Monique Reviere, president–elect of the SI/E federation
comes to visit the Rehovot club.
The members of the Rehovot club were very excited about the visit but the
members of the Ethiopian Jewish women of the club of Kiryat Moshe were even
more. Two weeks beforehand we told them about the expected visit and they
decided to have another Buna ceremony. A year ago they had received president
of SI/E Hanne Jensbo with this ceremony.
One thing they were not ready to forgo was their weekly study of Hebrew –
reading and writing. So they each took on a task and prepared the food, gas,
trays, cups etc, and came ready to sit down and learn.
Monique Reviere came while we were all immersed in our study and was really
impressed by the fervor of these women who only yesterday could not even read
or write one letter and today are all getting used to holding a pencil, reading
words and enjoying the feeling of achievement.
We all quickly made the room ready for the Buna ceremony and we were all well
organized to reach the interesting part of drinking the coffee, eating the different
kinds of bread with the special vegetables made for the occasion. None of the
visitors dared to drink the special beer they make from yeast, since our member
Ruth Inbar, who is responsible for the social development of the neighborhood,
warned us that it only tasted mild! But, I think that many of the women of the club
had drunk some beer, because when the music started there was no stopping
them and all joined freely in the dancing. The Soroptimists, including our guests,
Monique and Dalia Weiler, our president-elect of the Union, all joined in and tried,
not too successfully to move our shoulders, heads and bodies as they do. The
pictures give evidence to our efforts!
Unfortunately as usual time runs out and we had to leave the club. The next
station was at the home of our member Ruth Izhar. We all enjoyed the spread
made by Ruth and especially the Apple Pie and the fresh strawberries to whom
her husband has succeeded in returning the sweet taste of yester years.
While we were eating, since as usual Hava, our Union president, keeps us on our
toes, we showed Monique the short video that describes the work at the
Ethiopian club. She was so excited by it that she asked us for the video and she
plans to show it at the next SI/E Board meeting as evidence of what is being
done with money received from the Action Fund. She also will try to show it at the
presentation of her report at the Governors meeting in July. We gladly gave her
the video!
Then each member introduced herself. It always warms the heart to hear of the
range of the activities that our members are involved in. Then we heard from
Monique about the activities of her club Toulouse, and about her work at the
University of Toulouse, where she is Professor-Emeritus in Chemistry. We
learned that in France this means that she only does research in the Lab but is
exempt from teaching.
We had to rush out to reach the last stop in Rehovot – the Weizmann Institute of
Science. We had made an appointment with one of the professors of Chemistry
and had to be on time!
We were very impressed by the high level of scientific achievement and we,
Hava, Dalia, Marianne Stiller, from the Rishon le Zion club, who had joined us to
take the visitors on to her club and myself gained knowledge of the advancement
in the fight against cancer.
This concluded the visit in Rehovot and I said goodbye to Monique, after
spending three days with her.
I think that she has enjoyed all her visits and while we were walking back to our
cars on the way to the Institute she told me that now she feels that the next time
she comes she would really love to be a guest in our homes and not stay in
hotels. She now knows that she has many friends and when coming to visit them
it is nicer to be at their homes.
Aliya Kedem
1/3/2004