The Czarninski Shefi
The Czarninski Shefi
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Czarninski Shefi Marriage
In 1971, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointed Mr. Itzhak Shefi as Ambassador of Israel to Ecuador. During Don Alfredo’s stay in Israel, serving as Honorary Consul of Israel in Guayaquil, Mr. Shefi took the opportunity to gather information about Ecuador, its political landscape, and the Jewish communities of Guayaquil and Quito. He also sought to establish contact with the Czarninski family, who at the time communicated with Ecuador only once a week by telephone. This connection would create an indirect line of communication with his daughter, Nilly, who remained in Israel while completing her mandatory military service. During one of their conversations, Mrs. Raquel Shefi proudly showed Mrs. Ruth a photograph of her daughter in military uniform. Mrs. Ruth, who throughout her life had embraced the role of a matchmaker (shidduch), though rarely with success, looked at the photo and, without being prompted, remarked: “She’s a little chubby—Johnny won’t like her.” A week later, Johnny traveled to Israel. Upon arriving at the family home, Vivian and her boyfriend, Israel Adler, had arranged a blind date with one of Vivian’s university friends. By coincidence, Nilly happened to be visiting the Czarninski home to meet her new friend Vivian. Johnny invited everyone to Yafo.
The five of them headed downstairs to Johnny’s car. Ever the gentleman, Johnny opened the passenger door for his date. However, in one swift move, he stepped in front of her, turned around, and offered the seat beside him to Nilly instead. He had already taken notice of her, leaving Vivian’s friend to sit in the back. They arrived in Yafo, a charming bohemian neighborhood overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, where they found a small restaurant.
There, Nilly and Johnny shared a delicious dish of creamed mushrooms served on toast—their very first dinner together. The following weekend, Johnny invited Nilly out again and asked whether she would like to drive his car. At the time, Johnny owned a Volvo 164, considered one of the finest automobiles in Israel. What he did not know was how much Nilly loved driving. She happily accepted, and without even realizing it, Johnny had earned himself a few extra points. From that evening onward, he ALWAYS let Nilly drive. On their third weekend together, Johnny proposed to Nilly, who had only recently turned eighteen. Overwhelmed by surprise and emotion, she burst into tears. Persistence paid off. Johnny and Nilly were married on March 26, 1974, in Tel Aviv. As the saying goes, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” They have three children: Taly (1977), Yael (1979), and Gad (1983).
Johnny and Nilly Czarninski, 1974
Taly Czarninski
Taly completed her studies at Colegio La Moderna in Guayaquil. Wishing to provide her with greater opportunities to build friendships and eventually meet a Jewish partner, Nilly and Johnny decided that the best path would be for her to pursue her university education in Israel. She attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she successfully completed her degree.
Taly is the mother of three children. Her eldest son, Amit, was born on February 26, 2001, in Jerusalem at the renowned Hadassah Medical Center on Mount Scopus. Her second daughter, Gal, was born in Guayaquil on October 30, 2003, followed by her third daughter, Liat, who was born on October 27, 2011.
Taly Czarninski
Salamon Czarninski Marriage
Like her sister Taly, Yael traveled to Jerusalem and began her higher education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Yael was extremely adventurous, and on one occasion she planned a trip with a group of friends to Taba, an Egyptian tourist destination on the shores of the Red Sea. Naturally, Nilly and Johnny strongly opposed the idea. From a distance, they could not control Yael, and she traveled with her friends to those beaches, which were dangerous for tourists, especially for Israelis and Jews.
It was a time when there were many terrorist attacks on buses in Jerusalem, one of the most notable being the bombing of the Sbarro Pizzeria. As was only natural, every time news broke of an attack in Jerusalem, Nilly and Johnny would call to make sure Yael was safe. With the tense atmosphere in Israel, combined with the fact that Yael was not studying, Nilly and Johnny decided to bring her back to Guayaquil.
To continue her university studies, Yael enrolled at Brookdale Community College for one year. She later decided to continue her education at Boston University, one of the leading universities in the United States. Yael graduated from Boston University with a degree in Business Administration.
As usual, the family was concerned about finding her a Jewish boyfriend, so they devised a plan to send Yael to Lima. There, a family friend, Tuti Levi, owned a clothing manufacturing company that at the time specialized in products under the “Barbie” license, so Yael was sent to “help and learn” at the factory. During those days, Yael stayed at the home of Tuti Levi’s mother, while Tuti was responsible for introducing her to young men from Lima’s Jewish community. Yael refused to go out until, on the very last day, a miracle happened: she agreed to have dinner with Bryan Salamon. They went out to dinner, and following her father’s standard instructions, Yael ordered the least expensive item on the menu. More importantly, Bryan fell head over heels for Yael, and she fell head over heels for Bryan’s shoes. Believe it or not, on every date, the first thing Yael would notice and either admire or reject was the suitor’s shoes. Yael and Bryan were married on September 2, 2006, in Guayaquil. They have three children: Eitan (2008), Adi (2010), and Adam (2013).
Yael Czarninski and Bryan Salamon
Czarninski Abouganem Marriage
Gad completed his secondary education at InterAmerican Academy in Guayaquil. Determined to study Civil Engineering in the United States, he applied to several universities to keep his options open. During a school vacation, he toured a number of these universities with Don Johnny and ultimately chose the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, in the northern United States, a region known for its particularly harsh winters.
The university’s campus was beautiful and pastoral, often visited by deer. The local Chabad rabbi was a frequent presence on campus, providing spiritual guidance and support during the many challenges Gad faced while advocating for Israel and Jewish life throughout his university years. After earning his degree in Civil Engineering, Gady worked for several months in Boston before returning to Ecuador and immediately joining the family business. He found great satisfaction in his work; however, after several years, Nilly and Johnny began to wonder how he would go about building a Jewish family of his own.
They eventually convinced Gad to move to Israel the following year while pursuing a master’s degree. Before making the move, he traveled to Panama in November, where he attended a gathering of young Jewish professionals and met Jessica Abouganem. Gad and Jessica were married on February 6, 2011, in Panama. They have three children: Daniel (2012), Nathan (2014), and Benjamin (2021).
Gad Czarninski and Jessica Abouganem