After four years as chairlady of ESRA Herzliya committee, Barbara Blum has stepped down. During this time things have changed in a very positive way.

We have regular meetings at lunchtime in ESRA’s Gan Rashal office – these meetings have been run in a very disciplined way. They start on time, minutes are read, an agenda is followed and unrelated interruptions are highly discouraged.

Every month to six weeks we have tried to arrange a small evening event in a private house. Many of these evenings have featured Barbara and a new lecture on a musical theme that she has presented. Other speakers have also been invited to entertain our audiences. Our annual bridge mornings have been very successful, and another is planned later this year.

New ideas are needed to help us raise money to support our local projects, as well as to give our members more reason to meet each other and gather socially.

When we meet again in the autumn, Bess Hoffman and Barbara Lyons will be taking over as joint chairladies – we hope that we can continue to live up to the high standards that Barbara Blum has set us.

We wish her well in her retirement from the chair, but hope that she will remain an active member of our group and continue to give us all many more stimulating lectures on the wonders of the musical world.