Edition No.49
Sept. 2006 – Oct. 2006
שנה טובה

NEWSLETTER INDEX

Having reached the venerable age of 81, and 57 years after making Aliyah from Australia, we thought it time to say "Shalom" to all our ex-Habonim chanichim who might still remember us from the good old days in Herzl Hall, Melbourne. 

Herewith is a short resume of our life in Israel:

We made Aliyah in February 1950 – Paul (Pinchas), Esther and Chavi (5 months old) – after 5 weeks by boat, one week in London, a hair-raising trip across the Channel, train to Italy, plane to Lod and bus to Hadera. Only women and children traveled to Hadera, as the men were taken to a bare hilltop in the Galilee to prepare the foundations of Kibbutz Kfar HaNassi. Six weeks later we joined them. 

One and a half years later we moved to Jerusalem where Paul taught Physics at the University high school, Beth Hakerem. It then moved next to the University where he also tutored at the School of Education for 34 years before moving to Beer Sheva to be near to our children and grandchildren at Kibbutz Chazerim where we continued teaching physics to pupils and teachers. 

Our varied, interesting and adventurous years can be tabulated thus:

-         Two years in Liberia, when it was still viable, working (as an Israeli) for UNESCO, programming physics from Kindergarten to University.

-         1 1/2 years in Kenya as Israel's "thank you" for their government's help in the Entebbe mission – organizing physics teaching in high schools and running courses for teachers.

-         Living through the Six Day and Yom Kippur wars and being responsible, both times, for part of the Jerusalem home front.

-         Volunteering for two years in Kiryat Shemonah from 1974, while the katyushas were falling. Paul taught physics to pupils and teachers and Esther taught English. This was in addition to joining the civil defense set up there.

-         Finally, moving to Beer Sheva and taking an active part in the Conservative Synagogue as its president for many years and also serving as president of Israel's Conservative movement for some time. 

We have now settled down to watch the world go by and wonder how you are all doing – where and what?

Our most important achievement, so far, has been in becoming great grandparents.