Israeli Feldenkrais Guild announcement: death of Yochanan Rywerant

Dear Feldenkrais colleague,
 
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Yochanan Rywerant, a revered master of the Feldenkrais Method. He was one of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais’ original thirteen pupils. He was an honorary member of the Israeli Feldenkrais Guild.
 
Yochanan was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1922.
He played the violin for 8 years in his youth, but chose to study mathematics in the university. The Second World War erupted after he had completed only one academic year and he was then sent to a compulsory work camp from which he was freed only at the end of the War.
 
After serving in the Israeli Army he completed his academic studies in math and physics in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Yochanan first met Moshe Feldenkrais in 1952 when Moshe started giving his ATM lessons. He faithfully attended these lessons for 15 years until the first practitioners’ course was opened.
Before the end of the course Yochanan was invited to work as Moshe’s close assistant. He fulfilled this role until Moshe’s death in 1984. Among his other tasks he assisted Moshe in all three of Moshe’s practitioners’ courses in the U.S
 
In the beginning of the 1990’s Yochanan was called to New York to the Lubaviche Rabbi’s sick bed to attend to him.
Yochanan was famous for his extremely precise work; his efficacy and the full attention he devoted to each and every movement. Whatever Moshe demonstrated together with Yochanan’s explanations enabled the ‘use of movement in order to change awareness’ and their basic idea that it is possible’ to use awareness in order to change movement’.
 
This approach was put forth in Yochanan’s book The Feldenkrais Method- teaching with the hands” as well as in the numerous courses and workshops he taught. Both in Israel and abroad he enriched veteran practitioners and launched new generations of Feldenkreis Method Practitioners
 
He continued to work and teach in spite of his advanced age and failing health until his very last days.
 
He shall be terribly missed by all of us.
Let his memory be a blessing.
.
Dorit Dinur, Chair, and the Board
The Israel Feldenkrais Guild

 
אגודת המוסמכים בשיטת פלדנקרייז
www.feldenkrais-israel.org