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.
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.
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