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__** //Michelle Melman// **__ =Rationale=

In my project I have chosen to interview an English teacher named Michelle Melman. She helps a sick women by making food for her, taking her to places, and buying her medicine. she also does all kinds of good things to make other people happy: she makes meals for poor people every week for Shabbat, and also for women that give birth and for sick people.

I chose her because I didn't want to do the project about someone big, who does a well-known job. I wanted to interview someone who does little 'Maasi chesed, that helps and makes a lot of happiness and hope to people.

In my project I wanted to show that also "small" people can do big things.

=Profile=

Michelle was born in England in 1952. Her family was an active part of the Jewish community that was called "Kibbutz Kingsbury". They used to call it by this name because it was a very warm community. In her community, volunteering was common. They used to collect money: most of the money was collected for Israel. Michelle made Aliyah when she was 25 years old. But she came 10 times before the making Aliyah. Her parents didn’t have any difficulty excepting her decision and they were very proud of her choice to make Aliyah (Michelle's parent followed her a few years later, making Aliyah as well). She says that she left her country and immigrated to Israel because of her: "love to Israel and 'Am Yisrael'". She believes this is the place for all Jews to be. Michelle stayed in contact with friends and family from England. They see each other and email each other all the time but, there are things they do not understand about her life here in Israel – how young kids go to the army, pressures, etc'. She feel that the quality of life is so much more meaningful for her here. When she made Aliyah, she cried- it was hard emotionally for her to leave her family and friends. Living in Israel was different from living in England but Michelle was proud of it, and it filled her with a sense of honor. When they first came to Israel they were in a "Mercaz klita" in Gilo which is placed in Jerusalem for 6 months. After that they moved to Alon Shvut, in Gush Etzion. The Israelis didn't help her when she came. She told me that when they came to Alon Shvut, without water and electricity in the house, nobody came to help or say hello. Her husband was very upset, but she wasn't. She looked at the bright side, she says- "South African federation care made sure we were okay". I thought that it's natural that she would miss something from her childhood but she said that no, she doesn’t miss anything. She believes that she lives now in the most important place in the whole world and her family is here as well.

When her children were younger, she said to them every morning when they woke up that the most important thing that someone can do is to make someone else feel happy. For her, that’s what life is about: helping. So she decided to implement this in all kinds of little ways, and one big one volunteering. In the past, she adopted a family with 8 people from the Russian Aliyah. They stayed with them for 10 days on their arrival.

Today, she does all kinds of good things to make other people happy: she makes meals for poor people every week for Shabbat, and also for women that give birth and for sick people. Every year she has a quiz evening in her house to collect money for charity and (" Agunot"). She makes cakes for the solders of the "Pina Chama" (link), she organizes a "Seudah shlishit" for ladies once a month and a lot of other things.

Michelle also helps a sick woman. Before she was sick, they were very good friends but now she can't talk and walk so every week she takes her for a little trip in Alon Shvut. She goes with her to the help serves, and helps her buy with her medicine and make's her food once a week. Michelle said that what she most enjoys in her volunteering knows that she is helping and making her friend happy. I ask her if she thinks that her sick friend appreciated her volunteering. Michelle answered that she never said it to her but she knows that she thanks her in her heart.

She thinks that her volunteering makes Israel a better place because if everyone was doing a little volunteering, a little good thing to make somebody else happy, so Israel would be a better place. Today, Michelle lives in Alon Shvut; she has 5 children and a husband. She teaches kid's English. Michelle is an amazing and happy person. And she already has a new idea for another place to volunteer.



[|pina chama]

=Background- Alon Shvut= [|Alon Shvut] is a village in [|Gush Etzion]. The village was established in 1969 by [|Moshe Moshkovitz]. Gush Etzion refers to a group of Jewish villages between Jerusalem and Hebron which was established in 1927. After 3 years the residents were forced to leave the place following the 1929 riots. following that were 3 more attempts to return to Gush Etzion. Two attempts failed but on the third try 3 more villages were established. During the Independence war of, when the Arabs put a siege, Gush Etzion people didn’t survive without water and food and Kfar Etzion fell. After 22 years full of hope, the people of Gush Etzion returned home. According to Wikipedia: "Alon Shvut means "oak of return"". It's named like that because of the history of the place. It's symbolized the hope of the people, to return to Gush Etzion, their home. Alon Shvut is an Orthodox community. In 1989, 250 families lived in Alon Shvut according to the Har Hevron landscape surveys. Today the village has more than 670 families, 5 synagogues (Central, Southern, Sephardic, Yemenite + Har Etzion Yeshiva) and also many kindergartens, a bank (+money vending machine) and a post office. Many of the inhabitants work in teaching professions at the Har Etzion Yeshiva, Herzog College and nearby schools. Many also work in the region and in Jerusalem. In my project, for Michelle Melman Alon Shvut was the first place that she lived after "Mercaz klita" in Gilo. For her, Alon Shvut it’s the beautiful place in Israel.

[|http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Alon_Gush_Etzion.JPG/250px-Alon_Gush_Etzion.JPG]

= =

=Literary Connection=

__**אלפיים שנה- להקת רבע לשבע**__ אלפיים שנה אני נודד מחפש את הארץ אותה אני אוהב כל יום מחדש הלב נשבר כל יום מחדש אולי מחר מתי הגאולה?

אני מאמין באמונה שלמה בביאת המשיח בארץ ישראל של אהבה בכל יום שיגיע הנה הנה זה בא אהבת ישראל בנשמה

כל בוקר ציון אליך אני מתפלל לא ינום לא יישן שומר ישראל כל יום מחדש אני אוהב כל יום מחדש עם כל הלב שלום על ישראל

אני מאמין באמונה שלמה בביאת המשיח בארץ ישראל של אהבה בכל יום שיגיע הנה הנה זה בא אהבת ישראל בנשמה

** __2000 years__ ** Two thousand years I wander  Looking for the country that I love Every day broken heart Every day maybe tomorrow When will be redemption?

I firmly believe Coming of the messiah Love of the Land of Israel Every day arrives Here it comes Israel's love soul

Every morning I pray you Zion No slumber not sleep keeps Israel Every day I love Every day with all his heart Shalom Al Israel

I firmly believe Coming of the messiah Love of the land of Israel Every day arrives Here it comes Israel's love soul

That song talks about the hope and the expectations to the land of Israel- "Two thousand years I wander". Until the work, for me, Israel was the place I live and not something else, more special. Now, when I did the project, and I also spoke to my family from America. I realized that I live in the Promised Land - "Eretz Israel", after a lot of years full with hope and viewing of the generations before me. It’s a special thing, and I full of thanks to my grandparents who made a hard decision - because of the ideology and faith to leave the family, the big beautiful house and friends to make Aliyah to Israel. Michelle, also made "Aliya" and her parents came after her. It’s a big honor. She came because "love of Israel and //"Am Yisrael", She believes this is the place for all Jews to be, like the song:"Israel's love soul". //

=Creative Connection =

When I first thought about the creative connection- this part of the project, I said automatically that I will make a video. I started to work on it but then I decided that a video clip does not reflect how I see Israel and what Israel is for me.

I talked with my mother and she said that I need to think what association comes to me when somebody says the word "Israel". So I thought about that and found that "Israel" reminds me of "Ben & Jerrys" ice cream. It may sound very funny but for me it’s amazing that this famous ice cream is also produced in Israel in the town of Yavne and it’s manufactured from "Cholov Yisrael" (only in Israel) – Milk, milked by Jews. I am touched by the fact that Ben and Jerry, who founded the ice cream company, are Jewish.

In the last summer vacation my family and I went to North America for a big trip (about 2 months). A lot of times when we were at places, where almost everything was not kosher- I found "Ben & Jerry's" ice cream known to me from Israel and that gave me a good feeling. On "Rosh Hashanah" this year, I started to keep "Cholov Yisrael". When I found that in Israel "Ben & Jerry's" ice cream is "Cholov Yisrael" I was excited. For me, it’s the best ice cream ever! So I decided for this part of the project to design an Israeli cover for the "Ben & Jerry's" cover and also for the upcoming Independence Day.

p.s- I am sending a picture of my cover to the company.



=** Bibliography **=


 * Alon Shvut. (2009, December 29). In //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Retrieved 08:10, February 9, 2010, from <[] >


 * __Googletranslat__, 2010, 4/16/10 <[|iw]>


 * Marcus, Menahem and Amit, David, 1989. "Har Hevron landscape survey + hikes". Ma'ariv books. 287 pp. (Hebrew)


 * __Ben&jerrys__.our company, April 1, 2010, April 8, 2010 < [] >


 * __Sironet,__ 2009, 4/26/10 < [] >