Quegien of the Week: What famous Jewish trumpet player
made a brief appearance as an extra in The Ten Commandments?
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ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Apple Tree
./o
IIME
ore than a few visitors to
the new State of Israel
were amazed to find that
the country was not filled
merely with men and women dancing
the hora, smiling kibburzniks and farmers
happily working the land. All these were
there, of course. But so were business-
men, banks, entrepreneurs, grocery
stores, authors, schools and newspapers.
Today, those planning their first visit to
Israel might expect little beyond soldiers,
outspoken politicians and bomb squads
because that's almost all that's in news
reports from Israel — as though no daily life goes on.
It does, of course.
In honor of Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel Independence
Day, which we observe next Thursday, April 26, here's
looking on the positive side of life in Israel (but no fluff)
and news you can use.
Great Things In Small Packages:For the past nine years,
Barbara Silverman of Rehavia has been making Israeli
soldiers feel a bit more at home — no matter where they
are.
The olah (immigrant) from Chicago regularly prepares
packages, dinners and other surprises for members of the
Israel Defense Forces. At Purim, it's mishloach manot,
small parcels filled with treats. On Shabbat, it's chicken
soup and gefilte fish.
Working with other volunteers, Silverman sends such
much-appreciated items as candy, gum and other snacks
to help keep the soldiers' spirits high.
It's working. Both members of the IDF and their fami-
lies regularly write to tell Silverman how much the pack-
ages are loved.
"Barbara takes seriously something that to us Israelis is
sort of offhand — you know, [we] donate a little some-
told the Jerusalem
Post. "But for her, it's
genuine. Plenty of
people in Israel talk a
lot about helping sol- !,veSV'tx`Ok,
diers, and some get
paid huge salaries for
it. And Barbara gets a
little pennant from ...
[one army] unit, and
for her, it's thanks
enough."
If you would like
to help, you can send a donation (checks should be
made out to "A Package From Home") to Barbara
Silverman, do Association of Americans and Canadians
in Israel, POB 4393, Jerusalem, 91043.
A Clue About The Blue: Did you know that Israel is
the only nation in the world that has a national flag
based on a prayer shawl? (The blue stripes on the flag
were patterned after the blue on a tallit).
Where To Find It: Whether you're looking for infor-
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Clockwise from top left:
Sky divers form a
Star of David over Israel
to mark Israel's
Independence Day.
The Israeli flag.
A kibbutz farmer in a
Negev wheat field.