Givat Hulon - The Hills of Sand . V, O O

Hello everyone,

 Sand Dunes

Sand dunes

   Many of us must have seen photos or movies, showing the Sand Dunes of the Sahara Desert... This was what our new neighborhood, Givat Hulon (Hill of Sand) looked like There were about fifteen newly built houses, surrounded by mountains of sand. I was fascinated!  Being used to the narrow sand strip next to the Mediterranean blue water   of the beach in Tel Aviv, I was totally 'Awestruck', by the largeness and majesty of this "Ocean of sand", where our new home was now built on... It was a total total contrast between the Moshav and our previous dwelling Jerusalem, which was GREY with paved roads and side walks...  The place 'Moshav' was GREEN surrounded by trees and vegetation...This new settlement called Givat Hulon (Hill of Sand) was located twenty minutes away from Hulon, the 'Large City'... The color of our new city, was pure solid Yellow, with mixed with Orange, during Sunset... The colors kept changing into different shades; depending on the time of day and the position of the sun...

    Our new home was about twenty minute bus ride, from the 'Big' city of Hulon,where my brother and     I were going to school...  We had to take two buses,which picked up more passengers, at several small settlements on the way to the Big city...  By the time the bus (which usually came late) stopped to pick    up or drop off passengers; I was always late to school... During the winter, fierce winds caused the sand   to cover the road and the bus, was unable to reach our neighborhood...We had to wait for a bulldozer to come and clear it up, which could take several days... A strange collection of people lived in our new neighborhood... There were only eight families, mostly Concentration Camp Survivors... One of them  as the  Yakobovich family which escaped Germany, with two beautiful small blond daughters; Six years old  Zlata and her younger sister Clara who was four...The girls looked just like their pretty mother Lotti ,whos Jewish husband Markus, was hidden in the basement of her parents house in Berlin, during the second World War... When the war was finally over they came to Israel... 

   One day as I was playing outside, I witnessed Lotti and her next door neighbor Mrs. Glikman, having   an argument about hanging the laundry on the common clothesline, between their two houses. Actually   it was Mrs. Glikman, who was having the argument... Lotti was a gentle woman, who would never raise her voice in anger, but Mrs Glikman, who was an unpleasant and bitter woman, was disliked by everyone in our new small community...  At the beginning, people felt sorry for her because she lost her entire family in the Gas Chambers: Parents, Husband and Three children. Lotti lived next door to us,with her second husband and their son Peter, who was younger then me in a year. As time went by, the neighbors began to resent Lottie's mean spirit and ugly outbursts:"She Is Not The Only One who lost their familys in Hitler's concentration camps! This doesn't give her the right to lash at others!" They complaine... 

   I was playing outside one day, when Mrs. Glikman began to scream, berating poor Lotti for hanging   her wet laundry on 'her portion' of the rope which they bouth shared... Lotti tried to calm her neighbor with her sweet smile and soft words. She pointed out that Mrs Glikman, didn't even have laundry on the line at the time... but Mrs Glikman's face, became a Mask of Hatred; "Go back to Germany, you filthy Nazi!  You are not even Jewish! This country is for Jews Only! Go back and take your two Nazi kids!"        I was shocked and ran home to my mom, crying and confused... I couldn't understand how could Mrs Glikman, be so Angry and Mean to sweet Lotti... "Ima, is it true that Lotti is a Nazi?" I asked my mother who was sweeping the constant thin layers of sand, which covered our porch..."No!" my mom said "Lotti is not Jewish, but she is not a Nazi! She actually saved her Jewish husband from the Nazis, by hiding him in her parents basement... Mrs Glikman is wrong! Not all Germans were bad, but we should not forget that the Nazi's killed her Whole Family, she has no one left and it probably made her a bit crazy...We should realy feel sorry for her..." But I was still confused; "So why are all the neighbors so mean  to her?" I was asking... My mother sighed and walked away, mumbling that there are all kinds of people in this world...

 Nazis

Nazi flag

   A week later, Clara our seamstress and neighbor next door, came to our house in order to make Alteration for some of Ima clothes, on our Singer Sewing Machine.       I was sitting nearby, watching with fascination the seamstress, with several pins  between her lips; crouching on the floor and was amazed, how she was able to talk without swallowing some of them! At one point, I heard her saying to my mother something which garbed my attention... She was explaining, that the reason she was  able to stay alive in the concentration camp, was because she and her Identical Twin Sister, were taken    to a special place, where the criminal Dr Mengale, was conducting Horrific Medical Experiments,on sets of identical twins..."One day my sister and I were crying for our mother, after all, we were only four years old! The Nazi Capo, who was in charge of the "Mengale's children program", dragged us outside and was pointing at the cloud of smoke, rising from the 'Crematorium' (were they burned the bodies) "You want your mother?! There is your mother!" He said to us.... Ima looked as if she was about to cry..."Is this is  why you never married?" She asked gently. "Yes, what reason do I have to get married, after these Nazi Monsters took out my womb, for their terrible experiments?" My mother nodded her head, wiped her tears and reached out her arms to hug me...

D. Pirates and Curry

   A few houses away from our home, lived a Jewish couple from India, with their son Tomy, who was  about my age... His parents who were very tall and dark, spoke English, with a British accent and kept themselves apart from the rest of the neighbors... The rumor was that Tumy's Jewish father, was a high ranking officer in the British army in India, before it's Independence. After the British left the country Tommy's Jewish parents came to Israel... They were very strange and had stranger rules and regulations Whenever my mother would invite Tommy to have lunch or diner with us, he would refuse, saying that   he was forbidden to eat at other people's homes, unless he had a formal invitation... "What is a formal invitation?" I asked, but he shrugged his shoulders and said: "I don't know"... I was determined to help Tommy break this 'Stupid Rule!' "You live in Israel Xnow!" I said "You have to be like all the other kids here, otherwise no one would want to play with you! In Israel we always eat at each others house, what   is the big deal?!  You don't want the kids to think you are weird and laugh at you, do you?!" Some times after poor Tommy could no longer resist and ate with us, he would rinse his mouth, rubbing his teeth with the toothpast which I put on his finger and was asking me, several times, to smell his breath, to make sure his parents wouldn't find out he ate outside his home... I felt so sorry for him!

   Tommy was different from any other boy I have known before... He was extremely polite, shaking my parents hands whenever he came or left our house and thanking   them for their kind hospitality... My fourteen years old brother Rami, was mimicking and making fun of Tommy's "Gentlemanly manners" It made me very upset and I asked my parents to make Rami stop it! I couldn't understand why my parents found it was very funny... Tommy and I would often climb to the top of an abundant Water Tower near by, making believe we were on an island which we found, after our ship was sunk by Pirates... We used a 'Make Believe' binoculars, to scan the horizon, hoping to spot a                                 Ship, which will come to our rescue and take us home... 

   Even though I knew how Tommy's parents felt, about kids who eat at other people's homes, I didn't say "No" when I was invited to have dinner with them, when the two of us played in his house...At one point  I saw Tommy's mother cringe, when I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand, rather then use the pretty embroidered white napkin, she gave me. "Didn't your parents teach you that people shouldn't wipe their lips with their hands?" She said with some disdain..."Why should they?״ I asked using my combative tone... After looking at me strangely, Tommy's mom said:"We learned from the British in India, that all civilized people use napkins when they Dine!" "Well, this is Israel, not England or India!" I answered "Here in Israel we don't use cloth napkins, only paper napkins!"xThe three of them were looking at me  with Astonishment, but I was not done! X"Probably the kids in India, are not aloud to talk back to grown ups either! But my parents say, that in Israel we don't have time for such Silly Manners!" I said

Curry dishes

   At dinner, Tommy and his parents, were taking small spoonfuls of what seemed to   be Ketchup, from a bowl at the center of the table... I put some of the"ketchup" on  my food, tasted it and started to scream... It was very,very,very Hot! Covering my mouth with the napkin, I ran to the bath room, as fast as I could; to rinse my mouth again and again... It was the only time I saw Tommy's mother, who never cracked a smile; laughing uproariously... This incident broke the ice between us... I felt sorry that no one in our neighborhood, befriended them and was able to convince my parents, to be nice and invite them to our house. It seemed that no one of our neighbors liked them or even tried to do so and I felt very sorry for them and for Tomi...

E. My New School

    My school was in Hulon, the 'big city'... I hated school! Being the new student in the       class, where the kids knew each other since first grade, made it difficult for m to make      new friends...This experience was very new to me, since I have always been extremely friendly and outgoing kid... However, it was difficult this time... eventually I made friends with two girls, but I couldn't stay to visit with them, after school, because I would miss the only bus back home... Even though Tommy was a nice boy, he couldn't take the place of a girlfriend and    I felt very lonely... One day, on the way to school I heard what sounded like a 'cry', next to a fence of a deserted garden. I was looking around and saw a tiny black and white puppy and picked it up... The poor little dog was trembling and seemed very scared... I hugged it gently, trying to put in a few crumbs of the 'whole wheat sandwich', my mom put in the lunch box, but the puppy wouldn't eat; it probably needed milk... When I came to my classroom, before the teacher arrived, everyone gathered around me to look  and touch my puppy. We decided to hide it from the teacher and I put the tiny pup in my desk drawer...   At one point, the puppy cried and the teacher wanted to know "What Is Going On!? In order to save the puppy, David the Trouble Maker, imitated the puppy's cry and was sent by to the Principle office...During the break, I was the center of attention; everyone was gathering around me and my sweet puppy; stroking and trying to feed it, a few crumbs from their lunch box and getting him water... But my sweat puppy didn't eat... He moved his tiny head away and snuggled into my neck...

   It is hard to describe the rush of emotions, I was experiencing at that moment... The tenderness and          love, which I felt for this 'small vulnerable creature', who chose Me, to protect and take care of him       was indescribable! I remember the joy I felt, when my puppy stopped shaking after I stroked him and whispered in his ear how much I love him ...When I came home, my mother sent me to the neighbor, to get some milk for the new "baby" in our family...That evening, we found out that the puppy was not him but her! We named her Nava! (Biblical name for a pretty girl). From that moment on, my life changed       I was not lonely any more! Even school was more bearable...The kids wanted to hear all my funny news    about Nava and were laughing hard, when I told them how she stuck her head into a plastic container and was running all over the house, bumping into the furniture... I couldn't wait for the moment I get off the bus, run home and lie on the small area rug, with Nava jumping all over me, licking my face... My sweet  Nava; I loved her so much!

   Even though the kids in school, were much more friendly now, I still hated it...There was an influx        of New Immigrants to Israel, from the Arabic countries and some of the the new students, could barely   speak Hebrew... I was bored with the lessons which the poor, overworked teacher, was trying to teach       where half of the students didn't even speak Hebrew... I began to hide in my desk the books I borrowed   at the public library and was reading, while the frustrated teacher tried to teach the restless students As much as I hated being in school, I loved the public library, which was located next to my school Bus stop  I would visit the library, twice a week and arm myself with books to take home. Reading, became my escape from the unfamiliar emotions, I began to experience as I was growing  up; emotions I couldn't understand... I would later realize, that besides loneliness and isolation, I was also exposed to the growing tension at home...  My parents were at war! Ima wanted to move and "Live next to "Normal and civilized people!" But my father's ego refused to let him admit,( even to himself) that he made a big mistake by allowing the cunning Real Estate Agent, convince him to buy a house, in this tiny God forsaken place  promising, it is about to become even bigger then Tel Aviv!

 Escaping  school

    One afternoon as I was sitting on a park bench, next to the public library, waiting for the bus to take   me home, a brilliant idea crossed my mind: "Why should I keep on going to school, if I hate it so much?   I would be better off skimping school altogether, sit on a bench in the park, next to the library and read books all day!" And so I did...  Each morning after getting off the bus, instead of going to school, I would be spending my time in the beautiful park; reading books...  From time to time I would used the empty swings, which usually had big lines of kids, waiting for their turn, then go back to reading (actually  devouring) the books I took from the library, until it was time to take the bus home...Very few people    had telephones in those days, our teachers were busy, having their hands full with new students, whos families who were expelled by their native Arab Countries, arrived to Israel Penniless...These 'new comers'; who could barely speak Hebrew, were having a hard time communicating with the rest of         the kids in the class, since they did not speak Hebrew...  

   One day, I was observing the 'Madness' in my class, feeling very sorry for the poor young teacher, who was unsuccessfully trying to bring a bit of order, in to the classroom... I said to myself: X"If I get  out of here, no one would know that I left!"X  and I did...  Over a month I would get off the bus, but  instead of going to school, I would go to the park and was sitting on a bench, with one of the books I borrowed at the library... I began to read "Dickens stories, for young readers", which were translated into Hebrew and was Consuming other books like Treasure Island, Gulliver's Travels and Robinson Crusoe, devouring Arabian Nights, Russian Tails, the Secret Garden and enjoyed Hans Christen Anderson's stories like the Poor Little 'Match Girl', who was selling matches in a street corner, during one of the coldest Danish winters, before she froze to death... I became a compulsive reader, my mind was filled with images, of the heroes and heroines, I read about in the books... They became my best friends and I was no longer lonley!

   Eventually my parents found out about my "Adventures"...To my great surprise (and relieve) rather   then punishing me, they became very angry with my teachers and the school principal! The following  day, they came to school with me, demanding to know, how could a child be missing from school, for     so many days, without the teachers knowledge! The embarrassed Principal, who had a slight 'speech impediment, stuttered his apologies, spitting out some saliva as he spoke and promised my 'Raging Parents', that he will make sure, such things will never again, take place in his school!  I expected some kind of punishment when we come home and was silent, during the long bus ride; which was not Typical to the 'Chatterbox' I usually was... At home, my parents put on a Stern Face and asked me to promise I will never run away from school! I remember standing very erect and solemnly promised, with my hand on my heart and promised... That night I heard. my Mom and Dad whispering in their bedroom: "Did you see how cute she was standing with her hand on her heart, swearing she will never run away from school" They giggled... "She is so adorable and has lot's of guts too!" My dad said proudly. "I bet she learned more from the Library Books, then she did in this Terrible School!"  "That's for sure!" Mom agreed... I realized with amazement that there would be no punishment... Sighing with relief I closed  my eyes and fell into a deep and peaceful sleep...

With Love and Light,
Shira

Paradise Lost and Sand Dunes... V,O XXX OO V

Hello everyone,

Israel 1948-1951

Our neighborhood
in Jerusalem

    The War was over... The siege on Jerusalem came to an end and the British left   our country for good!... My brother Rami and I were excited to come back to our old home neighborhood and friends! We could see the distractions which the War left behind; Mr Kaplan's Grocery Store suffered a direct hit, killing him, destroying the building except for one wall... Uri, my friend's Rachel brother, who lived in the apartment building next to ours, lost a leg;  the candy shop became a KioskX and the Greengrocer's store,  was now belonging to a Shoe maker. Our neighbors were glad to see us coming back and Rami and I, were happy to play again, with our old 'Neighborhood friends' as we did before the war... My father was busy working in his Garage, I returned   to my kindergarten and Rami went back this school. Every Saturday we went to visit my father's dad  Saba Eliyahu, in the"Old People's Home"where he lived...  During the summer we would move to Tel Aviv for a few of weeks, to enjoy the warm water of the Mediterranean Sea, because (as my Vegetarian parents said) "Salt water and Sun are very good for our health; especially for children!"

Lemel School

   I have 'Vague Memories' from the day we were sitting around the radio, listening  to our new Prime minister David Ben Gurion's voice, who was behind the creation of the State of Israel! Another clear memory, is my first day in First Grade at the Lamely School, where most of the kids in our neighborhood were attending. What    I remember most, is how overjoyed I was (almost Ecstatic) when I was finally able  to Read! It was like Magic to see a short sentence, suddenly 'Jumping at me' from the words on the page! One of the stories I read was about a family who lived in a 'Moshav' (Agricultural Village). I can still remember the Red Tractor,  Green fields and the White and Black cows, walking around and eating grass all day...

    Each morning the students would be standing in lines at the school yard, watching with awe the       Flag with the blue Star of David, being raised up to the top of the pole...With hearts full of pride we    sang 'Hatikva' (our National Anthem) befor walking to our class rooms. On the walls were the photos      of Theodor Herzl; the Visionary Leader of our Jewish state, Chaim Weizman; the first first president of Israel, David Ben Gurion; our first Prime Minister and Golda Meir, the only woman in the Gavernment who would serve as the Prime Minister of Israel during the Six Days War...

Theodore Herzl	Chaim Weizmann	David Ben Gurion	Golda Meir

   As I have written before, my parents were among the first group of "Vegans" in Israel; which were Extreme Veterinarians...I remember my mother in our small kitchen, grating carrots by hand, squeezing out the Juice through a special cloth; in order to separate it from the Pulp (No 'Cuisinart' in those days)    so her children drink fresh carrot juice X"Which is the most important of all juices!"  There were 'Three Deadly Whites', which were forbidden to be in our Vegetarian Kitchen: Bleached Flour, White Sugar or Salt! (A bit of 'Sea Salt' was allowed') My brother and I took every opportunity, when our parents were  not around, to grab the 'Sweets' which were offered to us, by our Aunts and Uncles, who would shake  their heads with pity, feeling sorry for "The deprived children, who are not aloud to have White Sugar...

  When I was about seven, at the middle of my Second Grade, my parents decided to leave Jerusalem and move to a 'Moshav; An Agricultural Village named "Mishmar Hashivah"... This agricultural community was different from others, since it was available to Vegetarian Families Only! My parents said they had enough of "This Unhealthy life in the big city, with the exhaust fumes, people are forced to inhale and the Asphalt roads and sidewalks.which are choking the“Prana!”(Life giving energy)... It is known that these obstacles, are preventing Mother Earth, from sending us it's Nurturing and Healing energy!"" This was the only one 'Moshav', which accepted Vegetarians Only! "We wish to raise our children in Nature; have them breath Clear Air and eat Home Grown fruit and vegetables, free of Pesticides and be Judged and Ridiculed for our belief in Vegetarianism! Here we are all the same...

  My parents couldn't wait to move and live in a place where they will no longer have to justify their   'Way of Life' to their neighbors, friends and family members; who were concerned about Rami and       me for not getting enough Nutrients and Protein, because of the "lack of meat" in our diets... They      were tired of being judged or made fun of, because their Vegetarian way of life and couldn't wait to     meet the new neighbors in our Vegetarian Community; who were sharing the "Same Ideals'. There        was no Television in Israel during that time...Every evening after dinner our parents would sit at the  'Glass top table' (with the photos underneath) They were reading books and  were reading magazines about Vegetarianism; learning how to plant and harvest, what was the amount of water for the plants     and how to protect the 'Young Buds' from the Elements, without using Chemicals! ("Pure Poison"!)  "We'll live in Nature now!"X They were declaring to Rami and me, who couldn't care less...x"You kids   will grow up to be healthy and strong! People will no longer look at us, as if we are 'Weird', because      we are Vegetarians, since our neighbors and their children (your new friends) are also like us!”

   Rami and I were watching and listening to our parents, who were sipping Herb Tea and nibbling on    dry dates, figs and raw almonds x(Instead of cakes with "Poisonous xWhite Sugar!") While our parents  were "dreaming", my brother Romi was lamenting:"What about my school and  friends?" but my parents laughed..."Don't worry! You will be going to another school and have many new friends!" I began to cry:"But I don't want to move to another place, I don't want new friends, I want my old friends! I don't want to live in a House! I want to stay in our Apartment!" X I was cryingx "Keep quiet you dummy!" My brother was saying in; "Just shut up!" I began to cry harder and my parents told  Romi, that Wards like these, are not allowed in our house! Rami made 'a face' at me and left the room...  I still remember the "Sweet Revenge" I felt, when I stuck my tongue at him...

   One day a big truck, stopped in front of our Apartment Building in Jerusalem and our possessions were loaded on it... The furniture were covered with our blankets and towels as well as our 'Lamps'and other breakable things. The glass book shelves, our big table's glass top and two mirrors, were also warped in more  The plates, cups, glasses and other small "Breakables; where warped with old News Papers. Next  came the boxes with our pots, pans and whatever remained at our kitchen and loaded on the truck... So were the chairs, carefully wrapped with our blankets, my mother's Singer Sawing Machine and our tall  old Grandfather Clock, which was playing every fifteen minutes, parts of the tunes x the Big Ben in London was playing...The Neighbors came to say goodbye, bringing food, fruit, cakes and candy. The  women who were crying; hugged and kissed us and the men looked sad when they shook hands with Aba... We stopped for the last time at my dad's Garage, to part from his partner Moti and the employees After all the hands shaking, hugs, back clapping and good luck wishes; we finally took off to materialize my parents dream of a new healthy life, in the Vegetarian Moshav...

The Moshav

First corn

   Living in the Moshav made me feel as if I was Alice in Wonderland! Growing up in the Gray old city of Jerusalem    I was fascinated by the Colors around me! Butterfly's Birds Flowers and all kinds of 'Crawling Creatures, I have never seen in Jerusalem! Everything seemed to be new: Unfamiliar colors, the cycle of new growth, the yellow dry leaves in the Fall, the flowers in the Spring, the Fruit Trees, the fields of Vegetables... It was all so new to me! I was examining and counting the flowers, the leaves and  comparing the shades of green... Once, I found a plant which 'Sprayed'  my hands with 'dark liquid', similar to Ink... It gave me a great idea: "I'll collect this 'Natural  Ink' and sell it to 'Vegetarian Stationery Stores, because it did not contain any Chemicals!" I decided not to tell anyone about it, so people wouldn't 'Steal my Idea'... It would be my secret; just like Aba's "Patent" his x Elusive Invention of "Creating a Motor, which would be running by the Energy of Gravity!" (what (ever it means...) 

   My new school was located in a small town named Yazur; a thirty minutes walk from our home. My    next door neighbor Yehuda and I, were in the same class. Every morning he would stop to 'Pick' me up'  and we would walk together to the school, talking and laughing... I believe that even though we were only eight years old; we had some kind of a 'Childish Crush' on each other... Ten minutes before arriving to our school, the two of us would split and walk separately; so the kids wouldn't tease us, about walking "side by side"... Life was good with a few painful moments in between... One of the biggest humiliation which would follow me throughout my school years, was caused by the fact that in this new school, the student already learned the Multiplications Tablet, which I didn't learn yet at my school in Jerusalem. For some reason, I was afraid to tell my new teacher, that I didn't learn it yet and was cringing, trying to disappear when she would call on a student to come to the blackboard, take the white chalk and solve the 'Math Problem' written on it... I was terrified that the kids may think I am stupid and make fun of me...

A mystery
cave...

Old stairs 

 

    My parents were busy getting to know their new neighbors, whom they met     in many meetings they had, where they talked about the way of growing and selling their crops; Individually or Collectively... I was walking 'Intoxicated by the Nature around me (Maybe my parents were right about the power of Prana and Chi...) It was amazing to discover a new, ever changing world!  Walking 'Barefoot' on the brown warm earth, climbing trees, hanging on the branches falling, wiping away few drops of blood from my bruised knees and go on a search for Hidden Treasures..."Maybe I'll find it in the old cave which I found next to the broken old stairs leading  to Nowhere?" XDr Netsach, our Holistic 'Vegetarian X'Physition', was treated as if he was some kind of a God... In his 'Fiery Speeches', he was condemning the "Medical Doctors", who are "Poisoning' people with Toxic Medicines!" He was talking out loud, almost Screaming; waving his thin arms and was rewarded by loud cheering and Hand Clapping of the Vegetarian Admirers... Dr Netzach warned his followers, who were looking at him, as if he is some kind of a God, to x"Refuse giving the children X Insulation shots; since X"These shots are nothing but Pure Poison!"... In those days "Immune Shots" were given in the class room... Our parents told Rami and me to run away if anyone tries to inject us! (to which we were glad to obey!)  Dr Netzach was very tall; he had thin arms and yellow long hair... His shy 'Mousy wife', was always busy nursing a new baby, or  was wiping the 'Running Nose of one of their five small, blond children... The kids, who looked just like their father, had Blondish long hair, down to their shoulders... Dr. Netzach was adored by all  his Vegetarian Followers... Whatever he said was received as one of the 'Ten Commandments'! I disliked him (to put it mildly) When ever he looked at me, I felt as if his pale blue eyes were digging into me, wanting to find out  all my little secrets... With the natural Intuition of a child, I did not trust this man...Whenever I saw him coming towards me, on one of the 'Dirt Roads' in the Moshav, I would run to hid behind a tree or a rock... Dr Netzach  (who could see everything) would yell at me to come out; but I never did...  

   I was too young to realize what was going on, when my parents' Dream' began to turn into a Nightmare and Cruel Awakening... My father was a Mechanic not a Farmer... Some of the vegetables he worked so hard to plant,x shriveled and were' x rotting away'... ("Not enough water? To much water?") The fruit on our trees was eaten by birds...("No Pesticide!"x Dr. Netzach sad...) I remember my 'poor dad', standing and watching the Corn he planted, which was growing tall and green, turning into yellow and  dead sticks  On the first winter, floods swept away most of the young fruit trees, my father and our neighbors planted   next to the vegetables, they worked so hard to plant and take care of; which were dying as well...

The flood

  The water level was High and Rising, we were unable to leave the house...The   only 'Good thing' was the news that we 'Couldn't get to school', because of the floods... People in boats were delivering Drinking Water as well as Bread and other necessities. The small group of neighbors, who were shocked and disillusioned, as much as my parents, were now fighting with one another... My Dad became very ill and my 'shocked mother', was tormented by paralyzing fears and worries, about the results of the "Disaster" and was watching their "Big Dream" collapsing in front of her eyes:"Why did we ever Listened to your Crazy Vegetarian Sisters, who 'Brain Washed' us to come here!" Ima would tell my dad: "It is your older sister Shoshana's fault! She is the one, who came back from Germany, with all these crazy Vegetarian Ideas and Brain Washed all of us! Why did you sell the garage? How can we feed our children? What are we going to do?!"

   My Mom escaped' into a “Cleansing Fast” of  eating nothing Solid and drinking Orange Juice mixed with Green Juice... (In the future this 'Behavior' would be called: Anorexia Nervousa)."Ima" was losing    a lot of weight; becoming very thin and Uncommunicative... "Don't worry so much!"X said my father      who was more Optimistic then she was. X"You know that my partner Moty, owes me the money for half    of the Garage and has been sending me part of it, every month! We have what to live on, until I find a    Job After all, I have a Good Profession and Years of Experience as a Mechanic! My father, the family's 'Eternal Optimist' was trying to calm my frightened mother...Unfortunately, this time he was unable to   do  so...The Currency was going through one Devaluation after another,X " Making Moty's payments almost worthless"... The "Safety Net" which was supposed to 'Keep us Afloat', until the vegetables  and frute x  were ready for the markets, was disintegrating and my poor father, who blamed himself for the move, became gravely ill... Even though I was only nine years old, I was mature for my age and very sensitive... I became very ill and Dr Netzach's Herbal Medicine did not seem to help much...

Children's hospital

   My father's brother, uncle Aron, who received an 'Urgent Letter' from my mother asking him to come Immediately (No phones during those days) He had to change three busses, before finally arriving to our home... When he saw how sick I was, my uncle accused my parents of being" Fanatic, Crazy Veterinarians, who trusted a 'Fake doctor!"  He then went to see him and was yelling, that “If this child dies, it would  be Your Responsibility!" Dr Netzach who seemed very scared, got over his Aversion for the 'Conventional Medicine' and instructed my parents to take me to the"Nearest Hospital Right Away"!

   In later years I would often wonder, if getting so sick, was my way of 'Escaping' what seemed to be          my parents "Breakdown"... My father's black hair, seemed to turn Partially White "over night"within     one year, he started to look like an old man... My mother seemed to be a shadow of herself... At night  after my brother and I went to our room, we could hear them arguing and blaming each other for the decision of selling the garage, leave Jerusalem and move to the Moshav... "It is all your Sisters fault!"   My mother X  finally said. "Your sister Shoshana and her Crazy ideas of Vegetarianism! She was the  one  who pushed us to make this Terrible Mistake, of selling the Garage and move here! Why did we   ever  listen to her?! We were so happy in Jerusalem!" It was during my two weeks stay in the Hospital that I started to Read Books! I was eight years old, when I picked up a book at the Children's Library   and  read it from beginning to end in One Day! The book which was translated from English to Hebrew was 'The Last of the Mahicans' (Adopted for young readers)... From that moment on I began to 'Devour' Books; becoming an "Obsessive/ Compulsive Reader" addicted to books! Reading became my Escape  into another world... Away from the Harsh Reality of my parents fears and Teen Age brother's bitterness and rage, over moving away from his friends in Jerusalem... I was becoming a "Compulsive reader!"  Even now so many years later; there is nothing like a good book, to lift me up into another world; calm my Busy Mind and sooth my soul...

    My parents were growing apart... The only thing which united them was the Frantic Search for a way    out of the 'Wreckage of their dreams' and the urgent need to find a safe harbor for their small family. My Dad was finally able to find a job as a Mechanic, in one of the Post Office Garages in 'Tel Aviv', next to the Old City of Jaffa... It must have been 'Humiliating' for my 'Proud' father, to find himself  'Starting All Over' after having his Own Garage... Somehow, my parents were able to sell the house in the Moshav; for a third of what they paid and find another house, in a small neighborhood next to the large city of Hulon The few houses were built on 'Dunes of sand', which looked like the 'Sahara Desert'..."You don't realize what a Great Deal you made!" The Slimy Real Estate Agent (whom I instinctively disliked!) was telling my parents..."In a short time this place is going to become bigger then Tel Aviv! Mark my words! I promise that the price is going to Quadruple in less then a Year!”  My poor father believed him... (what else could he do?)  Many years later, during one of my visits to Israel, my brother said that this "God forsake Place' still looks the way it used to be, when we lived there ...

With Love and Light,
Shira

Politics, Zionism and the Birth of Israel . V,O

Hello everyone,

  After the establishment of the state of Israel; when I was about five years old, I was witnessing my parents and their friends arguing before the elections, whenever they came over for a game of cards... They were speaking loudly, trying to convince each other, that their political party was the right one!  "Among four Jews, there are seven opinions!" My parents friends were saying, as they set at the table to   play cards... No wounder there were Eleven political parties in Israel, during the 50's! Below are five... 

Achdut Havoda	Haganah	Poaley Zion	Mapai	Mapam

   I used to dislike the noise of these loud arguments, fists banging on the table, bursts of anger, which were followed by loud laughter and a strong "Friendly punches" on each others shoulders and arms... There were always 'Arguments' going on during the card games,whenever my parents friends, came to  our home for a game of cards...When ever wards like 'Concentration Camps' were  used, one of the players would immidietly alart the others, to the kids in the room and the conversation would immidietly stop!

   After reading my blog for quiet sometime, I trust that my readers are more familiar by now, with the idea of the 'Energetic Power of our Thoughts and Words'... History has been teaching us, that the mind of only one Individual, could cause amazing changes for good or for bad... It also taught us how fast Great Ideas, as well as Lies, could spread like wildfires and be embraced by the Masses..." The Bringers of Light" were World Leaders, like Moses, Herzl, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, and many others, were the bringers of Light, while Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini - were the instruments    of the Darkness!

Hitler	German Children	Emaciated corpses in a concentration camp	The one who didn't! (raise his hand)

   The energies of Enlightenment and Darkness, are both equally powerful as well as contagious...      When Mother Teresa, was asked to join an Anti-War demonstration, she said: "No, I will not march Against    War but I will March  for Peace!" We should always remember, how the"Hate Energy" in     Nazi Germany, began by the voice of One Man; Hitler, who was spreading his evil ideology, eight      years, before it started to spread all over Europe, with a devastating speed of a wildfire; consuming countries and people on it's way... It took only one person like Hitler, to start a flood of Hatred and Darkness, yet even at the midst of this Madness, there was one person, one German, who had the    courage to resist evil by Not raising his hand! (Top right)                                                               

   Years before Hitler came in to power, after witnessing the collective outburst of Antisemitism in    France, during the Dreyfus trial in 1894, Theodore Herzl, the visionary Jewish journalist and writer realized the necessity of having a safe country, for the dispersed Jewish people in Europe... Herzl's    vision, was  the return of the persecuted Jews in Europe, to their Biblical Homeland; the old country        of Judea - Now Israel... Herzl spoke about his vision, in the First Jewish Congress in Switzerland...           It was attended by participants from seventeen countries... The Jews in Europe started to experience         a new wave of Antisemitism, social discrimination and violent riots. It seems as if Herzl was able to      see the up coming 'Concentration Camps and Gas Chambers, of the Nazi Regime... Herzl spoke, about   the necessity of going back to live in the old Jewish Homeland... "If you Will it -- It is not a Dream!"    The great man said...

Theodore Herzl

  Many of the young Jewish people, who were inspired by these       words, as well as his book The Old New Land, packed up their meager possessions and left Europe, heading to their fathers old homeland, the Biblical "Canan', which was named Palestine by the Romans, after they conquered Jerusalem, in 63 BCE 1517 and would eventually became a part of the Ottoman Empire... The members of the small communities   of Jewish and Arab families,were surrounded by swamps and mosquitos and suffered from poverty and hardship.They became gravely ill with  Malaria, which was killing their babies as well as the adults; It was not an easy life...

   Allow me to write about my Grandparents, who came to Israel from Russia, together with the early pioneers, who heeded Herzl's voice to "Go back to the old country, in order to build it up again!"...With hard work and great sacrifices, the newcomers turned Herzl's vision into a reality... After the First World War, life became somewhat easier... The victorious British army, was welcomed by the citizens of the Jewish state with great joy...  These newcomers, together with their children, the "Sabras" who were    born in Israel, would read in the papers, listen to the radio and watch news reels, the rise of Nazism in Germany and  They would follow how Hitler's army, was making it's way through Europe, devouring one country after the other... The world was watching the 'Hypnotic effect', Hitler had on the masse, which resulted in a new Tidal Wave of Antisemitism, which was never seen before, was spreading all over Europe, wiping out innocent man, women and children on it's way...

Israeli's dance after UN
declared the Jewish state

  The sons and daughters of the early pioneers in Israel, those who were born in 'Palestine' (as Israel  was named by the British) joined the British army during the Second World War and were fighting to defeat Hitler and liberate Europe... In 1948 Herzl's vision became a reality! I was about five years old when the United Nations voted "YES" for the idea  of creating a Jewish state, the country of Israel...I still have a vivid memory of sitting on my fathers' shoulders, waving a small flag and watch with excitement, the happy crowd, dancing and singing in the streets of Jerusalem...X"We have our old/ new country again; the country of Israel!

   These days, we are being called to work together, in order to stop wars and hunger, in many parts of the world and find solutions, for the Climate Change; help clean our oceans and the Air we breath, put an end to the senseless violence and killing around the world, eradicate crime and clear our planet from waist and  Air pollution... Could it be that we are now read, to turn our world into a new Garden of Eden? Mankind is born with the gift of having the power of turning Dreams into Reality... I would like to quote a few lines  which had a great impact on me... Unfortunatel, I can not remember, who was the Original Writer, since three different sources, claim it as their own...

   "What if you had a dream and in this dream, you are in a lovely garden, where you pick up a beautiful  flower. And what if you wake up and realize that you are still holding this flower in your hand?... "

With Love and Light,
Shira

The War of Independence .VO ( move photo of Ben Gurion below) Unfinished...

1946-1948

Hello everyone   

   After the news, about the up coming Vote in the United Nations, regarding an Independent Jewish state in Palestine, the Arabs, sharing this small country, with their Jewish neighbors; became alarmed, fearing that if the U.N, would grant a Homeland to the Jewish people, they will be forced to lave their homes and properties...The Palestinian Arabs, turned to the Muslim countries Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq  Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, asking for help to" Fight the Jews!", in case the UN members, would vote for such a Partition... The British, were scheduled to leave Palestine, six months after the UN's resolution  The Jews, as well as the local Arabs, were holding their breath...

    My father, who was a child during the First World War, remembered the food shortages, during that period of time... One day he came home from work, carrying two huge sacks, full of "Tsnimim”(Hardtack) These were ' dry slices of bread, which was baked for a long time, were "Hard as a Rock" and wouldn't spoil, as fast as fresh bread X and "wouldn't spoil, for a long time!X" This war, may last for many months!" Aba (Dad) was telling our Ima (mother) "I have a feeling, that if the United Nations, will vote YES, for the Establishment of a Jewish Country; the Arabs will start a war! In this case, Jerusalem will be under siege!" X Ima, would have to soak it in water during the night, so it softens enough, to be be eaten the next day.x.."M Besides the bread, my father bought a tall, Tin Container, full of Kerosene, in order to  boil the water we may have to collect...  He and my mother, stood in line for hours, to buy bottles of olive oil, flour, rice, beans and brown sugar."What do we need all of this?! It would only spoil!" Ima said "I can smell trouble!” My father answered. I was only four years old and was wondering, what 'Trouble' smelled  like, so I began to sniff around, but as hard as I tried, I couldn't smell anything... “Maybe only Daddies can smell Trouble"... I told myself, because it seemed that Ima wasn't able to smell it either...

   On November 17th 1947, people all over the world, were sitting 'glued' to their radios, as the United Nations voted for the partition of Palestine, which would give one part of the country, to the Jews and    the other to the Arabs... Even though, the Partition meant that some of the Jewish Holy Places, would      be in the Arab side, the Jews were elated! ", After all, Abraham was the father of bouth; the Jews and    the Arabs!" The Jewish leaders were saying to their Arab neighbors in Palestinian, those,who's homes were in the Jewish side of the partition. Vehicles, with loud speakers,which were driven by Jews, were traveling among the Arabs, asking them 'Not To Leave Their Old Neighborhoods!' Promising, that none  of the Palestinians would be harmed, or chased away, from their homes if they will stay in the state of Israel and would be treated as equal citizens! The Arab's radio, ordered the Palestinian Arabs to flee, so      they will not be mistaken for Jews and would be killed, when the "Mighty United Arab Army"of Seven Arab Countries, will take over, making and make a 'Clean Sweep' of the small Jewish population, which remains in Palestine and Drown them in the Mediterranean Sea! "What chance these few unarmed Jews have to fight against the 'Great, United Force, of All the Arab Countries?"They promised,that theunited Liberating Forces, would be able to select, the best homes and land, of the Fleeting and Dead Jews and    warned that any Palestinian, who does not join our mighty Arab army, would be killed as a Traitor!   

The War of
Independence begins

Evacuating the wounded
and casualties

   Shortly after the U.N voted for a Partition, to Share Palestine between the Arabs and the Jews... A mob of Arabs, attacked Jewish settlements, stores and other businesses in and around Jerusalem, wounding and killing scores of people...My father and his partner Moty, rented their garage from Mustafa, the Arab owner of the property; he hid them in the basement before the shouting Arab Mob arrived which asked for  "The Two Jewish Mechanics, who were working in this Garage! "They did not come today!"X The Arab owner told the Mob...  My father and Moti stayed until they Mob Dispersed and came back home, late at night... I was very young (four) and was oblivious to the Historical Drama, which was playing around me... In the past, I met  Mustafa and played with his children, whenever I came to visit Aba in the garage. Mustafa was always nice! "He gave mw and and his kids candy and sent us to play Outdoors!"Some Arabs are bad, but others are good;"Mustafa is a Good Arab!" I was thinking, trying to clear the confusion from my young brain...

 

The Castel in the past

 In Israeli hands

   Since 1000 BCE, after King David concord Jerusalem   The Castel, which was a strong and Massive Fortification    stood on top of a high mountains, which surrounding the city, looked like some kind of a Big threatening Monster! Whoever held this strategic fortress,was able to prevent    the vital supplies of food and drinking water, from  arriving to the  city..By doing so,the Arabs hoped to eventually force  an Eventual Surrender...Throughout history, the inhabitants of Jerusalem gathered rain water, storing it in cisterns... If the rain was not strong enough, during the winter and the supply of water in the cisterns dried up, the people would collect water from the many Springs outside the city...

 

    Right after the United Nations declared Israel as 'Legitimate Country' and Home of the Jewish people  Five Arab countries, got together in a war against the Newborn State of Israel... The Palestinian Arabs who until then lived peacefully, with their Jewish neighbor,  were told that if they do not join the United Arab Army, they would be killed as Traitors!  They also warned to 'starve' the 150,000 Jewish people in Israel: Men, Women, Children and the Elderly... The Arabs were convinced, that within a short time of withholding Medicine, Food and Water, in addition of bombing the city day and night; the Besieged     City would eventually have to surrender...

Water rationing

Sandbags protection

   The first move the Arabs made, was to take over the Castle in order to prevent supplies of food, medicine and arms, from arriving to the besieged city... The small amount of supplies left in Jerusalem, was rationed: Each person was given two slices of bread a day,with a measured amount of drinking water.The water was distributed by small trucks and donkeys and carts, to the people who were waiting with buckets and cooking pots, to collect each every precious drop of water...The  women of Jerusalem went to the open fields, to collect wild vegetable named "Chubeza", so they could feed their hungry families...They were   trying to avoid the non stop shooting which was directed at them... Some made it and others did not...

 

The chubeza "fruit"

Wild chubeza

   The Air Raid sirens were going on and off, as the city was bombarded day and night... My dad was busy in the garage, fixing the cars, buses and few motorcycles for      the Jewish soldiers... My mother wouldn't let me or my brother get out of her sight and was taking us with her       to collect the small amount of bread each family recived My brother and I were always by her side: “I don't want to go on living, if my kids would be hit by a shell, or become  Orphans, growing up without a mother... If we have to die, we are going to die together!" Ima said...

    After being cooped up inside the small apartment, my nine years old brother Rami, became restless   and rebellious... In spite of Ima's warnings, he would escape and run to join the neighborhood's boys    who were exchanged "Shrapnels" (remains of a bomb) they collected from the streets. Rami was often spanked by our usually calm and loving mother, who never before  raised a hand to hit us, X"you may be killed by a shell?!” I remember her screaming hysterically."I could be killed by a bomb right here, in this apartment, not only on the street!  I am already 'Dying of Boredom' in this Dungeon!” My brother said... One night when the Air Raid siren went off again, my mother was carrying me in her arms down the stairs, to the "safe" apartment of our neighbors, when a tiny flash of fire, zoomed about three inches from me... I could hear my mother's heart beating wildly, as she screamed with terror, squeezing me to her  chest.  As far as I  can remember, this would be the last time I will experienc this kind of fear! From that moment on, my family and friends began to be call me "Fearless Shira", I was never afraid again...

 

Supply convoy
to Jerusalem

Destroyed armored

 

truck

   As the months passed by, the siege began to take its toll... Several people in Jerusalem died from starvation and others from lack of Medicine... The 'Hagana' members tried again and again to take over the Castel, in order to bring food for the besieged people of Jerusalem; but were pushed back with heavy losses...Convoys of trucks, loaded with medicine and food, tried time and again, to get to the Besieged city, driving through a canyon called 'Bab El Wad', were attacked by the Palestinians villagers, who opened fire from the surrounding mountains.Young brave men and women, were risking their lives, time and again, in order to relieve the suffering of the 'Besieged city' by bringing the necessary Food, Medicine,Water and Ammunition to Jerusalem, but it was difaclt to do... 

   I remember the day I came home after playing with my friend Leora who lived downstairs, and saw  my cousin Lea husband Yosi, from Tel Aviv... I was staring in disbelief, as he was emptying boxes, on top of our table and  sofa: Fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, cheese, oil, sugar, tea, coffee, cocoa, sardines and jars of olives, jam and honey and other canned food...Yosi was one of the drivers who risked their lives, driving under heavy fire, on a dirt road named Bab El Wad, situated between the two tall mountains from were  the Arabs were shooting... Besides the food,Yosi and the other drivers, risked their lives by bringing fresh Ammunition to the besieged and hungry city of Jerusalem! There were also packages of food, sent to my  parents, Rami and me, which were given to him, by our worried and concerned family members from Tel Aviv, Givat  Ada, Benyamina and Ramat- Gan...There was also a big foot ball for rami and a doll for me!

  

   I was standing near the door, watching with astonishment, the 'Mountain of plenty'  which was growing higher and higher and was looking up at Yosi, as if he was a Magician or some kind of a God! “Ima, may I have an apple?” I whispered in my mother's ear.. Yosi who heard me, picked up a red apple, wiped it on his shirt and with tears in his eyes handed it to me... "My God!" He said to Ima,"Who would believe that a day would come when we see our children go hungry?..."

 xxx 

David Ben Gurion

Bab el Wad Memorial

   All throughout the war and siege, the people of Jerusalem took comfort from our admired Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, whos voice on the radio was full of courage and national pride and hope, to the besieged people of our city and the rest of the citizens of our New Born Israel...  Ben Gurion was able to infuse everyone with strength! Mainly the new immigrants,who lost their families, in he Gas Chamber before arriving in Israel, our old beloved Biblical Homeland...

 

   While the war was still raging, an old abandoned road, leading to Jerusalem, was discovered and the 'Hagana' fighter, began to widen and clear it, in order to bring more Food, Medicine and Ammunition to the besieged city...  It was named the 'Burma Road'. Soon, trucks and armored buses, were driving at night connected Jerusalem, with the rest of the country... After several mounts of siege, a short 'Cease Fire' was declared and families, which were separated for a very long time, were able to reunite! My father insisted that Ima would take my brother and me, to her family in Rechovot, away from Jerusalem... Aba was unable to join us, busy fixing the few old cars, trucks, Jeeps, Buses and Motorcycles, which the Hagana members used for the war...  I will always remember the bumpy ride of the bus, on this unpaved 'Burma Road' and how 'Ima' was telling Romi and me to bend down, whenever we were passing close to an Arab village, in case they spot our camouflaged bus and shoot at us...I could tell that Ima was very scared and so were the rest of the passengers, who were mostly Mothers with Children...

"Our" tank

 Orange grove

   It was in Rechovot, where I celebrated my fifth birthday while the War of Independence was raging on three fronts of our newly born tiny country. Israel was fighting for its life.There was barely enough ammunition, to train the new born 'Jewish Army' which consisted mainly of Israeli born men and women("Sabras") and those who survived 'Hitler's Concentration Camps' and managed to reach the shores of 'Palestine' (present time Israel) Most of these newcomers, who lost their entire families, in the Nazis    'Gas -Chambers', were given a gun and joined the small, newly born Israel's army, fighting against the combined forces of Seven Arab Countries...

    I have very few memories from the time we spent in Rechovot... One of my memories is playing 'Hid and Go Seek' in an orange grove, with my two cousins;Yosi and Amnon. We  played 'War' in a rusty old skeleton of a Turkish tank, from the First World War, which stood in an open field, not too far from the Locksmith shop of my Grandfather (my mothers dad) We were running barefoot on the warm earth, playing "WAR" throwing at each other the oranges, we picked from the trees... I also recall the day when the three of us were playing at home, when the Air Raid Siren went off!  Everyone was running to the shelter in the basement, except for me and Amnon, my three years old cousin... I was standing and laughing  uproariously, as I watched him trying to hide inside the Armoire in his parents bedroom when our mothers come running and started to drag the two of us in to the shelter...

  As far as I can remember, I was always fearless and laughing, when others next to me, were 'scared to death'... I was often wondering if my 'Lack of Fear', began after that night in Jerusalem, when my mother was holding me in her arms, rushing down the stairs, to the shelter and a Bullet past by me. Ima screamed  and was holding me tight, close to her chest....Was it my 'lack of fear or some kind of a 'Higher Power which protected me, by changing the Fear of a four years old child, into Laughter? Is this the reason why years later I would have no fears at all?  Whatever the reason is; I would rather be Laughing!

With Love and Light, 
Shira