search
Zelda Harris
Five on the 100 aliyah from UK list!

It’s all been said!

What can one write about these days that hasn’t already been written? Today, I was shocked to hear on the radio that it had been said, “Why continue to invest in exorbitant medical services for old people, since in any case they are going to die soon?

I am sure that this must be a quandary for the care providers.  I know of one  who was my late husband’s carer. She stayed on and is actually married to an Israeli. She works for Bituach Leumi today. She personally provides the most wonderful care to those whose families have all but abandoned them. Without her, they will be lost.

As a high risk elderly person, I am extremely sensitive to all that is going on around. The distancing from my wonderful family in Israel is painful. We have the Zoom sessions but that’s not like a hug with hands sticky from chocolate.

Fortunate indeed to have great grandchildren. Lucky that my daughter- in -law had her two oldest daughters, at a young age.

My family overseas except for some estranged cousins, are in constant contact.  We have a link called Shabbat Shalom so we can exchange in real time, chat, photos and news.  We are all mostly concerned about some dear ones who need constant medical attention.

Also my family are  fond of animals so we get to hear about their progress too. Everyone else including the kids are sharing whatever they are doing, so its fun and incredibly heart warming.The one for whom we have the greatest admiration is a critical care paramedic in England. She is working almost round the clock. I feel for her and we speak when we can. She has a great sense of humour which, fortunately runs through our family.

At this moment in time I should have been in Australia.  In Melbourne to be exact, with my granddaughter  Anna and her husband Ben.

EL AL was to have run an inaugural non- stop  flight from Tel Aviv to Melbourne  on March 2nd.

What’s the expression”don’t cry over spilled milk”?

Maybe! However at my age I doubt if that opportunity will present itself again?

So “alone is alone not alive” go the words of a song that has memories for me.

The song was not written with Corona in mind, but its words are truly relevant today.

One of the hardest things for me, being a news and radio junkie at the best of times is that I can’t break the habit. However I do dance every day and drink rather more wine than usual. They say that wine plus chocolate and coffee are brain stimulants, so let’s be grateful for small mercies.

I can ignore the figures of deaths and those who are on life support etc. I cannot ignore the reports of what is going on in Israel’s political arena. Arena is what it has become. As an old timer its so hard to grasp that those for whom one still had  respect, have joined the sycophants of  a Prime Minister  who has been found wanting….or are there two?

So today will just pass and I will take out the garbage and the recycling, although I do not know how a person so isolated is still producing copious amounts of it? I will don mask and gloves and take the spray to frighten off  anyone who dares approach me! Chance would be a fine thing!

I have friends who stayed with me last year they are Jehovah’s Witnesses and they keep sending me stuff to read. No comment.

Shavua Tov, Hag Sameach, keep your distance!

About the Author
Zelda Harris first came to Israel 1949, aged 18. After living through the hardships of the nascent state, she returned to England in 1966. She was a founding member of the Women's Campaign for Soviet Jewry. In 1978, she returned with her family to Israel and has been active in various spheres of Israeli Society since. Together with the late Chaim Herzog, she founded CCC for Electoral Reform, was the Director of BIPAC in Israel, and a co-founder of Metuna, the Organisation for Road Safety, which received the Speaker of Knesset Quality of Life Award for saving lives on the roads and prevention of serious injury. She is now a peace activist, blogger for Times of Israel and is writing her life story.
Related Topics
Related Posts