o T O U R S A N D T R AV f e L 46 SOKOLOV {2nd Floor) RAMAT HASHARON Tel. 03-5400070 Home 052-446967 y ts 08-02-88 13:40 Msg 726 Title; TEL FED FEBRUARY 8, 1988 DEAR FRIENDS, FIRSTLY I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU WHO CALLED AFTER MY LAST LETTER EXPRESSING INTEREST IN VISITING THE EXCITING PLACES THAT 1 MENTIONED IN THAT LETTER - IT'S ENCOURAGING TO KNOW THAT THESE LETTERS ARE READ. PLEASE HOWEVER DON'T FORGET THAT I'M ALWAYS ALSO READY TO ASSIST WITH ALL REGULAR TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS TO S.A. AND ANYWHERE ELSE - MY OFFICE BEING SITUATED IN RAMAT HASHARON IS OF COURSE VERY CENTRAL TO ANYONE IN THE SHARON AREA AND SOME RAANANAITES (...) MAY BE SURPRSED TO FIND THAT WE ARE ONLY 15 MINIUTES AWAY - IT MAY BE W O R T H T H E E F F O R T. SINCE MY LAST LETTER I'VE HAD A SHORT INTENSIVE TRIP TO BUENOS AIRES - A BUSTLING ALIVE CITY - THE 'PARIS' OF S. AMERICA - FRIENDLY PEOPLE AND CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. A HUGE T BONE STEAK FOR 5 DOLLARS... FROM N THERE ONTO THE IGUASSU FALLS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NATURAL SIGHTS IN THE WORLD AND TO MY SURPRISE EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL AND IMPRESSIVE THAN THE VICTORIA FALLS. FINALLY ONTO RIO A SERIOUS CONTENTDER TO CAPE TOWN OR HONG KONG AS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFULLY SITUATED CITIES IN THE WORLD - IT IS OF COURSE FULL OF INTERESTING SIGHTS. PEOPLE, S H O P P I N G , F O O D - Y O U N A M E I T . WE ARE PRESENTLY WORKING ON A NEW PROGRAM TO BE CALLED 'SOUTH AFRICA AND BEYOND'. DID YOU KNOW THAT FOR ONLY APPROXIMATELY AN EXTRA USD |S 500 YOU CAN GO TO RIO FROM SOUTH AFRICA AND FOR ANOTHER USD 200 ON TO THAT BRINGS YOU BACK TO ISRAEL VIA NEW YORK???. A SIMILAR DEAL EXISTS VIA THE FAR EAST. SO THOSE FOLKS WHO VISIT S. AFRICA REGULARLY FOR E FAMILY REASONS HOW ABOUT DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT NEXT TIME?? LIFE IS REALLY TOO SHORT NOT TO ENJOY SUCH OPPORTUNITIES TO THE FULL. I WILL OF COURSE BE HAPPY TO HELP YOU PLAN SUCH A TRIP. I WISH YOU ALL AN ENJOYABLE AND HEALTHY 1988 . I'M SURE YOU ALL JO'N ME IN HOPING THAT PEACE WILL SOON COME TO THIS TROUBLED LAND OF OUxJ. hO BEST REGARDS, TERRY KESSEL Reaching out The South African Israeli community is a heterogeneous political society and Telfed caters for everyone. But we all speak of the unrest in the West Bank and together hope for a swift settlement of the problem. It is spring. The ground is sodden after the good winter rains. The day of TuB'Shvath^s passed but its herald to spring remains. Flowers and blossoms are bursting out all over. To borrow from Shakespeare would these same flowers smell as sweet if they had different names? Would Telfed be the same if it had a different name? A recent 'think — tank' thought that our name is no longer applicable as our news is not confined to Tel-Aviv. Anyone have any ideas? If the name you suggest is adopted you win a book-voucher. Money remains a constant topic of conversation and we are pleased to introduce a new column to help you and your finances. We enjoyed all your letters, some of which are included in this issue. Keep sending them and don't forget your simcha pictures! Contents The new year of the trees. .4 1 never said there weren't New from Telfed .5 )roblems 23 Young olim support group. 10 -awn bowling for the disabled. 25 The seven year itch 13 SA b' autobus 27 Manof grows 14 People 28 A cohesive community. 16 Simcha page 29 Is anyone else here? ... 18 New arrivals 31 Habonim meeting 20 Letters to the editor 33 Lawenski-Gordon unit. 22 Classified. 34 Cover: Almond tree in bloom. WZPS photo by Douglas Guthrie. TELFED Chairman Hertzel Katz. Telied is published by the South African Members Harold Blumberg. Zionist Federation. Debbie Marcus. Israel Office: Bet Clal Fanny Robinson 5 Druyanov Street, Tel-Aviv 61114 Sidney Shapiro. P.O. Box 11556 Tel-Aviv Telephone: 03-290131 Production. Editor: Fanny Robinson Regional Offices: Advertising Joyce Katz. Jerusalem: Tel. 02-630801 Office Asst. Susan Sharon. Beersheva Tel. 057-73811 Despatch Jane Dickman. Haifa: Tel. 04-641058 Graphics Dalia Marcus. Rishon Letzion Tel: 03-994111 Printer Vair Katzir Publishers. The views and comments expressed in articles in this publication are not necessarily those of the South African Zionist Organisation or of the Editorial ^ard of Telfed. Nor can the organisation be held responsible for the contents of the advertisements. Tu B'shevat — The New Ye a r O f Tr e e s by Dvora Waysman Just prior to the Hebrew month of Shevat, the is customary to eat the fruits of Israel... apples, landscape begins to change in Israel. It has been almonds, carobs, figs, nuts and pomegranates. winter — the fruit trees bare, their leafless, light- Many scholars stay up late the previous evening, grey branches silhouetted against dark clouds. reciting Biblical passages dealing with fruits or Then, as Shevat\s ushered in, they begin to bud, the earth's fertility. They read from Genesis how and reddish leaflets burst forth. The fields that trees were created along with all the plants of the have been covered with pale crocuses, white earth; from Leviticus the divine promise of narcissus and cyclamens give way to red abundance as a reward for keeping the anemones, tulips and broom bushes starred with commandments; and from Ezekiel 17, the flowers. And the almond trees burst into blossom — the first harbinger of spring. It is at this time parable of the spreading vine — symbolizing the people of Israel. that we celebrate Tub'SAevaf—theNewYearof Trees. Kabbalists hold a special Seder and they celebrate, not so much the New Year of Trees, The New Year of Trees is mentioned in the but the New Year of the Tree... meaning the Tree Mishnah as one of the four "natural" New Years. of Life, which is rich with mystical connotations. The first of Nisan is designated as the new year" They drink four cups of wine, beginning with for Jewish kings and seasonal feasts"... that is, for white wine and ending with red, with the second calculating the reigns of Israelite kings and cup a mixture more of white and the third more of determining the cycle of calendar festivals. The red wine. It is rather like how the landscape first of Elul is the new year "for tithing cattle". changes from white (the pale narcissus and The first of Tisbri is the new year for calculating crocus) to red (anemones and tulips) as Tu septennial cycles and 50 year jubilees. The new b'Shevat approaches. year for trees was moved from the first of Shevat to the 15th, according to the opinion of Rabbi Tu b'Shevatis also the popular day to go into the Hillel (30B. C. E. — lOC.E.jfor it is then the sap fields and plant saplings. Israeli schoolchildren in is said to begin to rise, with the full moon, in the past few decades have helped Keren Israel's fruit trees. The Babylonian and Kayemet— the Jewish National Fund — to plant Jerusalem Talmuds also designate Tu b'Shevat 130 million trees, many of them on Tu b Shevat, as the date to calculate tithes (taxes) on fruit: and these evergreens have become the "You shall tithe all the yield of your seed, backbone of the reforestation programme. which comes forth from the field year by Tu b'Shevat affirms the fact that the soil of Israel year." is holy. The People and the Land have a mystic (Deuteronomy, 14:22) affinity in Judaism, and the New Year of Trees From December to mid-February, Israel's fruit reminds us annually of the wonder of God's trees are dormant. It is wet and cold and because creation. of the low temperatures, the trees cannot absorb the nutrients from the soil. But from 15th Shevat (World Zionist Press Service) , "Till this day (the trees) live off the water of the past year; from this day on, they Live off the water of this year." (Jerusalem Talmud, Rosh HaShana 1,2) Establishing the date was important,, because it marked the start of the fruit's formation. The Arabs also mark this date, and call it "the second ember", when fruit trees begin to absorb niWBAUffl water. According to Arab folklore, there are Upholstery 4 Curtain Fabrics three "embers" which began as fire falling from the sky and changed to caterpillars. The first falls Upholstery & curtain fabrics from the sky when the earth begins to warm up; The best assortment of local and the second when the warmth spreads. They follow this with a third "ember" as summer imported fabrics in Israel Tel Aviv, 3, Levontin St., 03-621840 begins. Ramat-Hasharon, 54, Ussishkin St. one of Judaism's popular Tel. 03—480037 celebrations that does not involve special Jerusalem, 8, Rivlin St., Tel. 02-224507 synagogue services. It is an enjoyable day when it 4 N e w f r o m Te l f e d In the discussion on finance, Telfed said it needed to find means to increase the aid for oHm. At present the important Loan's committee was short of funds. Urgent efforts were being made for people who needed bridging funds.