Page 48 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - October 19

food plates and drinking-glasses, which they had disabled. I then used a wheelchair to get in to our
used at the house.
So Jack could not live here in London, but
immigrated to America and went on to
Philadelphia where, luckily, his company had an
office and where later he met his wife. Although
he stayed at a hotel during the week, a Jewish
family also hosted him in Cherry Hill, New
Jersey. There he met his wife, when the hostess
persuaded him to walk their daughter up the road,
back to her brother’s home. It worked! Later we
visited them, too, when our kids paid for us to
make the trip over Pesach. A few years later
Jack’s in-laws made Aliyah for the second time,
when they were in their eighties. Jack’s father-in-
law was a professor in agriculture--advising the
world on potato production. Their move prompted
Jack and his family to move to Ra'anana.
My children are all involved in computing.
Because of them I took a computer course about
the year 2000 to keep up with them. Shimon
does "apps" for children aged from age 2 to 5,
featuring a home, a school, a shop and a hospital.
He has a Bafta award for a computer game that he
helped design for the BBC with the team run by
Douglas Adams, the author of "The Hitchhiker's
Guide to the Galaxy". Jack is a trouble-shooter for
a computer firm. Esther is in computer
administration, at The London School of
Economics. Miriam, our elder daughter has her
own computer-based company, but I am not sure
what she sells or whether she advises on computer
use. She lives with her boyfriend in Holland.
For about the last six years my walking has got
worse and I began walking with crutches. In the
last 4 years, I have become more and more
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car. After that, I found I could use a wheelchair
taxi to get around town. Then I went to hospital
and short-term care homes. I am now living at a
Jewish Care-Home in Ilford, which is in Greater
London. My husband Sam lives alone in Southend
and he visits me every day (except Shabbat or
Yomtov). Occasionally he stays with our daughter
and family in Chigwell near Ilford. We have no
other children at home. Sam and I have four kids
and nine grandchildren.
Today I am sitting up in bed for about 4 hours at a
time, to strengthen my back. I am getting ready to
use a wheelchair. I have no idea when I may be
able to get out of bed for a longer time. In a
couple of weeks, we hope to see a Dov Newmark
from Nefesh Be Nefesh who is advising us on
Aliyah. Then I will be able to be wheeled onto a
plane and eventually to make Aliyah, although no
one can give me a time-scale (for when this is
likely). I am hoping to make Aliyah this year to
where our son Shimon lives. He has bought us a
flat in Ramat Bet Shemesh. This is a ground floor
flat with room for a live-in carer. It is adapted
for wheelchair use and it is just over the road from
him. Bet Shemesh is also the home of many
Southenders.
As far as the Habonim reunion is concerned, I am
not sure if I can be in Israel by then, so I cannot
yet book for my husband and myself. If I can, I
want to be in Israel for the Tel Aviv October
reunion.
Yes, you can use my "life story" in the Iton. It
might remind my old chaverim that I am still
around. One of my old friends was Dov (David)
Chester, (who is editing this story).