Four Generations

Not every day there is an opportunity to have four generations under one roof.

I was lucky in the last month to be surrounded by my son, some of my grandchildren and many of my great-grandchildren.

When one of my grandsons visited me, he wanted to go out into the yard with the little one and saw how neglected it is. Whereupon he organized, as a surprise for my upcoming 89^th birthday, a whole bunch of them. On a Friday morning at 9.00 o'clock in the morning, some 20 people of all ages turned up, and hoed and collected all garbage that had accumulated since I could no longer cope with it by myself. They cleared up the yard that surrounds my flat and at lunchtime ordered Pizza. I joined them and together we consumed the Birthday cake.

A mere couple of weeks later, my grandson, who is a leader of a Hiking Youth Group, asked to tell them my life story as he has heard from me at previous occasions. They were ten of them and 15 years old. I agreed and we fixed a date.

I then got a request by my 13 year old great-grandson from Beer Sheva if he could join.  After a couple of days he asked if could bring a friend along. I agreed. In the end fife of them made arrangement to come to Jerusalem by bus to Jerusalem, my son would pick them up at the bus station. So I had a houseful of different ages.

To begin with I tried to explain the relationship between a great-grandmother and her great-grandson. For him and his mates it really was part of their school assignment, to find out about their family roots.

Before we started a boy with an I Pad took a picture of four generations, me, my son Danny, my grandson Matan and my great-grandson Nadav.

With the power point projection I shared with the whole bunch of children my story, and often told them when I was your age, that is what happened to me.

They all listened with great attention. They returned home and were glad to have had the opportunity to be with me, to hear my story.

For me it made the day and I am pleased, that the present generation takes an interest in what happened a long time ago.