Ayelet's+I+face

​​​toc = = =Rationale =

While thinking about whom I should interview and write about and interview in my project, I decided I wasn’t going to write about someone who is recognized by the community as a person who devotes himself to "chesed" or about a famous person who everyone knows. Rather, I would look for someone who embodies giving in his day to day life. I decided to interview someone who isn’t known to everyone as a big contributor to the community, but by contributing to the soldiers, steadily and constantly in a way that warms many soldiers' hearts, just with a smile and saying "good morning", "good night". All this is done quietly and without making too much noise.

=Steve Levy's Profile =

Steve Levy was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in the year 1948. In Johannesburg there was a young community with traditional families (who came from lithunia to South Africa before the Second World War), that founded a shul, when Steve was 10/11 years old. At first the community was small but as the time went by, it grew and became a big and honorable community. Today they are still growing and developing.

An ardent Zionest, Steve left his homeland for Israel more than 35 years ago and is not in touch with any of his friends that he left behind. After 18 years in Israel, Steve visited South Africa for the first time about a month ago. The previous time he visited was before he made aliya. During Steve's visit he met some of the people he lived with in his early years and he realized there is a whole world of differences between the life he had in South Africa more than 35 years ago and the life he has now in Israel.

For example: The way they look at life and their perspective is very different from the way Steve looks at life. Another example would be the way parents educate their kids. In Israel, the kids get their education just from going to school .They learn Hebrew from childhood and that makes learning religious subjects a lot easier since they know the language the subject is taught in. On the other hand in South Africa it is difficult to progress in religious subjects since they do not speak the language. There is one thing though, according to Steve that is better in South Africa. The standard of living is higher and the way of life is easier economically.

In South Africa you could live a very good life for not that much money. It isn’t because you easily earn money, but because there are a lot of black people that have a very low standard of living. Therefore, they are willing to do almost any job you give them for a very low price because they need the money. As a result, almost every house has a black person, who cook's, cleans etc., even if the family doesn't earn a lot of money.

Anti-Semitism wasn’t a problem in South Africa then, though today there is more of it. The real problem was the Apartheid –segregation and discrimination of blacks by the white people. Since there was no anti Semitism, the Jews in South Africa had no problem living with the non Jews and that included Steve's family. His father saw living with the non Jews and getting along with them as a positive thing and that’s why, while growing up Steve and his sister went to a government school that included Jews and non Jews, instead of attending a Jewish day school.

So, In 1964, Steve came with "Bnei Akiva" to Israel on a summer program called "Winter in Israel". The program included 6 weeks in Israel which Steve spent with his friends from Bnei Akiva. Steve then studied for 5 years in Israel. At the end of each year he used to come back for vacation to Johannesburg. After he finished studying, Steve went back to South Africa and was very involved for 3 years in pulling a group together, -a "Garin", that would want to make aliya to Alon Shvut.

Steve made aliya with his wife – Thelma and son- Ilan, two other families and two bachelors from the "garin". Over the years, some more families from the garin that stayed in South Africa came and settled in Alon Shevut.

Steve feels like he's been treated properly when he made aliya as he says "when I first came to Israel as a student I was very lucky, I met an Israeli guy who became my best friend. He took very good care of me and he was great. Generally I found I was getting along with the people very well and I enjoyed being in Israel". But when he made aliya with his family, the situation was a bit different. The residents did welcome them nicely but there were a few problems that needed to be solved.

Although there were problems the families faced while making aliya, Steve's conclusion remained that "Israel was perfect" and I would ask myself why? The answer is when Steve came to Israel he was only 18 and from a boy's perspective Israel was perfect! It is exactly like when kids go after the army to another country. They think it is perfect, amazing and breathtaking. That's what Steve felt, and when he came back after a few years that was the same feeling he had!

Steve works as a building engineer (he decides how much concrete you need and what kind etc.). He learned the subject in the Technion. Since he made aliya, he's been working as a supervisor, contractor and a project manager, in this field. You can see from that how much he loves it!

In the past few years Steve has been managing a project of building private homes. He likes the project a lot and identifies with it closely. The people, who purchase the houses that he builds, invest in their homes and make them beautiful. Steve has always had a volunteering spirit. It started when he came back to South Africa after studying and dedicating 3 of his years to the "Bnei Akiva" garin. It continued with his making aliya. The real volunteering started after the army. He joined the civil guard of Gush Etzion. Years later the Pina Chama was established, (a place with a warm atmosphere for soldier which gives out cake and coffee). As a soldier, Steve benefited from the Pina Chama and saw what a good feeling it gave him. He decided he wanted to be part of it and to start volunteering there.

Steve contacted the person in charge and in a short time he started volunteering. For the past 7 years, Steve goes there every morning, turns on the water and checks that everything is working. He checks that there is someone there every morning to start the shift. One morning a week, Steve does the morning shift for an hour and a half.

Steve says that they try to make the Pina Chama more than just a place where the soldiers get a hot drink and cake, but a warm place where they can have a nice conversation. He thinks the soldiers do appreciate the hard work and effort they put in. When they finish their service in the area they usually buy a gift, write a letter or even just bring the flag of their unit.

If there was more time, Steve is sure he would find more places to volunteer, especially with elderly people .Steve thinks that the volunteering spirit flows in the genes because his mother volunteered with an organization that fought apartheid and helped the blacks. She is still volunteering 25 years later in Israel for "meals on wheels", an organization which delivers one hot meal a day for the needy. Steve hopes that the fact that he is volunteering will influence his kids. When they get to the point that they are not too busy building their lives, they too, will start volunteering. He hopes that the desire of his grandchildren to come with him to the Pina Chama will stay and it will encourage their desire to volunteer.

Steve has always had a volunteering spirit. It started when he came back to South Africa after studying and dedicating 3 of his years to the "Bnei Akiva" garin. It continued with his making aliya. The real volunteering started after the army. He joined the civil guard of Gush Etzion. Years later the Pina Chama was established, (a place with a warm atmosphere for soldier which gives out cake and coffee). As a soldier, Steve benefited from the Pina Chama and saw what a good feeling it gave him. He decided he wanted to be part of it and to start volunteering there. One of the credos Steve lives his life by is -"rise like a lion to work the lord". You should be happy when you wake up in the morning and serve Hashem with a smile. Another value Steve thinks is important, for a good life is to try to stay in good contact with your neighbors (not only the close ones, but with klal yisrael and with our enemies as well). It is important as well to treat each person the way you would want him to treat you. " **I think I get more when I am in the Pina Chama** **vo****lunteering, than what the soldiers do when they are in it"** a quote Steve said which I think shows, that when you do something for others without wanting to get something in return, you get something even better than money – a good feeling in your heart.

=Background Reaserch = Steve volunteers in the Pina Chama so I decided to do my background research on the Pina Chama. The Pina Chama is a place for soldiers and police men serving in the area to come and get refreshments. It is located at " צומת הגוש " - the Gush Etzion junction on road sixty leading to from chevron to Jerusalem. The Pina Chama was founded in the year 2001 in the memorial of two locals –Dr Shmuel Gillis from Karmei Tzur and Tzachi Sasson from Rosh Tzurim, whom were murdered by terrorists on the same road the Pina Chama is located at on their way home from work.

The place is run by volunteers - mainly women and some men. Some of the volunteers come straight from shul in the mornings and the others, from taking their kids to school to open the Pina Chama for the soldiers. Most of them have a weekly shift of an hour and a half and the others come when they have the time. Besides the volunteers The Sasson and Gillis families are actively involved in the day to day running.

The Pina Chama is open between the hours 7am -9pm and serves about 150-200 soldier every day. In the Pina Chama the volunteers who run the place don’t only serve the soldiers cake and drinks, but have a little chat with the people as well. By not on ly serving them the volunteers show how much they appreciate the soldiers work as guarding the people of Gush Etzion. As well the soldiers feel that they are appreciated as one of the soldiers says "the only thing that comforted me when I found out that I am going to miluim in Gush Etzion was the fact that I'll be able to spend some time in the Pina Chama".

There are groups of women from all over the Gush and even from Bet Shemesh who volunteer once a month to bake a cake for the Pina Chama. The place is kept going by a wonderful committee and donations from all over the world. Even after a resent robbery where a lot of equipment was stolen the donation's kept the place going.

Every year on Yom Ha'atzmaut there is a very big barbeque event which is run by the Pina Chama. This barbeque feeds over 600 soldiers from morning to evening. As well the volunteers cook some food and pack it up for the local bases. In addition to the barbeque every year around "shevat" there is a march in the memorial of Gillis and Sasson whom a few hundreds of people attend.

Links - if you would like: About the robbery in the Pina Chama - [] Article published about the annual Gillis, Sasson march - []

=Literary connection =
 * The Road Not Taken \ Robert Frost**

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

The poem describes a man who is standing on a road which divides into two paths, and he has to decide which path to take, the one commonly travelled by and the one scarcely walked on.

The first verse describes a man who went for a walk in the forest and came to a road which branches into two new paths. The man is sad, since he can't travel both, although he would like to. This resembles many things in life, when we are faced with a choice between two possibilities and we really want to do both of them. He examines his options and looks as far as he can, down one path to where it bends and it is very hard to see, because he feels that he has to make the correct choice.

As the poem continues, the man looks down the other path as well because he feels that he must give each path an equal chance. Frost is trying to teach us that no matter what happens, we should always give each person their equal chance to prove themselves and we should never judge a person before giving him a chance to talk. As the man looks down the other path he thinks it might be better since it is grassy and he decides to take that path, though when he gives it a second thought, he realizes that there isn’t much of a difference between them, they are about the same.

In the third verse, he continues traveling the path he decided to take and still thinks about the differences between the two. He maintains the thought that they weren’t so different, since they both had freshly laid leaves that hadn't been stepped on. As a result, he decides that he will travel the other road a different day, but then he concludes that he won't be able to, because as life moves on, things change and we can never go back. Here is another important lesson in the poem - a man needs to take responsibility for his actions. Throughout the poem we see that he take responsibility. First, he thinks a lot before he decides which path to take. After making his decision, he thinks that maybe he'll take the other path another day ultimately; he understands that it is impossible to change what you have already done.

He took the road less traveled by and he thinks "that made all the difference". Here too, we don’t know if "all the difference" was good or bad. This man, who represents each and every one of us, teaches us that the correct choice will make an impact on our lives and we have a responsibility to pick the path that is right for us; the popular road travelled by others or the one "less travelled by".

I first heard this poem when I was on a hike with my family. I asked my father why we took a path that was all green and no one had stepped on before, instead of taking the path which everyone takes? He answered by quoting this poem which shows that sometimes there is great value in choosing to go on one's own path rather than the one which everyone else follows.

I think we could relate this poem to two different aspects of life in Israel. There is the personal realm – Each person should decide on his path in life. One shouldn't give in to social pressure, but should look and see if his friend's choices fit him or not. Otherwise, he should choose the other path, which might be less traveled by but is the right one for him.

The same should apply to the political aspect. We may listen to the United States's suggestions or to any other ones we get from different countries, but only if it is what the Prime Minister of Israel really wants Israel to do. The government of Israel should think about what is good for the country and how to improve it and make Israel a better place and based on these considerations, choose the path. In life we could always choose the easy way by just doing what other people tell us to do, but the real thing is to know how to do it in your own way. As Frank Sinatra says - ** "I did it my way "**

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​ =Creative Connection = ​ The creative connection was the most difficult part to think about for me I couldn’t decide how I reflect Israel's face. So I did some brainstorming and thought of all kinds of things that I see Israel in them. Then I came to the conclusion that Israel resembles a person, what he takes a part in it. After coming to that conclusion that what I was going to do wasn't that hard, I just found the things in me that I see Israel in. I brought a small example of things that Israel resembles to me, for example: Israel is a beautiful country and my family and I love hiking in Israel so I brought a picture of most of our family on one of our hikes. Another object I brought is a necklace with the sign of Shalva that I made from Fimo which shows how I take the volunteering that we talked about in our project and do it in my life. I go once or sometimes twice a week to Shalva and I volunteer with children who have Down's syndrome.

I brought another picture of me in Dames Of The Dance – a play which was put on before Passover and the money from the tickets was given to tzedaka. In the show I performed in folk dancing which is the Israeli dancing type which I think resembles the enthusiasm of what people started before I was born.

The last thing I decided to bring was a small model of Israel from colorful Fimo which shows the land we live in and the colors in it show the many different types of people we have in our country and my wish is that in a couple of years from now we will all learn how to live in peace with each other as the famous quote says . <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;"> כל ישראל אחים"

=<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;">Bibliography =

"pina chama". Efrat wikia. 17 may 2005. web. 18 Jan 2010. <http://efrat.wikia.com/wiki/Pina_Chama>.

"pina chama". nevet etzion. Web. 18 Jan 2010. []. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">[]