I hosted a fundraising event at our home on April 5, 2016. I invited 28 close friends, most of whom are ESRA members, to a Devonshire tea party, including salmon and cucumber sandwiches, home-baked English scones, butter, whipped double cream and strawberry jam. The previous day I moved some furniture, added some tables and chairs and thus converted our living/dining room into an English teashop with seating for 28 people. We set the tables with everything one would need. The next morning the baking began, and I baked 60 large high scones. We also prepared the 100 sandwiches, whipped the cream and put out the strawberry jam, sugar cubes,sweetener pills and serviettes, and of course, real English tea in teapots and milk in milk jugs.
At 4pm on the dot my friends began to arrive and within minutes we were all seated. I made a short speech explaining that in six weeks Marion and I would be celebrating our 60th wedding anniversary. I pointed out that during those years I had been working as a dentist for 54 years. When I retired I had a hole to fill, and lucky for me, Melvyn and Maxine Sandler, Marion and I, Doreen Finegold, Marsha Ohayon, Betty Richman, with help from Jane Krivine and Brenda Katten formed an ESRA committee and started ESRA Haifa. This now takes up more of my time than dentistry did, but I love it.
Back to the tea party! All the food was eaten and a few scones were taken home for spouses who could not come. Marion went around and collected NIS35 from each person, totaling just over NIS 900. She then announced that the next day was my birthday (84 to be precise) and I added that I would make the collection up to NIS 1,000 and donate the total sum to ESRA on behalf of my birthday.
The next day, after reorganizing our home again, I continued with my usual work and finalized details for our monthly talks for the next two months.
Now I can relax a bit, but I still have letters to write and answer. But then so do we all. It's all voluntary and exciting.