Who would have believed it?  It is hard to believe how eerily predictive my chosen title was when I wrote the Chairman's Message for the February ESRAmagazine - "The Times They Are A-Changin'". And, oh boy, how the times have changed in those few short months! I may have heard about something called Coronavirus, but I couldn't have imagined th...

Another year has zoomed past us, another Annual General Meeting and election of our Executive Board 2020 – 2021. I want to congratulate and thank Terry Morris, for the incredible job he has done in his first year as ESRA chairperson, and in such a difficult time of Corona, when the office was closed and the staff was working from hom...

Mike Amir in uniform Mike Amir with Dalia Ayalon Sinclair "How can I help you?" Vivian asked the British officer standing at his door."I want to help you," answered Mike, "I have with me aerial maps that will assist you to win this war," he added. "Why do you want to help? Wouldn't you rather join us?" asked Vivian."I am of more value to you if I continue to serve the British Army," answered Mik...

A few weeks ago, I was talking to a friend of mine and as is usual now days, the talk quickly got around to the Coronavirus. I mentioned to him that for my father, Dr. Harold (Harry) Bloomberg this would have been bread and butter. After telling him the story of what happened to our family, he told me that I had to make this story public, so t...

Selfie of the two masketeers ... Lawrence and Glenis Bertfield The Bertfields’ home overlooks road 4 in Raanana, and Lawrence took this photo on the eve of Seder Night showing no traffic in either direction. “An amazing sight,” he said  It's been the strangest of times and the best of times and in some cases the loneliest of times. We've been working on jigsaw puzzles, we've been Zooming like crazy (a funny new word entered our lexicon: oyskizoomed) and watching crazy funny videos which were very cleverly put together. Through ESRA, we have been watching so many interesting ...

 Before we started our adventure to Israel nearly 12 years ago, I wondered what my mother, Netta Green, was going to do to pass the time. I had no idea. I was introduced to Sandra Gould who was a great friend of one of my neighbors in Prestwich, Manchester. Sandra told me about the knitting club which her mother Beck attended each Tuesday. I t...

Illustration: Denis Shifrin In a rocking chair at the window she was left alone tired unwanted still behind the glass she sees her sons grandchildren little granddaughter behind the curtain sad Anka only old furniture faithful to death remained 

ESRA Beer Sheva members enjoying MahJong (from left) Judy Levin, Andrea Friedenberg, Carole Rosenblatt and Riki Mannheim. Photo: Leslie Baker​ Quint, Kong, Pung, Soap, CRAK, 369 and The Charleston! What do they all have in common? Why MahJong of course. It's the newest "Happening" with ESRA Beer Sheva. We're all learning together and having a blast. We're also forming new and lasting friendships. The main participants are: Carole Rosenblatt, Judy Levin, Ellen Danino, Ruth Friesem, Jacquel...

I listened to an interesting discussion with Yuval Noah Harari, the Israeli social historian whose ideas are having an impact on people over the world. He has written several books and speaks avidly on dozens of programs on the internet. If you haven't yet heard him, you really should. Start with his first book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankin...

Dr. Debra Gershov West ... on the front line Cast your mind back to life BC – Before Coronavirus - when we knew nothing about lockdowns, flattened curves, social distancing or herd immunity. We might have heard some reports about a new virus in China that was unlikely, we were told, to spread much further. But then it did, and the Israeli government was quick to impose strict measures, which ...