Readers' Letters - 215
A home for divorced Bedouin women
Ruth Reznick - whom I am proud to say is an old friend of mine – is the founder of the first shelter for battered women in the country which was in Herzliya. She has asked me to write about a new project she has in mind for the divorced women in the Bedouin community of Rahat in the Negev. They have no rights and she would like to raise funds to set up a home for these abandoned women, who are thrown out of their homes with no help offered.
Adele Rubin, Sderot
The Package Saga
A friend in the States offered to bring me something on his upcoming family visit. I asked for a book and some DVDs, which he kindly got. He was staying with family in Tel Aviv and agreed to mail them to me, which he did just after Succoth – experiencing our Post Office's Corona inspired protocols for the first time. Regardless, the Tel Aviv postal clerk accepted the package without question, weighed it, said there would be no problem, and accepted payment.
Knowing the backlog that often follows major holidays, I waited patiently for a month. When no package notice came I emailed my friend, asking for the tracking number. He said he would check. We waited some more.
On November 29th I received this email from him: "Package to Siri arrived at my house today – amazing". At first I thought it went to his Tel Aviv family, but no, it had arrived at his home in New York!
We were dumbfounded, then the pieces started falling into place: from habit he had written his return address in New York City instead of the family's TA address, and my address as "Eilat, ISRAEL".
What we can't figure out is:
* Why wasn't it delivered to Eilat anyway?
* How did it get through the USPS with an Israeli postage sticker?
* How did it get a US Custom's sticker marked "No Customs Form"?
Israel is truly a land of miracles...
Siri Jones-Rosen, Eilat
Bar Sagi, taken at her
batmitvah, age 12
Do you have children or grandchildren who write poetry in English?
Download details of the 4th Bar Sagi Young Poets Competition run by Voices Israel Poetry in English Group. The competition is open to high school students 12-19 and is sponsored by the family of Bar Sagi, a talented poet who tragically passed away at the age of 15.
Submit entries by end February, 2023. You can see the guidelines on www.voicesisrael.com/bar-sagi-prize-guidelines.
Wendy Blumfield, Haifa
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Walking Football in Israel
Benny Last wrote an article on Walking Football in Israel which was published in ESRA Magazine #212 in our April 2022 edition and hence Deb Caspi referred the question to him.
Dear Benny Last,
Do women play in Israel? Here in (Leeds) England we have a fantastic mixed group with around 10 women who regularly play.
Deb Caspi, Leeds, UK
Benny Last responded:
Hi Deb,
Walking Football is still in its early stages here in Israel. It is growing slowly and is now played in five towns. However, it is still very niche, and therefore not widely publicized. During this last year, I received one enquiry from a lady. When I told her we were playing 8 a side, and she would be the only woman with 15 men, she declined.
I think there will be ladies' teams in the future, but the sport will need to gain a lot of traction before we reach that stage.
I have two new knees and I am loving the sport. Hope you are enjoying it too,
Best wishes,
Benny Last
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