Thank you Raanana tutors

It is once again my pleasant duty to write and thank you, Ruth Wood, for sending us our wonderful volunteers from ESRA.

During the year Agnes Ben David (at both schools), Betty Feiler at Bilu, Ruth Ferguson, Sheila Berkley and Stanley Shapiro at Yavne have given such sterling service that pupils, teachers, parents and schools alike have benefited tremendously from their regular and untiring efforts on behalf of our pupils.

They have heard pupils read, practiced conversation with them, helped them with tests, given endless encouragement and enabled non-readers to become functioning readers.

We have seen the tangible results of their consistent and persistent efforts in the success of their pupils and in the improved ability of those pupils to function effectively in the class.

A very big THANK YOU to them all. May the Almighty grant them the health and strength to return to us refreshed in the coming school year. 

Esther Cantor, English teacher in Bilu and Yavne Schools

Raanana

Thank you from Rika

As it is now well over ten years that I have been coordinating the distribution of the ESRA Magazine, I feel that it was time that I step down and let someone else do the job.

I would like to thank Geeta Gariby for her help in the past and Bernice Meyers who took over from her and has been my pillar of strength. Bernice had the task of correlating the lists of everyone involved in the distribution, and has done it meticulously.

My sincere thanks to all the phoners, area distributors, bundle deliverers, packers, and Ingrid in the Gan Rashal office. Without your constant support over the years the magazine could not have reached all our members. I am sure you will give the same loyalty to my successors.

To you Merle, and all the team involved in producing the magazine, kol hakavod for bringing out a magazine of such high quality and content. May it grow from strength to strength!

Shana Tova to all.

Rika Meyerowitz

Netanya

Direct bus Raanana – Tel Aviv - Raanana
A voluntary body concerned with planned development of Raanana (in which Esra is represented), is proposing the establishment of a fast, direct public bus service Raanana- Tel Aviv- Raanana with no bus stops outside the cities, running frequently from early morning till late at night. The service is intended to provide an alternative to private transport.
Prior to the launching of the campaign to set up the service, public opinion is being tested to measure the degree of support for the proposal. You are invited to send us your opinion as soon as possible to esramag@trendline.com.il; it is important that ESRA's voice be heard on this matter.
Bobby Luz

Raanana

The Sturman Family

Follow up on issue #150 article in "House of Art" and Beit Sturman in Kibbutz Ein Harod: The Sturman family has paid the highest price for Israel's security.

"In 1912 The Turkish authorities imprison two 'Hashomer' members, Haim Sturman (1891-1938) and Zvi Nisanov, for illegal weapons possession.  Sturman's son Moshe is killed in 1948 during the War of Independence and his grandson Haim, is killed in the War of Attrition in 1969." (Page 215 of my book 'A Chronology of Israel)'

 Adrian Wolff

Ramat Hasharon

Premature  babies receive knitted blankets, socks and hats

We wish to thank you, Wendy Goldstein, and all your volunteers from the ESRA Knitting Circle, for the lovely blankets, socks and hats you made for our babies.

As people that don’t know how to knit, we appreciate the effort and work involved.

The parents of the babies in our ward are delighted when they receive the beautiful blankets, socks and hats. They like choosing their favorite colors – some prefer a single color, some prefer lots of colors. All pieces are very welcome and in demand.

When the premature babies reach an age and size where they can be in cots, and not in incubators, the parents like them to look different.  Not just hospital clothes and hospital blankets. Not to talk about our funny hospital hats – made from bandages. And then we get your gorgeous blankets – the joy on the parents’ faces is fantastic for us. The nurses, the room and the babies look quite different and more cheerful.

Thanks once again to you and your team for the great job you do.

We wish you all many more enjoyable hours of knitting.

The Nurses and the Premature Babies, Meir Hospital

Kfar Saba

Arthur Goldberg's letters

 The introduction followed by the July 12, 1946 letter from Arthur Goldberg to his folks relating events that took place at Kibbutz Yagur on Saturday, June 19, 1946 was an eye-opener in more ways than one (Feb-Mar issue, pp.10-12).

Dedicating space to Israel's 60^th for illustrating pre-State events in this way has, I am convinced, provided immense pleasure to your readers. By his admirable daily letters and accompanying photographs, Arthur Goldberg has succeeded in capturing the moment. Yet, for those not 'au fait' with certain details of life in Palestine under the British Mandate, the horrifying events he describes brought to the fore memories of the wanton destruction that was but one of the infamous trademarks of the Nazi regime.

Evidently, my purpose is not to excuse the gravity of the acts at Yagur on that fateful Saturday. It cannot be emphasized strongly enough that events such as these need to be presented in their true context, and I'd like to propose the addition of appropriate background material to accompany these treasures of our past history that would provide a certain measure of historical perspective.

Julie F Elisha

Tel Aviv

Recycling water

I would like to suggest that everyone who has air conditioning should put a large bucket or drum underneath the pipe that ejects the moisture/water from the unit and use it for watering the garden, whether they are in a house or an apartment.  With the acute shortage of water, this would certainly be the answer to watering the gardens if all the tenants of each building took an interest in our water shortage problems.

Sara Groundland

Raanana

Volunteers needed to give a helping hand to young people from Ethiopia

We are a group of people involved in a project called TELEM. The project helps young Ethiopians, who on completion of their army service live, for a period of time, on a kibbutz. On the kibbutz they are given housing, a job and are taught a trade that will allow them to earn a living in the town. This project has been operating for about ten years.

On completion of their time on the kibbutz, the young men and women return to their homes where they try to integrate into mainstream Israeli life. Unfortunately, the support available in their home environment is not always sufficient to allow them to cope with the various tasks and bureaucracy that challenge all of us.

Under the roof of TELEM we are starting a new project that will pair up one of these young people with a veteran Israeli family. A sort of big brother project where the family will develop a relationship with the young person and try to help him or her develop life skills. 

We are looking for two kinds of volunteers. Firstly, and most urgent, we need someone who would be the administrator and coordinator for the new project. It would mean keeping in touch with the family and youngster and trying to help solve problems that may arise, and keeping in contact with the TELEM director.  The time needed would be a few hours one morning or afternoon a week. The person would need to speak fluent Hebrew, have administrative abilities and good people skills. 

The second kind of volunteer needed is in the more peripheral areas where many Ethiopian families live. Here we are looking for families that are well integrated into Israeli society and who would be prepared to give a helping hand (not financial) to a young Ethiopian man or woman, meet with him or her from time to time and develop a relationship that will allow the young person to look to them for advice and help.

Anyone interested in giving of their time and experience and of receiving an insight into both the culture and difficulties faced by these young people, please call me in the evenings at 09 745 7622.

Thank you in advance. 

Brian Braude

Raanana 

Thank you for helping me to smile again

This letter was dictated by Aviva to her 10 year old daughter who wrote it in beautiful Hebrew and beautiful handwriting.  Aviva, who is an expert at embroidery and is one of the women who make the beautiful pieces for the ESRA products, has made two original embroidery pictures for the dentist and periodontist who treated her, to thank them.  Here is the translation:

“I am a mother of 7 children. I have been out of work for a long time. One year ago I gave birth to my seventh daughter.  The day after the birth I started having pains in my teeth and my whole mouth started to swell.  The pain started in the hospital and I  couldn’t function at all. I couldn’t eat or sleep because of the bad pains.  I had had toothache in the past, but I didn’t have the money needed to do this treatment.

At this point I couldn’t stand the pain anymore and approached Varda, my sewing teacher in an ESRA project, to see if she could help me with this expensive treatment. Through her, I got to the wonderful people in ESRA.

I want to thank you, ESRA, for giving me the possibility to smile again and to stop my suffering. I want to thank you for everything you have done for me.

I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to fix my teeth, for ensuring that the dentist was near me, for ensuring that there was someone to take and fetch me. Thank you for considering that I have a baby to carry with me. Thank you for everything. I don’t know how to thank you enough. I also want to thank Varda for her efforts and kindness.

Thank you for everything.

Aviva Adonya

Netanya

Excellent Esravision item

Dear Renee Singer,

Because I have been overseas, yesterday was my first opportunity to watch your DVD on Tel Aviv Short Stories on Esravision ― and I was - excuse the cliché - "blown away".......

It is simply outstanding - leaving aside the wonderful "firgun" for our book and Ang-Lit.Press, the movie manages to capture the spirit and soul of Tel Aviv, its vibe, its appearance, the diversity of its residents and visitors in a short snappy well shot and professionally edited short film. Please convey our thanks and appreciation to all concerned. Bravo!

Shelley Goldman

Tel Aviv

Thank you ESRA Tel Aviv

We are now at that time of the year when we review the past year and reflect on everything, good and bad, and promise to improve in the coming year. I am new to chairing ESRA Tel Aviv and am still feeling my way through the channels through which all activities must pass. In spite of this I think that the past year was a very good one.

 I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of ESRA Tel Aviv for their wonderful work in running our group. The committee members know exactly what has to be done and everyone under them is busy doing their little bit, or bigger bit, to help the activities succeed. There are too many people involved to mention names and I would certainly not want to miss out on anyone. Our activities run through groups that meet weekly or biweekly, lectures, tutoring, knitting, magazine deliveries, volunteers for special projects and many more. Each person plays an important part in making these activities successful, and without their help success would be impossible. I wish there were a way to thank you all individually but there are too many of you out there for me to do this. You know who you are even if I don't personally know you all.

I have been told by various members of ESRA how the Tel Aviv branch has grown and how we have been improving. I want to say that very little of this is due to my chairmanship and most of it is due to the diligent work and guidance given to me by all members of ESRA Tel Aviv and I hereby want to thank each and every one of you for helping me run a wonderful and successful branch.

Thank you.

Marilyn Ronen, Chairperson - ESRA Tel Aviv

I walk unaided…

The following is my story which I hope will give encouragement to other persons suffering, which to them must be the worst periods of their lives:

March 19 I fell over a very low fence and knew I had injured myself badly. My husband telephoned our doctor who is the head of the Tel Hashomer hospital emergency department and he told us to immediately go to the hospital.

I was placed in a cubicle by the gentlest female doctor who took my particulars. She told us that she was unable to give me a diagnosis until I had an x-ray and scan. She immediately requested that I be given an infusion of morphine, and when she went off duty came to wish me well.

I had x-rays and scans by the gentlest of macho doctors.

After hours of waiting and lots of telephone calls between my concerned doctor and me - he was at the opera - this young orthopedic surgeon, who looked younger than my son, came to me and said “do you want the good or bad news first?” He told us it was not a fractured hip, but the worst, most painful fracture that one could have as there was no cure except time, approximately six weeks or longer. It was fractured pelvis.

I have subsequently been told by my orthopedics surgeon that Tel Hashomer and Haddasah hospitals have the best orthopedics departments in the country.

Three days later I was back in the emergency department having “shot a clot to the lung” and was admitted into the internal medicine ward. My doctor told me that had I waited another five minutes I wouldn’t be alive to tell my story.

After six weeks of the worst pain, frustration and feeling of helplessness I have ever suffered, today I walk unaided using a walking stick as protection against the boisterous, rushing general public who never seem to look where they are going as they are either in a hurry or talking on their cell phones.

My physiotherapist, who for three weeks visited me at home twice a week and only gave me encouragement, taught me to walk again, and told me that it was my determination and will to become independent that had got me where I am today. On his last home visit,

his parting compliment, after telling me a story about his beloved grandparents’ wonderful achievements in overcoming broken limbs and partial blindness, he said, “you remind me of my grandmother”.

I am now having physiotherapy in Ramle where I have previously had the great fortune of having the most professional and greatest treatment, headed by, in my many experiences with therapists, the best physiotherapist. I am also having treatment by a delightful occupational therapist who is most professional.

On May 5 I went back to work, 2 days, 3 hours a day. I am still unable to drive to work, but thanks to my husband, my taxi driver, I am able to get to and from work.

I am still having to go to the hospital every week for blood tests, but thanks to my professor, his assistants and wonderful, kind secretary, it is not an ordeal.

The kindness, caring and professional treatment I have had, I am sure, one could never find better anywhere in the world. Maccabi, my medical fund, has been of the utmost help and nothing has been too much for them.

Thank you Jackie, and all who have helped me get to where I am today."

Joan Gadd

Karmei Yosef