Taking Shape, Slowly but Surely

When I was asked to set up an ESRA committee in Sderot to enable ongoing support for the wonderful projects here supported by ESRA – a course in Civil Rights at Sapir College for young leaders from the Ethiopian community (Mezach) and the project of young leadership at the Gutwirth High School in which Herb Levine is involved – I didn't realize the surprising ramifications. I knew there were very few native English speakers here. But I am discovering others.

One is Michal Eliav, who volunteers for the young leadership project. I then heard from a South African ESRA member, Lucille Eilon, who lives on Moshav Nativ Haasara on the northern Gaza border – she read about ESRA in Sderot and offered to volunteer here and is a great asset.

A couple of days before our second meeting, I was in Café Guta with the latest ESRAmagazine and a man at a nearby table asked, "Is that ESRA? I was a member when I lived in the center of the country." He is Jonathan Kounitz, originally from America, who now lives at Moshav Heletz.

There is a young American girl, Talia Isaacson, who lives in the student dorms at Sapir College and is learning Hebrew. At the Gutwirth High School is an ex- South African, Carol Wolff, head of the English department, who lives in Moshav Talmei Yaffe – a moshav on the way to Ashkelon.

At the last meeting there was Ye'shi (Jesse) Reinhardt, an American who now lives in Sderot, who set up Hands Of Mercy, a center for donations of food, clothes, everything. Liat Ben Eliyahu, whose parents came from Canada, is the Sderoti who introduced me to most of the people. I couldn't manage without her help.

An American, Dr. Merav Moshe, Head of the Social Work department at Sapir College, has joined ESRA and is supporting our fledgling committee in Sderot. Most of those mentioned here work hard or are already contributing to the community. I would be happy to hear from any English speakers in Sderot and the surrounding areas.

Call me on 052 802 9136 or Cathy on 09 950 8371