From the Editor - 222

December 2024 ESRA News

The War Rages and Life Goes On

Some outstanding people are featured in this issue. Aviva Lavi tells us about Assaf and Yotam Doktor, the owners of Ha-Achim Restaurant, who, one day after October 7, 2023 decided to help in the best way they could – to cook. They mobilized 3,000 people for cooking, packing, management and transportation in one of the most impressive civilian initiatives the State of Israel has seen.

Dr. Ian Froman, the founder of Israel's tennis centers, has passed away. David Kaplan writes that this chapter in the history of tennis in Israel is referred to as the "Froman Revolution". In 1989, Froman received the Israel Prize in recognition both for his contribution towards striving for excellence in the sport, and for providing community enrichment programs and popularizing the sport across the socio-economic divide. Ian was also my daughters' dentist and I recall a day we were at his clinic in Tel Aviv during the Six Day War when the sirens sounded and we rushed from the dental chair to a public shelter.

Legendary are the adventurous Mirvish sisters who created the Dervish gallery and travelled to India, Nepal, Morocco, Yemen, Turkey, China, Russia, Indonesia and African countries on buying sprees of crafts. Suzanne Schwartz writes that S.S. Grossberg and her great uncle Harry Schur, from my home town Bulawayo in the then Southern Rhodesia, contributed an initial donation to the building of a retirement home called "Elternheim" in Ramat Gan in the early 1950s soon after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.

"Cooking Together: The Israeli Pantry" is a compilation of recipes originating from the Gaza Envelope by people who suffered so appallingly on October 7 and who are struggling to recover. Judith Cooper-Weill reviews the book and brings three pages of recipes.

The atrocities of October 7, the horrific plight of the hostages and those who survived, haunt us. As does the ongoing war and the unnecessary loss of too many of our soldiers and people. We bring you three articles by Lydia Aisenberg – Nova, Plain of Blood and Tears, Heavy Blankets Brigade: Wrap-around Support for Israeli PTSD Sufferers, and Helter, Skelter to the Shelter. Sharon Givoni, originally from Australia, writes about her encounters with sirens and shelters. David Broza describes and illustrates ESRA's trip to the communities along the Gaza border, which bear witness to the devastating aftermath of October 7, and the people, memorials and stories.... and the war that still rages. Three moving poems bring personal stories: Hold a Light by Orli Summers; Grandmother's Gaza by Pessy Krausz and Forgotten Humanity by Maddy Levine. Carol Novis reviews "The Heroes of October 7th: Heroic Stories for your Children" by Hadassa Ben-Ari.

Artist Evgenia Shaposhnikov, arrived from Russia a year ago. You can see some humorous drawings of the bustling streets of Tel Aviv with which she fell in love - its colorful population, buildings, embankments, boulevards from her series of works "These Drawings smell of Falafel". Carol Novis writes about the Kfar Saba few people know which deserves to be better known; Sharona Liman is making that her mission through the tours she organizes of history, art, nature, and interesting stories. For an overseas Jewish experience, read Jeffery Winter's account of his trip to Ireland, exploring the countryside, culture, and aspects of the Jewish experience in a country where Jews were never welcomed.

For a few lighter-hearted stories about fashion, read Lisa Starr's Beginner's Guide to Shopping and Sharon Givoni's Old Style.

To experience some down-memory-lane stories, read Back to Bad Kissengen by Rosi ben Yakov; American General Patton's visit in 1978 to Galia Miller Sprung's small moshav in the Jordan Valley Rift; David King's army experiences – On the Road to an Ambush in Marjayoun, Lebanon, March 1978 Operation Litani, and On the Syrian Border of the Golan Heights, 1979.

Fascinating for those writers amongst you is Hilary Lavi's account of her writing experience with MemoMate, an AI program where she explored her past and had a thrill reliving happy moments.

ESRA offers you a myriad of activities – social and cultural, lectures online and face-to-face, tours, hiking, photography, book clubs, shopping in our second-hand shops and bookshops, art enrichment at TAMA, volunteering in tutoring English, administrative help, magazine distribution, and much more. For a taste of our community projects read What's Up at ESRA. And please donate to our Campaign.

Gain some legal insights into the new Purchase Tax Benefits for olim and the Silent Partner in making a will. Alan Caplan enlightens with his latest bridge article, Back to the Future. Wine columnist Martin Sinkoff interviews wine expert Roni Saslove. Laugh out Loud with Jennia's jokes. Rack your brains with solving our 222 Crossword.

Bye for now,

Merle

About the author

Merle Guttmann

Merle Guttmann was born and educated in Zimbabwe and immigrated to Israel in 1962. She is well-known in Israeli Anglophone circles and Israel’s social and volunteer fields. A social planner, writer, editor and active community leader, she has held tens of positions serving Israeli society.

Guttmann has an M.A. degree in Social Planning from Bar Ilan University, and a B.A. from Cape Town University. She has taught at the Tel Aviv and Bar Ilan Universities and worked in Israel for the National Insurance Institute, Maccabi Health Fund, Ministry of Defense, and other public bodies. She has authored many publications and articles.

For over forty years Ms. Guttmann has been actively involved in the world of volunteering in Israel. She has helped set up numerous nonprofit organizations and served on their board of directors. Her most recent position (2003–2009) was chairperson of ETZA – Israel Self Help Center. She has also served on the boards of the Center of Small Businesses in Raanana (Mati), the Center for Family Peace (Herzliya), the National Council of Voluntarism in Israel, Telfed – South African Zionist Federation, the United Jewish Israel Appeal, and is a former member of the Kfar Shmaryahu Local Council.

Guttmann was the founder and chairperson and is the Life President of ESRA – English Speaking Residents Association, a self help organization composed of volunteers assisting in the absorption of English speakers and a multitude of social and community welfare projects for immigrants from distressed countries, disadvantaged families and people with disabilities. She is also the Editor of the ESRA MAGAZINE which she initiated in 1979.

Guttmann is the recipient of many awards for her contribution to Israeli society including the Israel President’s Award for Voluntarism (1992), the Prime Minister’s Award for Outstanding Volunteer Leadership (1999) and the Telfed Yakir Zion (2008).

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