A Jewish great-grandmother who died after being admitted with her husband to hospital with coronavirus was able to “snatch a kiss” moments before the two were separated.
Carol and Harvey Kleiman tested positive for the virus on April 1 and admitted to St James’ Hospital in Leeds.
Before being sent to different wards, Carol, 79, and Harvey, 83, were able to wave and snatch a kiss in the corridor of the hospital.
“He was going one way and she was going another,” Mrs Kleiman’s stepdaughter, Frances Flaxinton, 59, told The Times. “I’m just so glad they were able to see each other for the last time when they were moving around the wards.”
Mrs Kleiman, who had a heart condition, was moved to St James’ intensive care unit where she died on April 5.
Her husband was discharged two weeks after his admission and returned to their home in Moortown, Leeds, where, apart from a carer, he is unable to receive visitors.
Carol and Harvey met through Leeds’ Jewish community and had been due to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary in September.
Two hundred people attended Mrs Kleiman’s shiva, which was broadcast over video-conferencing app Zoom, and included family from Australia and Florida.
“It was quite nice to have people present who wouldn’t otherwise be able to be there,” Ms Flaxington said.
“There were so many people who wanted to be there, but the call was just so full. To have that many people joining was a testament to how admired she was within the Jewish community.”
Mrs Kleiman, who was a volunteer with the Leeds-branch of the Women’s International Zionist Organisation, was a popular figure in the Leeds Jewish community.
She had three great-children, six grandchildren, two step-daughters, and a son, Ian, who lives in Australia.
