Blog #4, April 15

 

GETTING A LOT OF HELP

 

When I decided to come to Israel (1986) I was living in Los Angeles and working in the development office of a big hospital, a Catholic hospital, but the medical staff was all Jewish!  When I went to resign to my boss, Sister Mary Esther, I told her, “Sister, I am going to the holy land.”  She smiled and said, “Bless you, my child.”

 

On the Board of the Hospital was a man (Jewish) who I had met during events I had produced for the hospital.  When I told him I was going to Israel he gave me the name of friends of his.  When I got to Israel, they were kind enough to invite me for a Friday evening and then a party of all their chevre.  Among them was Adi Amorai, who at that time was Deputy Finance Minister.

When I told Adi that I was an olah, he made sure I could meet some of his colleagues.  He gave me a list of names and contacts that I was able to put to use to find work.  You can read about Adi in my book, The PLACE I LIVE the PEOPLE I KNOW. 

 

This is why I am here.  I have told Rabbi Ayala that maybe some Israelis feel scrunched and feel they have no privacy, but I relish the connections, the lack of anonymity, the informality, the give and take, the BELONGING.