The Charlotte Jewish News - September 2002 - Page 21
HadassaH
A Long-Ago Visit to Israel Brings Hope
for Israel Today
By Phyllis Berlin, President,
Charlotte Chapter of Hadassah
It was twenty-five years ago
this month that I returned from my
first and only trip to Israel. In the
summer of 1977,1 boarded an El
A1 Boeing 747 with a girlfriend, a
sleeping bag attached to an alu
minum framed-backpack, dozens
of cotton shirts and shorts and
most importantly a stack of tissue
paper thin, powder-blue, pre-paid
Aerograms. With about $400 in
traveler’s checks strapped to my
waist and a passport glued to my
skin, the two of us set off to
explore the land we had only read
about. Our goal was to have fun
and create a lifetime of memories.
I remember most of what hap
pened that summer, but pictures
and a journal help remind me of
what I have forgotten. I even have
all the letters that I wrote to my
family and that they mailed to me
that summer. Thoughtfully, my
mother had saved them and just
recently I opened them up to read
what we had written. Each began
with me assuring everyone that I
was fine. Each of theirs also
assured me that they, too, were
well (and have I scheduled my
return flight, yet.). I told them of
our daily activities, what we saw
and what we did. Interestingly,
there is even one that details our
visit to Hadassah Hospital. As I
read the words I had written so
long ago, I couldn’t help but won
der just how much of what was
once there, no longer exists.
The Israel in my mind is a con
trast to the images I see on televi
sion and in the newspaper. I know
as the years passed, so did the
landscape and architecture of the
country, but what I am referring to
is the overall ambience. I lived on
kibbutz Kfar Maseryk and
remember peaceful days interrupt
ed only by the occasional sound of
fighter jets flying overhead. In my
mind I hear the hum of the tractor
that I sat on while I sprayed rows
of cotton plants with insecticide.
Are the cotton fields still there? Is
the kibbutz still operating? After
we left the kibbutz we traveled the
country. When we reached the
Kennedy Memorial, I planted a
sapling in memory of my broth
er’s best friend who died earlier
that year in a baseball accident.
Does it stand tall in the forest?
What about the little hut we slept
in one night in a campground near
Tiberias. It was made of straw, is
it still being used? Or the little
jewelry store in Jerusalem where I
purchased a necklace for my sister
with her name spelled out in
Hebrew letters. Is that building
still standing?
As I said, it has been over twen
ty-five years since I visited Israel.
I don’t know what Israel looks
like today. I only know what I see
on television and in the newspa
pers. I see she is suffering from
the effects of modem warfare. The
cities and gardens that sprang
from her desert soil are under the
threat of extinction every day, and
so Israel must evolve every day in
order to survive. She cannot do it
alone. It takes a team effort and
Hadassah has been a proud part
ner. Our contribution of time and
money to Hadassah are just two of
the many ways you can participate
in Israel’s fight for survival. Keep
Join Hadassah Now and
Take Part in the Exciting
Programs for September
This fall Hadassah has lots of
wondeful programs planned.
The Women’s Study Group,
Lunch and Leam, will resume on
Thursday, September 19, with a
program about Sukkot. You’ve
heard of the Ushpizim, the guests
for your sukkah. But what
Ushpizot, women guests, would
you invite?
Bring your own lunch to
Temple Beth El at 12;30 PM on
September 19 and we’ll discuss
our favorite Jewish heroines and
why we’d share our Sukkot meal
with them.
Paid-Up Membership Supper
You can join Hadassah for just
$25 a year. You will be supporting
a group that stands with Israel,
endows the Hadassah Hospital in
Israel, works in Washington, DC
for women’s rights, and plans fas
cinating entertainment and educa
tional programs here at home.
All wild and wonderful women
of Hadassah are invited to a light
supper on Thursday night
September 19 at “La-Tea-Da” at
1942 E. 7th St.
In celebration of “women of a
certain age,” those proud to be
over 50 are asked to wear red and
purple. (Those of you poor girls
who haven’t made it yet can wear
pink and lavender.) The cost of the
light supper is $15.
To join Hadassah, call Debby
Rosenberger at 704-543-3148. To
make a reservation for the evening
at “La-Tea-Da,” call Lorrie
Klemons, 704-846-6790.
Annual Donor Event
This year’s Donor Event will
feature comedian Joel Chasnoff. It
will be a brunch held at the Park
Hotel on October 27. A minimum
donation of $50 plus the cost of
the event is all anyone needs to
join the fun.
To make your 2002-2003 dona
tion, call Heidi Rotberg at 704-
365-3859.
in mind that by helping Hadassah
Hospital you also help medical
progress in the United States, too.
New procedures and break
throughs that occur in Hadassah
hospital’s research labs and oper
ating rooms are eventually intro
duced to American hospitals. To
put it in business terms, it’s a win-
win situation.
Just as Charlotte has grown, so
too has our membership. If you
are not already a member, I invite
you to join us. We would love to
introduce you to our many proj
ects, here and in Israel. Please
give me a call to become part of
an extraordinary group of women
who tirelessly and selflessly
respond to Israel’s needs. There is
truly no better time than now to
show support for a land that has
created incredibly long-lasting
memories for its visitors, and has
been a catalyst for progress the
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