Springtime is coming to a close.

Springtime is coming to a close and summer is pushing in. It was an intensive period for me. Starting with Tu Beshwat - the New Year of the trees, I was asking where the family will meet for Pesach. Purim came along and was soon followed by every body's spring cleaning efforts, sometimes cleaning their own while dirtying the neighbor's windows from below.

In honor of my great-grandsons Barmizva, my grandson, a doctor living in Beer- Sheva, was trekking of several days all the way to Jerusalem. Somewhere on the halfway trek he was met by some more of my grandchildren with their children. My son took me along to meet up with them. It was a gorgeous day in the mountains of Judea, 4 generations being together. The love for our country gets into everybody's heart through their feet.

For Erev Seder Pesach the close family got together and Danny as always, took me along. For lunch the next I joined with the Zuckerman family with loads of children mingling around and a very festive religious atmosphere where everybody joined in the conversation about the exodus of the children of Israel from the slavery in Egypt.

Within a few days Yom Hashoa followed. Tuesday morning I got a phone call from the neighborhood Television station if I was prepared for them to come and interview me. They came along almost immediately and with cameramen and all. That was  for two whole hours. They wanted to know everything. That same day, the eve of Yom Hashoa I appeared on television for all of 4 minutes. 

Throughout the year I was involved in researching together with Dr. Judith Reifen the founding of Youth Aliyah by Recha Freier. 1932 a group of Jewish youngsters turned to her to help them find work for them. Nobody wanted to employ them because they were Jewish. 80 years ago Recha had a dream, a vision, if it was only possible to send these and other youngsters to Palestine to work half day in a Kibbutz and study the other half day. Due to her unrelenting efforts Youth Aliyah was established and several thousand of youngster's life could be saved.

At this year's ceremony in the Judean hills by the Fire Scroll, arranged annually by Bnai Brith and KKL-the Jewish National Fund, Recha Freier and Josef Indig, then a young youth leader in Yugoslavian, were honored. Their descendents were presented with the "Jewish Rescuers Citation" on behave of Bnai Brith and the committee to recognize the Heroism of Jews who rescued Fellow Jews before and during the Shoa.

Prior to the start of the ceremony I gave a talk to a bunch of soldiers from the Border Police. At the ceremony were several speakers and I was one of them. I represented the thousands who were thus saved.

Danny took me home for a short break and a Police car picked me up the give a talk at their Traffic Police Headquarters somewhere in the Judean Dessert.

The following week was Memorial Day for our fallen soldiers followed by Independence Day. The Border Police has for some years been looking after several Shoa survivors and invites us to their ceremonies. This time I was given the honor to light up the memorial torch as a survivor and in memory of my grandson Eyal Yoel who fell ten years ago during the battle in Jenin.

The following day, Independence Day I stayed home and watched on Television, other people enjoy themselves. I saw the Youth Bible Contest, the giving out of the annual Israel Price for outstanding efforts in different fields and some more.  That was much easier for me.

Now I am back to my weekly routine, or almost. For everyday something new crops up. I have to keep checking my calendar to make sure I don't forget what it is that I had planned to do and if there is time to fit something unexpected in.