Hello everyone,
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| Chanuka Party |
For our Hanuka party in my nursery school, I was given the honor of
lighting the candles for the first day of Hanuka and was chosen to be the only one to wear a special paper crown, with a 'dradle' on top... Our teacher Sera, helped me light the first of the eight candles and I felt very special and important! On Saturday, the following morning Ima woke me up with a smile. "Good morning 'Motek
shely' (my sweetheart) we are going to Ruty's birthday party
today and you will get to wear the new white dress with the pompoms, which I
knitted for you, the one you love and call the Cinderella dress!" I
jumped out of bed and looked at the sunlight, which was coming in through the shutters of the window and were making lines and shapes, on the tile floor of my room. "XI love birthday parties! I love my new white dress Ima made for me, I love
Ima! I love life!"
There are many kids and parents in Ruty's apartment... Colorful balloons are floating close to the ceiling and a Biiiiiiiiiig birthday
cake with four candles, is standing at the center of the round table...All of Ruthi's friends
from our kindergarten and their mothers are there, next to her aunts and cousins, crowded in the small room of the apartment. I look around and see that all the girls are wearing pretty clothes,
but I know that My Dress, the one I call my "Cinderella Dress", which Ima knitted for me, it is the nicest! dress! I whisper it in her ear
and she agrees with me!
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| My 'Cinderella dress' |
There is a photographer standing on the small porch, taking pictures... When I was little, I was afraid of cameras and photographers.
I always cried when I saw a man standing behind an open stepladder, with
a black box on top of it and covers his head face and even the camera, with a black cloth, before taking the picture... The camera of the photographer in Ruthy's party, is different; it is very small and he carries it in his hands... My brother Rami, has his
picture taken and I tell Ima that I want to take one too."Beseder"(ok) she
says, "But don't start crying like you
always do, when the photographer takes your picture!" My feelings are hurt. "But Ima, I am not a little girl anymore, I am big now! I am already four
and a half!" I say and smile at the camera...
That night, after coming back home from the party (with a red balloon in my hand) I
am going to sleep feeling very happy... I wake up to the sound of yelling and loud banging on
the front door! Ima runs to my bed and lifts me out. I can feel how her heart is ticking loud, almost like our grandfather clock...When Aba opens the
door, 'Britishsoldiers' come bursting in... They look like those I saw on the bus, when
we went to Rechovot. The soldiers are wearing red hats, they are holding long sticks which are called guns, with big knives at the end... They
are yelling and screaming wards that I don't understand, they begin to stick the knives into the mattresses of my parents bed and then into Rami and my mattresses. I can tell that Ima is very scared. Rami is holding on to my father's hand and his eyes are
open very wide...
One of the soldiers, is walking to my bed and picks up my beloved teddy bear. I begin to scream:"I want my Dubi!”
Duby is my one-eared bear, which I had since
I was a baby. I am terrified that the Britishsoldier is going to stick him with his knife and I scream: "I want my Duby!!!!" I try in vain to
get away from Ima's grip. My arms, are stretched forward towards my bear, held by the Britishsoldier. Aba shoves
Rami
behind him, his face is white and angry, he walks to the soldier, who is holding my Dubbi and starts
to yell at him in English. Aba knows how to speak
English, because he is fixing the cars of all the Britishsoldiers in his Garage... Ima puts a hand on Aba's arm to stop him, but he shakes it off! "You call yourselves Civilized People?!" He is saying in a choked voice."How dare you barge in to our home in the middle of the night and scare
women and children, with your screams and Bayonets?! Where is your common sense?! Can't you tell we are not terrorists?!
Where are your famous British manners,You should be ashamed of yourselves! Give the child her toy right now!” The soldier's
face turns very red, he hands me my bear; I grab it from him and hold it tight against my heart...
Now, the soldiers are nice and talk quietly. One of them puts his
hand on Aba's shoulder and smiles at him when they talk... Ima invites
them to sit at the table in the living room. She spreads on it the tablecloth
which is for 'guests only' and brings tea and a plate
of the sliced healthy cake she baked yesterday...“I no speak English good, men
of England love trink tea, yes?” She says smiling her sweet smile.
"Sorry no have milk for tea, we vegetarian, milk for baby cow, not people..." Everyone is laughing now. The soldiers sip the tea and praise the delicious cake, while Aba is giving them a lesson about vegetarianism..."Yes,
yes," They say, "Vegetarian, just like Gandhi in India!" Finally the British soldiers get up and walk to the door, they stand straight, put their hand on their
red hats and leave... One of them gives me and Rami candy, wrapped in a colorful shiny paper -- A real candy! Ima and Aba allow us to put it in our mouths, even
though it is not vegetarian candy; "Because the children just went through a big trauma and we should make an exception!" They say.
All is quiet again and I am back in my bed, covered with the soft, fluffy
white blanket and holding Duby close to my heart... “Britishsoldiers
are only a little bad, Duby." I whisper in my bear's ear. "Britishsoldier
gave me and Rami Real candy, they are also a
little good!"
As I slowly drift into sleep, I imagine that the field near King
David's tomb, is covered with the British solders, wearing
their red hats... Next to them is a field, covered with the red flowers 'Kalaniot'... These flowers have a small black circle in the middle and red leaves around it... Suddenly a light wind begins to move the flowers from side to side, back and forth,
back and forth, until my eyes close and I fall asleep...
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I highly recommend the two 'Award Winning' movies; Exodus and Oh Jerusalem, which were based on international bestselling books and describe the events, which took place, during these historical times, before and during the Second World War, when we lived in Jerusalem...
With Love and Light
Shira
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