1987-1988 Rothberg Yearbook

Life in Israel
Relatives
My father left Morocco long before it was granted its independence. Most Moroccan Jews
emigrated to Israel, France, Canada, and the United States, but only after the fear of Arab
independence and the end of French rule became real. My father’s parents and their eleven
children made aliyah much earlier, shortly after the birth of the State of Israel.
My grandmother often tells me of the hardship she, as most Sephardi immigrants, was victim to,
both in housing and in employment. They were housed outside of Rehovot, in Kfar Gvirol with
other unwanted immigrants. Even today Kfar Gvirol is still made up of such unwanted
immigrants.
Today these memories are forgotten, and the result of my grandparents’ aliyah is now over 50
sabras: their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
I have always felt alone in America, surrounded only by my immediate family: my father’s family
is here in Israel and my mother s in France. Now that I am in Israel, I still haven’t managed to
reach everybody’s house for Shabbat and, save my grandparents, I haven’t stayed with anyone
twice. Every Shabbat that I have spent with my family has been full of stories, history, joy and,
unfortunately, the unhappiness of parting for an indefinite amount of time.
The One Year Program was all the more special for me, for it meant I would be able to overcome
my family s separation and geographic isolation, while continuing to study for my university
degree. I came to Israel for my junior year to meet my family, and this will probably be the reason
that makes me come back.
j eff ifrai-,
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Having relatives in a foreign country always makes one’s stay more comfortable, and allows one
to experience a different culture and lifestyle. I am very lucky to get three different experiences
within one family.
Tzipora and Dolek Gat, Holocaust survivors, typify their generation of Israelis. They live in a
comfortable apartment with a gorgeous view of the Haifa Bay. Tzipora teaches sewing in the
apartment, and Dolek has one more year before receiving his pension from an electrical
company.
Their eldest daughter, Ruthy, lives with her husband and their three children in a modern house
they designed themselves in the very westernized suburb of Atlit, 15 minutes south of Haifa.
Their daughters, ages 14 and 12, go to a private secular school. During visits, we frequent
restaurants together and hold large family gatherings at their house in Atlit.
Unlike her older sister Ruthy, Shlomit lives with her husband and their three children in a small
apartment in Carmiel, a small town between Acco and Nazareth. Carmiel has grown too much
for their liking and they are planning to move to Yoralim, a settlement of only 150 families. Their
children all attend the local schools and things are done together in the house.
It is interesting to note that despite their different lifestyles, their homes are always open to me
and my friends, and they would go to any lengths for their American cousin.
Debbie Engejt
Back in London during the Second World War, my dad’s best friend was his cousin Monty. In
1964, after a wonderful trip to Israel, Monty, his wife Sheila and their two children made aliyah.
That is how I came upon having family in Israel.
They live in what they call the penthouse apartment of the Commercial Center in Kfar
Shmeryahu. Kfar Shmeryahu is anything but a kfar (village), it is one of the nicest suburbs
outside of Tel-Aviv with some of the streets and homes resembling the architecture and
landscaping of Beverly Hills, California. Monty is a partner in an insurance firm and Sheila owns
the beauty shop in the Commercial Center. An Israeli beauty shop runs circles around its
American counterpart, offering such services as massages, skin treatments and facials to name
but a few.
Monty and Sheila have made my year in Israel very special for me, especially during Shabbos and
the High Holidays, when I was a guest in their synagogue. They have preserved many of the
traditions I learned in my home, like a nice cup of tea at ’round about four in the afternoon, with
milk, sugar, and a biscuit.
Michael Beals
I