Remembering Esther--Kiryat Malachi Senior Adult Day Center

I stopped by the Kiryat Malachi Adult Day Center last week to say "hello" and drop off some donated yarn to the Ethiopian seniors that meet there 3 tims a week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  The group is run by a woman named Sara, who is the wife of the Jerusalem-ordained Ethiopian-born rabbi.  When I arrived, she was giving the woman a lesson on the blessing for making Hallah, and teaching them how to make it.  They welcomed me warmly.  Here are some of the pictures I took on my brief visit:

Rabbanit Sara explaining the blessing over Challah

Some pottery the group had made--traditional from Ethiopian and models of Challah and rugelach!

A woman showing me her embroidery

I then met the new director of the center.  Yehuda has been on the job for just 4 months.  He is originally from the States, having made aliyah many years ago.

I mentioned to the social worker how sad it was to no longer see Ester's smiling face greetinng us.  Ester had volunteered in the center for many years.  She was originally from Morocco and had worked with English-speaking soldiers stationed there during World War II.  Whenever she saw volunteers from the US, she greated them warmly and told them her history.  She had married but never had any children, so the center was her family.  This past winter she got sick.  The local community helped her a lot.  In late winter or early spring, she passed away. 

In memory of Ester and her welcoming spirit, staff members of the center contributed money and time to make the back patio a garden in her memory.  The building caretaker (av habayit) coordinated the effort.  Here are pictures I took of the "Ester Garden."

 

On one side of the garden on an inside window is a mosaic made by one of the men in the crafts class.  It says, "Bruchim Habaim," or "Welcome,"  something Ester always said too.

Here is what the garden looks like, standing in the center of the walkway between the 2 buildings.  The area is cover by a study blue material to make it safer to walk in winter.  On the wall on the left is a poem in Esther's honor.

Ester in costume in her earlier days.

As you pass to the next building, this is another part of the garden on the right.  The circular sign on the wall says "Ester's Garden.:

A more recent photo, the way most of us remember Ester, Zichrona Uvracha.

The Maslans from Seattle Make a Difference

The Maslans

During July, 2007, Carol and Rabbi Bob Maslan of Seattle visited Kiryat Malachi and Hof Ashkelon for a day. Both are members and Carol is on the staff of Herzl Ner-Tamid synagogue, a conservative synagogue in the Seattle area, which has raised funds during its high holiday appeal in recent years for over and above projects in the region.

The Maslans visited the Senior Day Center in Kiryat Malachi and were very touched by the reception they received. They asked if there was a smaller need at the center that their Havurah might be able to help support.

Herzl Morad, head of the Senior Day Center, told them of the need to renovate the "beauty" salon, so the Maslans came back to Seattle and raised over $4500 for the project. The money arrived in Israel in late summer, and we hope the renovations can begin soon!

Herzl with the beautician and Carol Maslan

(Posted by Dina Tanners - Seattle)

Introduction to the Partnership

TIPS is one of more than 45 partnerships developed by the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), to help world Jewish communities connect to Israel as partners working together and not in the traditional donor-recipient relationship. The Jewish Federations of Tucson, Phoenix, and Seattle form the TIPS partnership, which works with Kiryat Malachi and the rural region of Hof Ashkelon. Several Jewish Federations in California also have a relationship with those two areas through the Western Region Network.

Kiryat Malachi is an immigrant town of about 23,000 people, located an hour’s drive from both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Today more than 25% of the town is from Ethiopia. Hof Ashkelon is a rural district of stretching from just north of the Gaza Strip to south of Ashdod with 13,500 residents in 19 moshavim and kibbutzim and a “temporary” town of Gaza émigrés. The communities closest to Gaza have often been targets of mortars, missiles, and even land attacks.

The Israeli and American members of the joint steering committee decided in 2006 to place the emphasis of their core budget funds on teenagers in order to change the image of the region and to instill in them a pride for their home communities. The teens themselves created the programs that are now being implemented, which include a first ever regional sports league, a performing arts program in cooperation with the national “happening” - Festival B'Shekel, youth leadership regional clubs, leadership taught through sports, and teen work groups renovating public areas.

The remaining 1/3 of the budget is for exchanges and interaction of people in the 3 US and 2 Israeli communities. Programs include a joint teen trip for the summer of 2009, teen counselor exchanges, an apartment in Kiryat Malachi for Americans volunteering in the town, school e-mail exchanges and visits, and an art contest and a calendar featuring the winning entries.P2K is not just a list of wonderful projects.

We work together to help promote the values of volunteerism, accountability, empowerment, cooperation, and mutuality, as well as the creation of lifelong friendships. Members of our communities are invited to participate.

For more information, contact Adam Tennen in Phoenix (480 634 4900 x 1102), Moshe Babel-Pour in Tucson (520-299-3000 x191), and Dina Tanners in Seattle (tanners47@yahoo.com).