Houston, Texas . XX V, OO

Hello everyone,

   The time in Syracuse passed very fast and before realizing, I had to leave for Texas...It was sad and my eyes teared, when the time came to say goodby... Some of the little kids clung to me and cried, asking that I stay forever... I promised to keep in touch and try very hard, to come back for a visit during my summer vacation... Unfortunately, I lost my Instamatic Camera with all the photos I took in Syracuse.It broke my heart, to realized I will not be able to share with my father's family in Israel, the photos of these newly discovered relatives, whom I I learned to love so much... All I could do was to engraved their image on the walls of my heart as a safe keep, where they will stay forever...

    I arrived to Texas, in time to begin my Freshman Year at the University of Houston and teach at the Temple's Hebrew school, just in time for the holiday of 'Rosh-Hoshana', the Jewish New Year... The school was a small part of an enormous contemporary, magnificent building, made out of marble, glass  and imported Jerusalem Stone... The synagogue was very large, with upholstered chairs and thick carpets  which I have never seen in the humble, small Synagogues in Israel... "No wonder synagogues are called 'Temples' in the U.S"... I told myself. How different this school was from the one I taught in the slams of Jaffa in Israel, where my pupils were the sons and daughters of large families, whos fathers or brothers were spending time in jail for petty or serious crimes... How clean, well-behaved and disciplined, the school kids in Houston were and so privileged, without even realizing it! I found myself enjoying the Reform Jewish Movement and it's liberal outlook of the Jewish religion... "If we had such a choice in Israel, instead of the Old, Archaic and Fanatic Orthodox Synagogues, where women and men are not allowed to sit next to each another, maybe my friends and, I would not become Atheists !" and I prayed that one day, Conservative and Reform Judaism, would be available in Israel as well!

 A freshman at the
University of Houston

   The school principal arranged for me to live in a rented room, at the home of   an old motherly woman,whose husband used to be a conservative Rabbi, before   having a stroke... The poor man was shuffling around the house, mumbling to himself... Since he was told that I just came from Israel, he kept on asking me     if the Messiah already arrived... "No, Rabbi" I answered, as if I was talking to     a child "The Messiah didn't come yet, but the moment he does,I promise to tell you!" Fortunately, I spent very little time in the house,since I was busy studying  at the university during the day and in the afternoon was teaching Hebrew and Jewish studies at a temple school, one hour away... I was also giving private Hebrew lessons and preparing "My homework", for my university at night...

 Rambler

   The Hebrew school's administration, offered me a lone( which would be will    be deducted from my celery) in order to buy a used a car... I bought a used car from an Israeli student, who graduated and was going back to Israel, for 'four hundred dollars'... It was a big gray old Rambler, in good condition, which reminded me of a massive, strong Tanks in Israel. "Can you believe it?!" I      wrote to my  family and friends in Israel" I have been in the United states              for such a short time      such a short time and I already have a car!"  This is America for you... 
 
   Tsipi arrived in time for her winter semester, at a small Junior college...The two of us were able to find   a one-bedroom apartment, on the second floor of two stories building, which had a swimming pool! We bought used furniture and an old television (which was not yet available in Israel yet) and  immediately met the few other Israeli students in Houston (all guys) Our small apartment became a gathering place where our gusts sat on the rickety, second hand sofa old chairs and pillows which we spread on the floor. We were talking, arguing, telling jokes, laughing out loud, eating "Hot dogs" and "Chips"(french fries)  and 'getting drunk' on Coca Cola... At times, we would sing Hebrew songs, with our friend David, who was playing his harmonica... We became a small family; the old timers taught us 'the ropes' and we all helped each other if  and when ever help was needed... We couldn't believe our luck!

Celebrating the
Seder on Passover

University of
Houston

   Tsipi and I became friendly with several American students from our schools and created a new group of    English-speaking students, who gathered at our place         as well... Howard, would play"Spiritual melodies" on      his guitar, teaching us songs of the black slave,who were yearning for freedom.We sang"Let My People Go" "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "I am on my way, to the Promised Land..."  Several families from the Jewish congregation "Adopted" us and we were often invited for Friday night dinners at their large, spacious homes which judging by Israeli standards, seemed to be like 'Miniature Palaces'... Because of lack of time (and money) these visits would often be the only hot meals we had that week... For the important Jewish holidays, like Passover and Rosh Hashana, we were invited to the home of the Israeli Consul and his family's at their beautiful home home and were happy to speak Hebrew again 

A jazz club
in New Orleans

Tsipi and I at
the oil refineries

    Zippi and I were Free! Free to do whatever we wanted...      We didn't have to report to anyone and were free from our parents' worries and nagging... In those days, a transatlantic phone call was so expensive, neither us, nor our families in Israel were able to afford...The thin blue Airmail letters, we sent back and fourth, would sometimes take about a month    to arrive... On the weekends,Tsipi and I traveled in the old 'Rambler' (my second hand car) outside of Huston, with two American brothers, she met in her school... We drove to other states,visiting cities like New Orleans, where we became intoxicated on Mint Juleps and Jazz...The greatest sensation of freedom came when we realized, that no matter how far we drove,we did not have      to worry about crossing a border, with hostile neighboring countries, or ("God farbid") step on a mine!

    At times, we were invited to the home of our professors, to celebrate Thanksgivings, as well as the 4th of July, Labor day, Christmas and Easter, which was very exciting, since we did not have these holidays in Israel... How magical it was to be introduced to new holidays, even though we felt a bit guilty, for ejoying these"Non Jewish Holidays"...Tsipi and I went on date, with guys we met in school or were introduced to by our Israeli "brothers" and the new "adopted" families... However, neither of us found the one who can  make our heart beat faster and sweep us off our feet... This longing and yearning to be in love, to finally meet our right partner, our "Bashert" (Yiddish for the 'destined one') were the only sadness we felt, during these amazing two years in Texas...

   Since we were very busy with our hectic schedules, we had no time to read newspapers, or watch the news on television and didn't realize, that big political changes, were taking place in the U.S; especially   in our own back yard!  Therefor, it came as a shock to notice the deep prejudice against blacks in Texas... Just before Passover, I asked my students to go to the public library and check out Uncle Tom's Cabin, the book my friends and I read in Israel, in its Hebrew translation, when we were eleven or twelve years old    I still remember how deeply moved I was, by the plight of the black slaves... The reason I wanted my students to read this book, was because the Passover holiday was arriving and we were studying in our bible class, how Moses liberated the Jewish slaves in Egypt and took them on a forty-years journey across the Sinai desert, which ended up in Canaan, our present day Israel... I believed that reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, would help the kids understand better, the pain of the black slaves in America, before the Civil  War and enable them, to relate better to our biblical ancestors, who were slaves in Egypt... I was hoping that the kids in my class, may become more aware of the pain and suffering, the 'blacks' in America,were  experiencing in the U.S , especially in the south...  I  was hoping that even though, my students were still young, these books may help them realize the important actions of the Civil Rights Movement, which took place  at the moment, during in their own country...the United States of America....

  The following week, I was stunned to hear by one of my students, that the librarian told her, she should not be reading such "Nasty books!" When I told the principal of the Hebrew school, how shocked I was and about my plan to go to the library and give the librarian a piece of my mind, he said;  "Don't even think about it Shira!" I was stunned..."Why not? how can we be silent, especially after the Jews were slaves in Egypt and in Hitler's hands!" X The principal looked deep in to my eyes and sternly said:  "Shira, America is not Germany! We the Jews in the South, are doing very well and plan to keep it          this way! X We don't need any problems here!" For the first time in my life I was speechless...

    A year and a half after our arrival in Texas, my mother came for a visit... Since Tsipi lost her mother  before she turned sixteen, my mom spread her motherly wings over her, like a "Surrogate mom". "It is time for the two of you to come back home, to Israel!" My mother was said "What are you two doing here all alone, without a family, with no one to take care of you or be by your side if you need help?! The two of you are getting older! It is time to return home, find nice Israeli guys and get married!"  Our protests, that we still have two more years to receive our BA, fell on deaf ears. "We have universities in Israel as well!" Came her motherly answer...

Our Greyhound bus

Central Greyhound
bus station

   Tsipi and I promised to come back home after the end of the school year... We didn't want to admit, even to ourselves, that we were starting to be home sick and miss our small country, our families and old friends... However, there was no way we were going back,with out  seeing more of the United States! our funds were limited, but we found out that for one hundred dollars we couldtravel for three months, all over the U.S on  'Greyhound bus'... So when the school year was over we got rid of our used furniture, I sold my car and with two pieces of luggage, Zipi and I went to the bus station, ready to begin our final new adventure: Discovering and getting to know more of "America!" 

With Love and Light,
Shira