At a Voices workshop in Wendy Blumfield’s home: Standing from L: Iris Dan, Dina Yehuda, Lilian Cohen, Ruth Fogelman, Ezra Ben-Meir,
David Blumfield, Eli Ben-Joseph, Lisa Aigen, Susan Rose. Sitting from L: Michelle Kinsbursky, Rina Navon, Ada Aharoni, Yael Palti

One of the most difficult adjustments for new immigrants, and even for the not-so-newcomers, is language. However adequately one speaks in Hebrew, most English speakers still feel more comfortable reading and writing in their mother tongue. And how much harder it is for immigrants whose original careers were in journalism, the theater or one of the arts -- careers that depend on beautiful professional English - or for anyone who enjoyed literary groups and poetry circles in the old country.

Among the immigrants and veterans reading ESRA MAGAZINE, I am sure there are some poets. Whether they just write jingles for children's birthdays or pour out their hearts at midnight, poetry is a wonderful way of putting expression to one`s feelings. As my children were growing up and facing army service, I wrote a complete anthology, "The Soldier's Mother." It was very therapeutic to express my fears and concerns in this way.

Add this to a supportive social network and you have Voices Israel, the only association for poetry in English in Israel. Established in 1971 by four British and South African immigrants, there are area groups meeting monthly in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Upper Galilee, Bet Shemesh/Modiin, and Efrat/Gush Etzion, with new groups starting soon in Beersheba and in Raanana/Kfar Saba.

Members meet in a supportive environment, read their poems, receive constructive critiques, and go home to continue working on their pieces. With the help of this feedback, many of these poems have been published in anthologies and won prizes in international competitions. Some poets who had never published before did not have the confidence to send their poems to publishers but were encouraged by their group, and were amazed to see their work end up in print. 

The monthly Voices newsletter also opens horizons to other national and international competitions. Voices’ Secretary Helen Bar-Lev, who produces the beautiful illustrations in the annual anthology, won fifth prize in an ESRA literary competition two years ago for her short story, "October 1973." 

In addition to the annual anthology and its newsletter and selected poetry page, Voices runs regular workshops in different parts of the country and holds the Reuben Rose competition in memory of one of the group's founders, Reuben Rose.

When we were all at school, poetry was an intrinsic part of the English language curriculum. For some it was a chore to learn by heart and chant the classic poems. For others the musical element of those poems sang out to us and aroused an interest for a lifetime. The development of composing music for famous poems has aroused new interest in those poems: Even those who have not read T.S.Eliot`s "Old Possum`s Book of Practical Cats," could not help but be charmed by the stage production of "Cats" – unless they hated felines, of course. And after hearing Dvorak`s "New World Symphony," one could almost dance to the rhythmic verses of Longfellow`s "Hiawatha." Many modern films have brought us the tragic stories of women writers, such as Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath.

Alas, the commercial demand for poetry has declined. When I worked in my first job in a London publishing house, I loved to climb the stairs of the old Bloomsbury building to the attic, where a sweet old man ran the poetry department. He was a well-known poet himself, and he had connections with all the literary notables of Britain at the time. He had been young at the time of the Bloomsbury Set, and it seemed that these poets and novelists and artists actually managed to live by their art. At least they didn`t seem to be worried about any day job.

Today`s poets have far fewer opportunities to publish their work, and either self-publish or seek international competitions with impressive cash prizes. In effect, self-publishing has come full circle, for many of the great early writers published their own works or had wealthy patrons who believed in them.

In Israel, most of us do not have wealthy patrons, but after doing their day jobs, poets can come together and share their vision with Voices.

* For the online newsletter and poetry page with details of meetings and activities, check the Voices Israel website: http://voicesisrael.com 

or contact: 

Wendy Blumfield, President, Voices Israel, Wendyb@netvision.net.il 

Helen Bar-Lev, Secretary, Voices Israel, hbarlev@netvision.net.il