they were in a safe room. Two months later I developed the pictures from the roll of film containing the final pictures.
By Shahar Vahab
Published on 10-02-2024 01:37
Last modified: 10-03-2024 11:32
They were murdered on Oct. 7; then I found their final roll of film

Caroline Ball | Photo: Daniel Darlington



There is nothing in the whole universe sadder than the end of the summer. Many songs have been written about the coming of Autumn, but the image in my mind has always been the beach, maybe the pool. The skies of the backdrop already turning grey, the palm trees swaying in the shrill wind, and the beach umbrellas folded and tied up, facing the fact that for the time being no one is going to get in the water or come and talk to the sun about the meaning of life or the universe.

In Nir Oz, the end of September also marks the start of the long potato season. There isnt an exact date for the sowing, you simply smell the Autumn air mingling with your morning coffee, you feel the nights are no longer sweaty and you see the days are no longer aflame – thats how you know its time to start. Somehow it always happens on my birthday, and sometimes that also coincides with the Jewish high holidays.

Everything suddenly starts, after months of lazy summer. I am 41, no longer a round number, just another year in my 5th decade. My back already hurts constantly, if I go to sleep late my eyes hurt all day, and I dont have the energy to get excited about anything. Theres work, theres family, the spark of my creativity has gone out. And anyway I havent taken any proper photos recently, after decades of always having a camera close. Who has the strength to carry around the equipment and stop the world for a frame every time that theres a ray of light that catches the eye? So the cameras in the cupboard, the batterys probably corroded. As it is the boy runs away because hes fed up of me shoving the lens in his face every day since he was born, and the fields that I spend my days wandering have already been captured a million times in every season.
Caroline Ball (Daniel Darlington)

Then Danny calls from Berlin. Hes coming to visit with someone, shes a good friend. He asks if theres a sofa to crash in for a day or two? Its not really a question. Dannys a Nir Oz–nik. He knows the doors always open and theres always a place to sleep. Whos the lady? I ask.

"Were not together," he immediately clarifies in Hebrew, his British accent spiced with coarsely–ground Israeliness. "Youll find out, shes something specially special". His turns of phrase werent completely smooth either…

"Ok ok Danny–boy, you cant scare Kibbutznikim with the threat of a blonde European" – I start getting the banter going, its who we are. Were sitting in the field next to a broken tractor and taking advantage of the minutes of rest until Azili will turn up with the 8 by 100 screw from the garage in order to talk about life and the volunteers that arrived the week before.

"Really, youll see for yourself" he laughs at me "shes a world in and of herself that girl".

Long story short, come, theres tons of space. My wife and son are at her parents in Paris for the Sukkot holiday, Im on my own in the house. Theres work to do, were starting to sow, Ill be a bit busy but make yourself at home. And come give me a hand for an hour or two you lazy bastard, its been ten years since you touched a driveshaft, youve become a geek. "More than ten years", he replied. "Yalla enough with the chat, pick us up on Wednesday from the train station in Sderot".

***

I stop to buy steaks for a BBQ that evening, and park opposite the train station. I can see them coming from a distance and in a second I understand what Danny meant. Carolins smile, even from 100 metres away, can light up the way straight to any heart.

Daniel Darlington was 34. He wasnt born on the Kibbutz – he was from Manchester. His mums second husband was a British volunteer on the Kibbutz, and after 4 years and a daughter, they left. We would meet Danny and his sister on the Kibbutz for years during the summer holidays, when they would come to visit their older siblings from their mums first marriage to Chaim Peri. I remember that they were always dressed in a sharp European style, while we were running around the Kibbutz with cut–off t–shirts and wild hair.

But you cant take the Kibbutz out of the kid, and in 2012 he got in touch with me and asked to come volunteer on the Kibbutz. I was in charge of the volunteers back then and I arranged his visa and his work on the farm. At the time I felt that hed run out of steam in Europe. The open air and life with friends and the community at Nir Oz did him good, and he ended up staying for two years working on the fields with us. At Nir Oz he met a German girl, also a volunteer, and they moved together to somewhere in Germany that has a name Ill never be able to pronounce. After a couple of years they went their separate ways, and he settled in Berlin.