Thanks to the generosity of a new donor this year, for the first time in twelve years the Netanya Sewing Centers could take our Ethiopian students, all middle-aged and up, on a day’s outing. We had been talking about an outing for several years, so the excitement was great that it was actually happening. And what a happening it was!

Thirty people, Varda, the sewing teacher and matriarch of the groups, and volunteers from our Centers were collected from all over Netanya and traveled to Kiryat Gat, where we had been invited by Polgat Textiles, to visit the factory and learn how material is made – from the sheep to the finished product.

We were met by Eran, the assistant CEO, and Avi, the shift manager, of Polgat. Avi is an Ethiopian and offered to be the Amharic translator for the group. They escorted us to their impressive boardroom where we were given an interesting lecture on the background of Polgat, an introduction to the Australian sheep (or at least their wool!), and a brief description of how this wool turns into material.

We were then taken on an amazing tour through the Polgat factory with a detailed explanation of every process in the manufacture of the textiles. The group was fascinated and asked questions all along the way. No one could believe that the material we all take for granted goes through such a complicated process to get to us!

At 1 o’clock we joined the other factory workers for lunch in the dining room and were treated to a kibbutz-style self-service hot lunch of soup, meats, salads and vegetables – in itself a new and tasty experience for our students.

Then came the cherry on top – we were taken to the storerooms and each and every member of the group was invited to pick a roll (or more) of material of their choice. What excitement! Thank goodness the bus was able to come right up to the storeroom so we could load it up right there.

And then came another cherry on top, oh yes! Avi took us in the bus to see the Monument to the Ethiopians who died trying to get to Israel through the Sudan. This is a beautiful memorial situated in Kiryat Gat and is a central meeting point for Ethiopians from all over Israel, to remember their family members who didn’t survive the journey. Avi gave a very moving talk of what the memorial means to him and to all his brethren.

The day was an overwhelming experience for all of us. The Polgat management, from Yosi, the CEO, who arranged the visit for us, to Eran and Avi who were at our service the entire day, was the best host we could have asked for. We were told that no Polgat clothes are available in Israel, but come to Netanya and you’ll find all our students and their families wearing beautifully sewn Polgat suits, skirts and jackets right out of our Sewing Centers.