Dina in a recording for her parents in the year of her first marriage - 1973
Hanukkah pancakes in the first year of marriage
We were at Horowitz's for Hanukkah and then I wanted Eli to bless the tune as well. Rabbi Horowitz said the blessings without singing them at all and Uri said as well. Then we sang "What Oz Tzur." It was the eve of Shabbat Hanukkah and we were there for Shabbat.
On Sunday, when we called you, that evening Isol and Leah came to us and I made dinner with pancakes and all that. And I recorded the tape and Eli also recorded himself, and Wisol asked if Eli spoke into the tape so everyone should ?! I was so angry, I was going to record them in secret, you see, so you can just hear everyone talking, but since we spoke Hebrew it has not gone. When we called you you had to talk to everyone on the phone, but it's so frustrating. I really can not ... I do not understand it, I do not understand it, everyone is the same, Isul, Eli, everyone is ashamed to speak on tapes.
Anyway now it's a few days after. I talk to you all the time. Really, when I'm home alone I'm talking to you, it feels like I'm talking on tape and I've already made myself a tape for a whole hour already several times, but I did not have a chance to record, I do it while I cook and while I clean, so I did not have a chance to sit And talk to you.
Today was a light day for me, I do not know why, I was suddenly very tired. I slept until very late in the morning and there was not much to do at home, it was kind of one of those days. And all day there was the perfect opportunity to record for you and write and all that stuff, but there was a power outage. Sometimes the electricity stops, it happens a lot. But today it was ... usually it happens, the power goes out for a few hours or an hour, whatever, and then it comes back on. Today it was so frustrating, the lights went on and off, and on and off again and I could not do anything, it was really annoying, I wanted to bake a cake, but I could not because the mixer did not work, it was hopeless. Now the electricity is back on, so hopefully it will continue.
The tape I use is not mine, I had to get mine to Eli's friend to fix it. There is something wrong with the power connection. Anyway, even if I could plug it in, the transformer Roni gave me, it does not fit, so I was with batteries, but the neighbors upstairs (Lebanon) have the tape I use that works on 220 volt electricity, they are not at home and we have access to their apartment And I'm doing the laundry there, so I took their tape so I can make you the tape.
There are some things I have to tell you, but I ... wait a minute, I had Saturday ... today is Sunday, so it's been a week since Shisul and Leah were here. And I'll tell you about it first. It was so funny, we were not here on Saturday, like I said, we were at Horowitz, so on Saturday night we came home. The house was kind of a mess, I did not clean it so much to sit, I did not do basic things like wash the floor and all that, what I would do if we stayed to sit. So I did nothing, it was superficially clean.
I planned to get up early on Sunday .. I'm feeling good lately, really, every day I'm feeling good. I was able to get up early and clean the house and cook. I did not plan to make too much, but not just pancakes, because I did not know how they would come out, so I thought I would make fish too. I made fish, Eli loves it very much. I thought maybe Yasul would like it too, I guess it's Russian style food. I made fish and potatoes and cabbage and this big salad - an Israeli salad and potato pancakes. I love potatoes. And I baked a cake.
So I thought I would do it all on Sunday, and then on Sunday I decided I was not really stressed, so I leisurely swept the house and Eli helped me and somehow we got really clean, we cleaned and cleaned, Eli made the sponge and we started cleaning closets, and cleaning the back room and cleaning. .. it was so nice, and without him noticing, it's getting really late to start cooking, and I only have a stove that has two burners, one of which does not work so well. It's a small burner. So I really had to start cooking early, so I wanted to make both cake and fish and also cabbage and potato pancakes. So I was desperate, I started cooking, and by then I was already tired, I wanted to rest. So I lay down to rest, and told Lissul to come at 6:30.
When Sul arrived the time was 5:30, exactly, exactly, I did not fall asleep, but I was just really tired, I relaxed. I relied on what I did, everything except potato pancakes. I did not want to make the pancakes ahead of time and I just wanted to peel the potatoes and everything, and just when I was going to peel the potatoes, I just had to get up and cook, and they arrived so early that I had to get up and quickly make the pancakes. I had to peel the potatoes, and do everything, and I was embarrassed and a little confused and could not hurry, it took me a long time to prepare them, so Eli sat and talked to them while I did all the work.
I mashed the potatoes with a blender. Once, in the past I tried it and made it for me and Eli, even though I do not like them so much crushed and neither does he, so it worked pretty well when I crushed the potatoes in a blender. Not as good as when I make it by hand, but it's ridiculous, it takes forever and it's hard, so I put them in a blender. What's going on is, I guess I invested too much time. There are always big chunks of potatoes, and I put one chunk at a time, but this time I was so stressed, I just threw them away, and there were really whole chunks, and I did not know what to do, I was in such a hurry. I made the pancakes, and really, they were nice, there were nice pieces of potatoes inside, I was so embarrassed they did not come out like yours. I did not know what to soak them in, so I soaked on toilet paper that also does not soak.
Anyway, I served them and Wisol did ... I did a lot, Wisol, when he came here, he made a mistake. He said: "If there are leftovers there are ants and that is a sign that they are not good", then what happened after he said that, he had to eat them all. I felt so sorry for him, because I do not think ... I do not know. Anyway. So they ate, we ate.
Another funny thing is, I do not have any meat dishes, I'm waiting for the saucers to arrive in a lift delivery, I do not know if you remember, we have the orange cups and saucers and saucers, but I do not know if they are big enough to eat on. We had one big plate, someone gave us one big plate. I was thinking of going to buy a set, but I said ... I never got to it, because there really is no problem eating with the saucers, but when I hosted Isul, I could not let him eat on saucers, so I had to buy dishes and bought, it came out very very nice. They had a nice time.
Packages from America
And then after that, like I said, we went to the cluster level ... there were those of David. And we did not realize it was late, it was only 21:30, but apparently they had already gone to bed, I woke them up and it was so embarrassing, I had to call them before. I should have called them today, they said in a week. Tomorrow maybe I'll call them. They brought the materials. So I want to get the rest.
If already from Things about it, I got the package, it was the next day after we talked on Monday we got the package you sent with the things for Isul and the material .. Okay, I wanted to say I finally got the package, and it was also lucky, the package was so long in the mail, I received Post about it a few weeks ago, but I could not collect it because the shipment that brought the stove was ... he needed the passport and stuff, so I could not go to customs to get ... I had to pay money for it, I had to bring my passport To the customs department and they said I should not pay money.
So I could not do it until I had my passport that I got on Monday and went to pick up the package. And in the mail it was so long, that he wanted to charge me a fine, and it turns out it was 7 pounds. I had the money with me, I knew it was late, I had already received the last message and all that. So he was real and he yelled at me and said, "You should not have left it here for so long, you should have come to pick it up before." But I did not argue with him, it's really not a problem that my passport was not there and he's right, I guess and everything. It's storage space and all that.
So I said "how much?" He said, "Seven pounds." So I gave him the money and he took it and everything, and he got really sweet and he said, "Okay, this time I'll give it to you ... you do not have to pay. But next time you will arrive on time." Something that does not happen often. So that was nice.
I'll see Isul on Tuesday, because Tuesday is a wedding, we want to go and then I'll give him the stuff. So this wedding, it's the [civil] Rosh Hashanah, it's going to be a very, very small wedding. It's in the streets, you know, in the rabbinate, they have a little place in the back and people have weddings there and then they have juice and cookies or something. A very, very small wedding. Only a very close family is invited, I do not even know if people like the family from Ben Shemen, I guess they will be there, I do not know. It's an honor we were invited. They had no invitations, she wrote personal letters. She wrote me a personal letter, and she called Lissol. It was so last minute, and now with the war (Yom Kippur War) and everyone in the army, it's very hard to print ... print so fast and that's probably what she wrote. So the wedding is on Tuesday.
One day a week when it is forbidden to drive your car in Israel
You've probably heard that in Israel and many countries, there is one day a week where people do not use their cars, usually it's Sunday I guess, it's Saturday in all kinds of countries, like in the Netherlands, but in Israel the law .. did not want it to be Saturday, wanted everyone to be able to choose The day of the week he wants and then you go to the transport department or something and you get a sticker and you put it on the car and it says on what day of your day not to use your car. So most religious people, of course, chose the Sabbath.
Many others chose a different day of the week. Saturday is the only day that Isul can go visit and turn around, so he chose to disable the vehicle on Tuesday and Tuesday is the wedding day, but it's the day he is not allowed to use the car and it is very strict and there are all kinds of fines, so we will have to take a service taxi. Traveled together, but it's hard, I do not know. Only in very special circumstances are you allowed to change your day, but need to get down and arrange it ahead of time, and it can not be less than a month from the moment you choose the day, so we will take the service, but it should be fine.
Pregnant with Batsheva
The doctor told me ... I asked about Eli's first cousin, Ofra, I do not know if you remember Shoshana, this is Leah Horowitz's sister, who lived in Kibbutz Hulata, her daughter is getting married at the end of January, the last day of January, but at the time I did not know And he just said January, so I thought maybe at the beginning of the month and asked the doctor if I could go, because it's about a three hour drive from here, the kibbutz is far away, and people tell me I had to be careful not to go on long trips, that it would cause an abortion and I would just ... Understood me, anyway, he thought I wanted to go to Mount Hermon which is the highest and largest mountain in Israel, and he thought I was going there by public transport, because he said no. So he did not understand, I'll have to ask him again. At that time he hurried and all that. I'll have to ask him again if I can go. I asked if Tel Aviv is possible if I have a car, and he said Tel Aviv is fine, but not Mount Hermon, the wedding is even closer than Tel Aviv, so it would be nice if Lissol had his car, but we would drive a service taxi, it should not be too bad .
Lift delivery by ship
There are a few things I must tell you about the lift (cargo her parents send her on a ship to Israel). I wrote to you in a letter, I think you have not received it yet, I have written you the details, but I will tell you again just to make sure. We ran to .. and because Eli and I have a loan had to pay ... it is paid over a period of five years, but you start after the first year. So it's paid over a four year period, and it's £ 63 a month, which goes up ... it's really nice, it's exactly $ 720, it's not interest or anything. Over four years. And what's really lucky, is that now £ 63 is exactly $ 15, but after the Israeli election there are rumors, I think the dollar is going to be worth more in Israel, it will be worth close to £ 5. So that would probably be less for you, less than $ 15. But you will see what it is in a year from today, because £ 63, anyway, we will get along with it.
And how do you achieve that? What they do is, you rent the company that will bring the elevator to rent the company, the shipping company does not matter, I do not really know, and they tell you how much it will cost. So they write it or something. You do not pay. You do not pay. You take the contract that says some, you take it to the Washington Jewish Agency and you show them. And they will pay the company the 720 dollars and then you will pay the difference. But you do not pay in advance, because I guess they will not pay you, they will only pay the company, but you have to bring them the contract. They ask if it comes to the house. So it depends on which shipping company you get. It depends if you can find one that will bring the goods To the house. All I know is that it depends on which company you choose, all I know is they only pay for two shipping companies, in other words, if there is a shipping company which ..then you have to hire another one to bring it home, they will not pay the The bill, they will only pay for one of their own. They will not pay, say, I do not even know, let's bring to Israel, to the port, it's less than $ 720, but together with bringing it home, it's more than $ 720, they will not give it to you. $ 720, they will only look at one of the amounts. It's best to find a shipping company, if it's possible, I do not know anything about it, that will bring directly from here to here, to the house. And not to the port.
And there are some things I wondered, now that it's the last minute, I wondered if you could include in the list for a lift, if you have old furniture, some chairs or something, we would always be happy, because furniture, I do not know if you remember how expensive they are, but all the times you were , ... we used to see in Mashbir that it cost 1000 pounds. So this should give you an idea of how expensive the furniture is. So any old stuff you have or you find or something - will help. No junk, but if there's such a thing there, I do not know, if you have.
I was wondering if you can ship Head And Shoulders shampoo, I know it's unrealistic, because I will not be able to get it all my life, but really, I can not find any Israeli shampoo ... When I was last year, I bought a lot and have no more. So now I use Israeli shampoo and it's awful. It's really awful. I do not know, I remember using it, I do not know what it is, but my hair is really full of dandruff, I do not know how to get rid of them and I buy anti-dandruff shampoo, but there is no such thing here, I think there is an American brand here, but he Costs something like 30 pounds for a small jar. So if you can send Head And Shoulders and one of these great things of mine. So one big thing finally maybe a year, a year and a half so it would be great because salt is also very oily, I do not know, I do not know how to get used to it, sometime I guess, but in the meantime, toothpaste if it's okay.
And another thing Eli mentioned, I think he's saying he thinks it's cheaper than here. And the day he comes, we'll have to, I do not know, sometimes we do not have heating, and right now we use oil, which is very good, it's actually not terrible, not really cold here. The walls are very thick and it warms us up quite a bit. But it emits gases and everything, it's not the healthiest thing to use and of course, we can not hold it all night and can not put it in the room where we sleep.
But it's okay, but if you have a baby, like Judith has .. she has a big problem, because she has a central fever, but it's so cold in the house and garden and they had to buy an electric heater because they can not use gas in the same room as the baby, and it should be If it is hot all the time, you need to keep the baby warm, can not be cold, so here it is very very expensive. Electricity probably, I do not know, a small electric heater with maybe two heating units, one small, not large, that heats a room or just the area, if you can get one cheap it would be nice.
Also, I do not know if I told you, are not going to sell me the iron, because I can bring an iron anyway and there are Israelis who need it very much and are willing to pay for it and can not get such an iron, because it ..and all these things, so they They said you should send me one, so if you can send me an iron it would be nice, I do not think ... a steam iron. And Eli also needs batteries for his watch. And in Israel there is no such thing, we searched everywhere. The watchmakers look at it and they do not even know what it is. So if you can send some batteries to the watch, it might also help him.
Let me think. I do not know, that's all I can think of, but I'm sure there will be others ... I'm sure as time goes on I will think of more, but anyway, it also makes me stressed, because this tape runs out on this side. just a minute.
Sewing maternity clothes
The material you sent is very nice. Although I've peeked at it before, but it's really nice. Right now I have a dilemma, I do not know, this thing is driving me crazy. Anyway, what I want to tell you is that I looked at the material and it is very nice. The dilemma I have is that I do not know, I do not know if you have it I just ..it's hard to be big and all these things and clothes are supposed to cost you, but I, for a long time, my clothes were tight. And not because I eat so much, I really do not, things I told you are mostly unusual and for a while I did not eat at all. But I have a very big appetite now, I have an urge to eat something again, not like I used to be able to starve all day and then just eat at night. Now I have to eat at least three times a day.
But Eli is pretty strict about it, I usually eat three good meals. For example today, I ate white and a glass of milk and cheese. I do not know, grapefruit, I usually eat meat or fish every day. Today I could not eat meat or fish, really, I do not know, I did not feel like it. But I eat pretty well, I do not eat junk and cake every day, really. I love popcorn and all that. I do not know, I eat pretty well. I can not gain so much weight, but I have a very big belly, and I asked the doctor why and he told me it was gas, and he said it happens during pregnancy .., but I can not stand that something presses on my stomach, like a skirt, if it is wrapped Strong so it drives me crazy. So for the winter, I told you, I only had one skirt, I had one blue skirt, I do not know if you remember, it was a bit tight, even then it was tight. I started to get out of it, I already ... a little. Now I can not even wear it to the end. But I really needed clothes. But these are pregnancy patterns.
So there were these patterns for jumpers, around the waist in the summer. So with the Hanukkah gifts I received from you and also Aunt Betty sent me, I bought material and made two dresses. One for everyday and one for Saturday, and both came out very very nice. And they are very comfortable because they are not really maternity clothes and they look ... and they are not tight, they have a high waist, waist M of an empire, so they are close from the top but not from the bottom. And it is very convenient.
I guess I'll have to start wearing maternity clothes maybe in about a month. Regular clothes and it is foolish to put a lot of money on maternity clothes because after all, it is not a normal situation for maternity clothes. But I need more than one thing. I need to make another one, for the winter, maybe a dress and one in the summer, or when I wear more summer clothes, then I'll really be fat. Because if I'm supposed to be in June, then spring and early summer, then I'll have to make maternity clothes. So the material you sent me would be an ideal thing because we really do not have all the extra money to spend on material. And here it is very expensive to produce the dresses I make. I think it's expensive, I no longer really remember what it is in America. Maybe the price went up there too.
But here it's expensive for 100% wool, but what looks like wool, anything nice, nice plaid or solid color costs 35 pounds per meter. And to make a jumper, especially maternity clothes, you need a lot of material. So it [does not sound] to make this jumper 60 pounds, a little more with the zippers and all that stuff. So I thought [inaudible] in the material you sent and I can take advantage of it and it's nice material for most of the year and create things.
I do not know what to do, because it is perfect, the material you sent it is perfect for that skirt so maybe I will make the skirt and buy other maternity materials. I have another one anyway, it's very very nice. I'm dying to see what Evelyn Davids brought, but anyway. The material is nice and there was something else I wanted to tell you.
I got a message about the washing machine, which is great. I received a letter saying it was in Israel, and they had to send me my passport and this extra thing they sent me to a place in Tel Aviv and I guess I had to write in my passport. My passport said I had a washing machine. Then it should arrive in about three weeks they said. Or maybe more because now it's all ... the war and everything then it's very ... it takes a little longer, needs more patience.
A visit from relatives from America
Oh, a very nice thing happened. First of all, the day I brought the package home, it was Monday, that day Jerry Specter came to visit me. It was such a nice thing, really. First of all, I felt a little embarrassed that the house was kind of a mess. Although we cleaned so well on Sunday, but I still did not have a chance to clean everything because it was very late when we came home full cousin, I could not stay awake after 10:00, I am very tired, so I did not really clean it, and he came Right in the middle of all the mess and I just opened your package a bit.
So anyway, it was so nice to see him, and I've only seen him once before since he's in Israel. I once met him on the streets for just a few minutes. But since I'm very busy, I do not like to invite guests to sit, I never know how ... sometimes I feel good and sometimes I'm not the best host, I just want to sleep all the time. So I decided until I felt a little better, I would not order, so I did not order it.
But he came to visit, it was so nice. I really enjoyed talking to him, so hearing all about the Spectra. We have not corresponded to each other since we got married I guess because I was so busy, and I really want to write to her, I think about her all the time. Lately I have been dreaming about her all the time. So I want to write, especially after talking to Jerry. And the next day I got a letter from the Specters. Mrs. Specter just wrote me a nice letter, how is everything, so it was very nice. If you see her, and I'll write to her too, but Jerry came that he looked great and that he felt great and he was really excited. He just spent that Saturday with soldiers in the West Bank and they went to ... he and another whole bunch of guys from the yeshiva went there to host them and there he was really excited about it.
And right after he left, someone else knocked on the door and you know who it was? It was Arlene's girlfriend who was at my wedding, who I did not see after the wedding, right? I almost forgot about her. But she is still in Israel, until February she will be in Israel. And she located me and she came to visit. So that was a very nice surprise, I was happy about it.
That night, that Monday night, Toby's girlfriend, Shira, got engaged and she had like what we had, that you broke the plate and all that. It was a nice day, it was a big day and full of events. So that was nice. I do want to write to Roda. I have so many people writing to them, it's ridiculous.
I received a letter and she asks if Mini is married, why does she have such an impression? I had not heard from her since the night before my wedding. I received a letter from her. But I do not know. Is she? You tell me.
Also, Freddie came to visit, and no one was home. Apparently they are in Israel, and he left an address and phone number that I will need to contact. So that's nice. Also read about one of your letters, the reason why ... I think we explained to you, the reason why Eli did not get the sweater because you sent the packages to New York, because he thought Toby was supposed to go back to New York, and originally she was supposed to go to New York before she left To Israel, but then a war broke out and it was so hard for her to get a flight, so she took the first one she could get, to Chicago. And she never came to New York. So Ruthie will probably send the packages or somehow bring them here.
Also, we want to measure the windows in the Sanhedria, maybe we will go there today, visit Elyakim and Esther, but we did not deliver. So maybe one day this week I'll go and measure.
blood tests
The results of the IH are that I have AB negative blood. That's not what you have, Mom? I do not know, I guess I have to. I think what they're doing now is that they're just giving shots. I do not really know, because he gave me a note, he is a little doctor and he writes you a note about the tests you need to do, and you need to go to the HMO and do the tests. I do not understand his manuscript, so I do not know what test it is, but the people there will understand. So next week I'll have to go get it.
But Bracha (Lebanon) also has AB negative blood, and she says when she was pregnant they gave her injections and she also had no problems. Every month, a blood test and Urine tests also test her. Her blood pressure because of the routine thing, but they also gave her a shot. And she had no problems, but I do not so much understand that in your first pregnancy you never have problems. Right?
I received a letter from Ben Shemen - the funniest letter. I must say, it was the nicest letter, it was very nice, and I wrote back to them they wrote everything about the war and that they are so sorry I had to be here to see something so terrible with all of Israel she wrote about politics and she wants us to visit. And we also very much want to visit. We thought we might see them on Tuesday, so I'll see. I hope.
A few days ago I did receive the package with some music in it. And it's very nice, now I have a big pile of music. But it's good, because it's good music. This is music that if I give lessons I can use it for beginners and even more advanced students. And I also got a package we sent to Fred, but I was not in the city center yet. Just a few days ago I got to return it. But I do not think I will have a problem. So I'll have to take care of that.
The weekly dinner at Horowitz and a meeting with Ari who was on leave from the army
Something very exciting happened. Last Tuesday or Wednesday, Monday, we went to the Horowitz family for the weekly dinner we had there, and knocked on the door and Ari was home. He was given a 48-hour vacation, and it was so good to see him, really. Because he only went home once during all the time since Rosh Hashanah, I think, so he had those 48 hours and it was pretty nice to see him and it was very nice that we did not know about it, that he was at home.
He came home and Eli and I came and Aria, Toby's fiancé was there, everyone was together, it was very nice he was home. He had all kinds of stories to tell. He's a soldier, he shoots a tank. And told all about the tanks and Egypt and all sorts of stories. And how good our army is. Probably the guys, how high the morale is there, how much they help each other. In the military when you're there, people in a bad mood with the bad news, I do not know. Morale is low in the home front. But he was there, the people were desperate.
politics
Geneva's joke is even more daunting. This is a big and ridiculous joke. But up front with the boys in the army there, they are great there and in a very good spirit and they are very optimistic and they are very ... you hear all kinds of amazing stories how they help each other and do things for each other. It's very very good.
This deal in Geneva is really ridiculous. I do not know, it's embarrassing. Tomorrow is the Israeli election, I do not think I am allowed to vote because I am a temporary resident, so I think I am allowed to vote only in the city elections, but I never received anything in the mail about it, so Eli is going to vote. Big problem, because they really ... vote for Golda Meir here and for her party, they are willing to give up land and we do not want it, we want all our land. Parties are also voluntary, I do not know what the problem is. A lot of people, it's very funny, a lot of people are going to vote for Kahana, Meir Kahana is running for Knesset, the Jewish Defense League. And he has a lot of support because he says things that a lot of people feel and he is not afraid to say in politics. You know he has nothing to lose. He's not in the Knesset, so he just wants to get in, he has nothing to lose. He says what he wants, he is very visible, as always, and surprisingly a lot of people think to vote for him. Anyway, so see you tomorrow, should be pretty exciting.
Pictures
By now Stanley and Gene are supposed to be there. Send them a greeting. Yes, it's been so long. To Bryan and everyone. I was sorry then that I called too soon. Well, I guess I could not talk to everyone anyway, but I hope you send them my congratulations. Also what we did at Horowitz for Shabbat, I thought you would like to get some pictures (from lighting Hanukkah candles). It's been so long since I took pictures, so I do not know, we took, family photos of everyone lighting candles. But I have more to shoot in the film, so I want to shoot part of this wedding, so I'll get some pictures. I'll bring some pictures of the family, I hope.
Menashe - Eli's friend from the army
Speaking of which, yesterday Saturday we had Menashe and Naomi with us. Menashe is Eli's friend who took the pictures at our wedding, the colorful pictures that did not turn out so well. It was nice, it was very nice, but I was a little embarrassed because it's a different culture. Menashe is originally from Iraq or his parents are from Iraq, and Naomi is from Morocco and they have different customs, spicy, I do not know, I do not really know what ... chickpeas and tahini and sahug and all sorts of things I do not really know and I am not very interested.
I made fish and soup and made a very spicy vegetable soup, so maybe they will like it and chicken too. You know, all the traditional Moroccan things I always make, and I hope they eat and we talked about food and they said how good it is, and Menashe he liked and he wants to learn how to do it, but I do not know if it's because of my pregnancy or what, but the thought from the smell Of it, sometimes when I pass by the market I have nausea, I can not stand it, it is so full of garlic and spices. Maybe later I'll make it.
Now I have to speak quietly, because Eli is listening to what I said and he heard I said I would make these things maybe later, and he said he would hold me to it, so now I'm in big trouble, it's embarrassing, I do not want him to hear what I're saying. Anyway, we had all kinds of nuts, pumpkin seeds and chickpeas that they liked, so at least they ate something. I do not know. To me it was nice. I do not really see. What more to say.
Oh yeah, Aria, Toby's fiancé, is trying to decide what to do. He is not sure if they will stay in Israel, or if they will return to America, they have all kinds of problems. He does not know what he wants and everyone tells him what to do. Meanwhile, while he was here, his grandfather passed away. And his father was here only a few weeks ago. It was a big shock, even though he had cancer and he was very sick, it was still a blow to everyone, so his father is here with him and everyone can sit and talk and have family discussions.
Zionism
Anyway, then let's see. Let me see. I want to explain to you, a I do not know what it is like in America, I do not know what the reaction of the Jews in America is to the war in Israel (the Yom Kippur War), but in Israel it really created a great change in the people. The people after such a hard war and so many sons were lost and it is impossible not to know people who were killed and I do not know, it is a big shock, it made people think more, it made them be more serious and think more .. look at the people of Israel, this people, And think more about who we are, who we are and what we are and what we are meant for.
And we see how it becomes so clear that there is a whole world, the whole world is only interested in money, and everyone is against it and critical, and France and England and Germany, very neutral countries sign all kinds of alliances with the Arabs, not to mention Russia, and you really come to sit and start Think about where we come from and where we are going and what is happening here. Something like that really makes a person think.
And you feel in everyday life that most of the guys are gone, sitting in the front for a few months and you feel it in everyday life, in the market, on the bus, people in the grocery store, everyone is a little more serious, I do not know. Anyway, in general see it, and Eli and I decided we wanted to learn about Jewish history and America. At least in my Jewish education, I never really learned it, I learned some Jewish history, but it was so boring and it had very bad teachers and all that. But really learn a lot about this people .. there was now a power outage for about half an hour, so I had to wait for the lights to come back on and the electricity to turn on to continue.
Anyway, I lost my line of thought, but I listened to the tape and remembered. I told you how Eli and I decided to study Jewish history, and how we decided to start reading about it and start simple ... it is very very important to discover one clear general picture of the history of the people, what we went through and where we are going. And it's just amazing to see how and more and more and more, when a lot of other peoples the Greeks and Romans, the Roman Empire and now, countries are growing and growing and dying and it goes on and on and all sorts of interesting things.
So Rabbi Horowitz, Eli's father, being an educator, he has a billion books on Jewish history, so we took them all and we read them all the time and very interesting, suddenly came to see how, I do not know. It's so interesting to think about it. First of all, it is very clear, you see how each and every generation ... it is not new that all the countries are against Israel and how Russia wants to destroy us and the nationalists and the like. But you see how in every generation, throughout history, the Jews have been persecuted and the Jews have suffered. And this is not an exaggeration.
There are some history books in every generation that try to give it an excuse, and I guess it wasn't really Jews, it was everyone. It was not so, it ... There is no such thing in any other history of any other nation wherever they go, it is as if the non-Jews feel that the Jewish people - the Jews who are not in Israel, but in foreign countries, that something is wrong, that they are a people Depression, they are a poor nation, they do not even have a country.
And they are right. All this thing that the Jew is out of place, the Jew does not belong here and they are right, they are absolutely right, the Jews belong to Israel. Jews belong to the Jewish state, to the Jewish homeland promised by the patriarchs. Jews are always persecuted. They were persecuted in France and deported, and in England they were deported, and all countries. This is not new. You just have to look a little bit further back to the last few years.
Of course with England, you look back 25 years and you see, they wanted to help the Arabs when the United Nations set the division, see some .. Anyway, so that's one thing we noticed by looking through history, and another thing, which is even more, I do not know, more ... I do not know. This is such a funny thing, all the time we take for granted that we live in a time when there is a Jewish nation, the State of Israel, and it has been like this for 25 years. It's hard, for me at least, and for my age group I even assume, remember, know, we did not even live in a time when there was no Israel, World War II and the Holocaust are so far away for me, I can not even imagine such things. For me really, it's very hard to imagine, but I know it existed, and I know that 30 years ago, 40 years ago, the Jews were real, they were persecuted as a nation on earth, six million were killed and they were really hunched over, completely the opposite of the Israelis you see Today, Israeli soldiers are tall and proud. I look at Ari about seven feet tall and strong and with a little proud and haughty cheekiness, and who cares what the rest of the Americans think who cares?
When did the change occur? When did this happen? When did we become the persecuted people, a group of people here and there, a Jewish community in this city, the Jewish community in places in Germany, places in America, when did we become a nation, a Jewish nation with an army and a government, when did all this happen? And I really do not know, I really can not say. I do not know when it happened, mentality, it's kind of psychology.
And I realized now that this generation, I do not mean only my generation, but these years, the last generation, your generation, maybe the generation of grandfather, and every generation, and those that come, are so important, there is such importance in these times, it's like history is accelerating and so A lot of things are happening, a nation we have been missing for 2000 years, has been resurrected, and that makes me so proud.
Soon we will have a son or daughter, I do not know, it gives me such a different perspective on things. What is it like to be a mother ?, to bring up children in these times? And how important is it and how great is it, how will my child be? He will be an Israeli boy, he will be Israeli! Or she.
Anyway, I do not know, these are just things I think about a bit, sort of, I do not know, kind of concentration and kind of think about it these days. But anyway, I thought, are you planning to come in the summer? If you're planning to come ... I mean, I expect you to come. Anyway, maybe doing it a little more "constructive" is the word, come and maybe come look for work, or come look for a place to live, or come to it, I do not know. think about it. Really.Think about it. I do not know, it's probably hard for you to be there, Mom, you said how much it was It is difficult for you when you first returned from Israel and during the war, how difficult it was to be there. You might think about it. If you live here, it will solve a lot of problems with communication of letters and tapes, no? I do not know.
Anyway. So now the tape is over and I'm getting nervous. Greetings to everyone, I hope everyone is fine and of course I want you to record and tell how everyone is and what's going on there. And send my love to everyone, and I loved you of course. Really, I think about you a lot, all the time about. Wally of course sends a greeting.