Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Shalom from Sunny Ramat Gan

To my dearest family, children, grandchildren, friends, and neighbors. Shalom, Peace, and security.
What a week ? hard to describe in writing, looks like the western, civilized, world stood on its toes. 
The four Jewish victims, killed on Friday, in a kosher Deli in Paris were buried today, in Jerusalem.
Thousand attended. Here, I must add a very personal foot note. I heard the  critics Benjamin Netanyahu faced for telling the French Jewry to return to Israel. (We, Jewish people, when coming to Israel, say : "we are returning"). I understand his call to return was an alarm note to the government of France. Frankly, I am proud of Bibi for saying what is on the mind of Million of Israelis. If one is not safe, life is threatened, and no security, then just LEAVE. There is a home 
for the wondering Jew in Israel. 
And another foot note.  French President, Holland, sent his partner, lady friend, Segolin Royal
to represent him in the funeral.   She spoke French, simultaneously translated.
No make up or any hair tricks, beautiful lady in a blue coat. I felt, she genuinely, heart felt, with the grieving families.  Kudos to the lady !

This appropriately brings me to another chapter in the life of my mother, Pearl. 
Her call to return to to the land of Israel- Palestine at the time, was experiencing antisemitism, and her "gut feeling"  that Poland is not safe and Europe started to burn as she 
told me. Many Jews, in that decade left for America or like my mother, to the land of Israel.
And as we know, the one who left behind, was left behind.  Out of a total 13 siblings, a brother
Chaim-Dovid who left for America, and a sister, my aunt Yehudit who went to Israel, survived.
I never had grandparents. As a child, I thought, grandparents are old people they die when one is born. 
In 1937 Pearl's eye operation was declared a success. She returned to the Slutzky's home after their return from vacationing in Alexandria, Egypt, and continued to care for Mrs Slutzky. 
In the evenings she was free at liberty to leave the house. She spent  many of those evenings at the Hershfinger's home. 
As a young child, I remember visiting the Hershfingers often. My memory of this home was the large entry room with the massive table in the middle and a row of chairs around. On the entire wall facing the entrance, was a built in breakfront and shelves on top. A large tea kettle my mother called a "TCHAINEEK" , (I think it was a Samovar) was permanently placed on the breakfront, were guest helped themselves to tea. On the shelves were at display silver articles, all for sale. Candelabras, Candalesticks, Wine goblets, Chanukah Menorahs, Fruit balls etc. 
At the time, when I visited the place, Mrs. Hershfinger, always held her grandchild, Meir Yedidya
on her lap. Zipora, the Hershfingers daughter, died about 3 weeks after giving birth and Meir was raised by his grandmother. My mother used to take Meir to the Rothschild boulevard for "fresh air",  placing him in the stroller with my brother. But her main duty was to take Meir to the children's clinic on HaShachar street. 
Going back to 1937, when my mother is a regular visitor at the Hershfingers. Pearl is small built,
dark curly hair, amber Yellow color eyes ( a very recessive gene), not a smiley type, strong willed, smart,  and must admit, opinionated. while the tea was served, and silver goods were sold a Shidduch (match making) for my mother was thought after. 
On HaKishon street lived a young man with his parents. His name was Noah Mardix. Good looking, making a living as an upholsterer.  However, Noah was born with Club Feet. He wore 
special shoes and had a noticeable limp.  The idea for the Shidduch was, Noah with the club feet and Pearl with the cross eyes, a perfect match.   Noah was invited and unbeknown to my mother about the arrangement, she, as usual, came for a regular visit.
Noah, very bashful, asked his brother in law, Yaakov to accompany him. Yaakov, a young widower left with a 2 year old child, he was raising. Very good looking, quiet, and gentle, agree to escort Noah.  They all sat around the table, mingling with other guest and silver buyers, drinking tea from the Tchainick, making small talks.  Late in the evening they left.
Once Noah & his escort Yaakov left, Mrs. Hershfinger asked my mother how did she like Noah.
Well, her answer put a silence in the Hershfingers home. Pearl said: Noah, I did not like, but his friend, (who at this time she did not knew Yaakov's name,or his familial connection to Yaakov),  I like very much.  Once the Hershfingers, recovered from their surprise, they told my mother that he is a widower with a child. This news did not faze Pearl, she just said, it is OK I like him. I think, about 3 month later, On the 16th day of the month of Sivan in the year 5698, correspond with June, 15, 1938
My mother Pearl and my father Yaakov Edelstein got married. In their wedding K'tubah (Jewish marriage contract) Pearl used the Hebrew translation to her name, P'nina. 
The day after their wedding, they both picked up my sister Sarah, who was 4 years old, from the kindergarten and brought her home with them.
More to come.
Only in Israel.
Love, Miss you all.  Your Ima, Savta, The Shvig, Estherika, Ludmilla, Me Esther.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Shalom from Ramat Gan on a stormy day

To my dearest children, grandchildren, mishpacha, friends, neighbors,and all who are interested
reading.   Just a reminder, all my Mishpacha letters since 2009 were compiled into a Blog by
my dear grandson Jacob.  (Jacob is Avishay & Barbara Mazor son).
The blog name is :   http://shalomfromramatgan.blogspot.co.il 

It is a real storm in Israel. Snow on the mountains, Golan, Galilee, Judea, fearful winds, and rain in the seashore all the way down south to the Negev. I do not hear much complains, as Israelis  
are so very used to do, water from heaven is a blessing to this land. 

This is a wonderful day to continue to write my mother, Pearl, history. In hind side, I think I was interested to hear her life story, told to me in small portion through my life. I have regrets, I did 
not ask the questions I am asking now when she is no longer here. Today, I feel she never cease to amaze me, small woman of about 5 feet tall (or shorter), smart and diligent.   
Pearl arrived in Israel in the year 1936. I do not know where she spent her first days or weeks in the land, having a Sefer Thorah as her treasured possession. 
In the new fledgling city of Tel-Aviv, number 61 Hertzel street lived the Hershfinger family, in a comfortable very large apartment with many rooms, on the 2nd floor.  
They arrived in Israel in the 1920th. Mr. Hershfinger, a silversmith, a silver refurbisher, and trader, had a fine business where most of the selling and buying and other interesting dealing,  was done from home during the evening time, while the factory operated in another place during the day. 
The Hershfingers home was open to all new arrivals to the land of Israel. I assume this was possible my mother's first stop.  As my mother told me, when the house was full, Chayale, the youngest daughter, slept in the bathtub, padded with a blanket, and pillows, she said her evening prays in the tub..... 
The Slutzky family arrived in The land of Israel in 1917. A very wealthy family, from St. Petersburg. With the start of the Russian revolution, the entire Slutzky family, filled every pillow case, duvet, and bedsheets with all the gold and silver they had in their possession, and left  their home in the middle of the night.  As my mother told me , the Ruble lost his value, the Bolsheviks started a pogrom, confiscating all the riches and the finest of the city. 
Safely, the Slutzkys arrived in Israel, and built a home on the corner of Rothschild Bulvard and
Nachalat-Binyamin street. 
In 1936 my mother started to work at the Slutzky's home as a personal live in aide/maid to Mrs.Slutzky, who by then was old and afflicted with severe Arthritis which limited her movement. 
Mr Slutzky was generous, paying my mother monthly, however, holding the money in his own saving account.
When a year of service ended, the family, were planing their yearly retreat in Alexandria, Egypt.
Of course, the expectation was for my mother to join them. But Pearl had a different plan.
As I mentioned before, Pearl had a severe Strabismus (crossed eyes),  with Astigmatism, and her only wish was to find a Husband, and have a family. She was not young in the standard of the time, and being crossed eyes was not helpful in finding a man.  As she requested her yearly  earnings from Mr. Slutzky, he was surprise to hear her plan to operate her eyes.  Understanding her  reason for the
operation, he offered her a deal he had in mind for saving her money. His plan was to secure her future, as a single woman, was to buy a  large parcel of land in the center of the city. The deal was almost done, the real estate was chosen, but,  
Pearl insisted, and received the 32 English lira.  Within a few days, she traveled to Jerusalem
to the Clinic of the world renowned Dr. Ticho.  The doctor was known for his treatment of Trachoma, a disease of the eye, that afflicted many people in the beginning of the century. 
Her story about her operation was repeated throughout my life at home.  The five days post operation, lying in bed with sand bags holding her head, I remember by heart.  After the operation, she removed her eye glasses, using them for reading, only, though she needed them
for daily use. 
Twice, I remember, traveling with my mother to Jerusalem, in 1944 and in 1946, for a post check up with Dr. Ticho, in the clinic, located behind the central bus station of then, on Yaffo street. 
Also, as a young child, I remember the frequents visits to the Slutzky's home. By then, Mrs. Slutzky was completely bed ridden. What amazes me, today, was my mother communicating with Mrs. Slutzky in Russian. Pearl, being an orphan, was not privileged with elementary education. She knew to read from the prayer book, from the Bible and especially from her favorite the book of Psalm. She spoke a "broken" Hebrew, some Polish, she spoke Yiddish
and I guess some Russian. 
My story of my mother, Pearl Pravda, will continue. 
The rain is knocking on the windows. 
I miss you, love to you all.
Only in Israel.
Ima, Savta, The Shvig, Estherika, Ludmilla, Me, Esther.    

Friday, January 2, 2015

To my dearest family, friends, neighbors, and all others interesting in reading, Shalom, Allo, and Hello. 
A cold wave is approaching Israel, with rain and a possibility of snow on the mountains. I chose to stay home this Shabbat, nursing a slight cold. 
I have a daily routine, visiting my neighbor, across the hall, Bertha. She is at least ten years my senior, busy sewing as she did all her life from the time she was six years old.  Born in Iraq, 
Bertha never learn to read or write. Does her measurements according to the size of the tiles in her kitchen. (each tile 20x20 cm, five tiles = 1 meter).  She told me once: My eyes are a centimeter, and my hands are a Kilogram. Meaning, I can measure with my eyes and with my hands. 
Bertha, and her, just married, husband, arrived in Israel in 1952 with the large 200,000 other Jews from Iraq known as the famous  Babylonian Immigration. It is an historical immigration. Thirty generation (over 2000 years) of Jewish presence in Iraq ended within a few weeks, in 1952. 
So, visiting Bertha daily, at time just to say hello, she always asks me "Where are you ?"  and in Arabic I answer : "Honnie", meaning "here". Through the time I live here, I do have a very slight understanding of the Arabic language she speaks with her friends & family who frequent her place. 
Refusing to wear a hearing aide, and busy at her singer machine, she never hears the guests
coming to visit her, until the tapping of her shoulder. (Bertha's home is never locked between 9:00 am and 8:00 pm.)   Yesterday, she forgot to unlock her door, and when her friend Camilla
came for her daily visit, she could not come in, in spite, ringing and knocking.  Today, when I visited Bertha, she announced in her broken Hebrew :  "My Ears are Dead"......

Thursday, is the day I volunteer at  "ALEH". A home for special, very special children. 
There are four such places in Israel. My volunteering home is in the heart of a very religious neighborhood in the total orthodox city of B'nei Baraq. There is a home in Jerusalem, in Gedera, and an entire village in the south, near the town of Netivot in the Negev. 
On Thursday, dressed up appropriately, long sleeve top, long skirt, (no pens) I arrive at about 2:00 pm. For the first two hours, I help the head nurse in arranging the medication in the cabinets, then I go to what is called "Tinokiya", (the babies). Sadly, some of the "babies" are 12 years old. Majority are fed via tube, unable to swallow, all are unable to walk, talk, or using their limbs.  My baby is Johnie, a beautiful 7 years old, who by now recognizes me, when I arrive, with a big smile. I was told to  keep  talking to him, pronouncing the word A-B-B-A, (meaning father).
I am happy to tell he says ABBA, and now also IMA. (mother). 
Between 4:00pm & 6:00pm the place is busy with activities. regardless the children's condition, the teachers, the aides, the therapists, the nurse, all the staff are involved with the children's activities. Yesterday, activity director project was Pancake making. Like in a regular class, she told the children about pancake making, pronouncing the "A" in pancake like in fAther.  Because the Israel Academy for language just picked up a Hebrew name for pancake and cupcake,  "OOGONIT" we used the Hebrew word. ( Cake in Hebrew = ooga).  Every ingredient we used was shown to the children. The Eggs for the mixture was broken by a child with the assistance of a staff,  we mixed all walking between the children, repeating "now we are mixing". 
An electric pancake maker was used, and in no time the pancakes were piling up.  I am very proud to say, I was in charge of making the "dressings".  With no Maple syrup or honey, I made 3 flavors.  Try this : 1. Soft spreading Chocolate (about 3 Tbs) with Sour Cream. (about 3 Tbs). Mix well.  2. Soft fine like cottage Cheese, sour cream, 1 tsp Vanilla sugar, 2 tsp Vanilla instant powder pudding. Mix well.   3. Strawberry, very fine strained Jelly/Jam, and sour cream. Mix well.  (No recipe was used, just the look of the product, as Bertha probably would say: my tongue is the recipe...... 
The children are unable to eat the Oogonim, but we went to a few children who are not in danger of just tasting the dressing. 
As the staff was eating, music was playing, and the place was hopping. 
Only in Israel.
I miss you all. sending my LOVE.
Ima, Savta, The Shvig, Estherika, Ludmilla, me, Esther, eem.