26.5.07     ימי נחל עוז  -   מתנדבים

 

סטיב פלנדר מטורנטו קנדה היה מתנדב בנחל עוז ,1980 ושמר על זיקה   לנחל עוז וכך "עלה" על האתר שלנו.

מצורף מכתבו להלן.   הקישור הוא אלבום קטן מתמונות ששלח לי.   גייזי

 

התמונות של ג'וייס נשלחו ע"י סטיב :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48773464@N00/sets/72157600267662068/      

 

 

 

Hi Geyzi

 

Thank you for responding to my message and sending me your email address. Your web site is excellent! Your photography is beautiful - very artistic. I have spent hours looking at the pictures and videos. You have documented your personal history very well.  I can read simple Hebrew so I was able to read the names of the haverim that you printed on the Nahal Oz reunion pictures. Thanks!

 

 

I am 52 years old. I was 25 when I was a volunteer on Nahal Oz. It was a very sweet and joyful time in my life that I will never forget it. I have tried to get in contact with some former volunteers and kibbutzniks mostly using the http://www.lostamigos.net/ site. I have exchanged email with Joyce Schiffer who was on Nahal Oz from 1976 to 1980 as well as Ray Coe who was there in 1980 during my stay.

 

From the Nahal youth, I remember Geyzu, Bunya (Meir Kfir), Danny Rahamim, Kessler and Lantzer and a few others but I can’t remember their names. One of the youth was very friendly, spoke English well, he looked Arab and he told me he was from a Jewish family from one of the Arab countries. I wish I could remember his name.

 

 I remember that Lantzer found a wild dog with new born puppies. He used to bring left-over scraps of chicken to the mother and puppies. Later he adopted one of the puppies and would carry it all around the kibbutz. It made him very popular with the girls.

 

Lantzer also taught me to drive a tractor - I worked for a few days pulling the irrigation pipe wagon, and we took turns driving the tractor while the others pulled the pipe to the ground. I remember going to the garage at lunch time. One of the mechanics spoke to us in English and said how reckless the kibbutz youth were with vehicles, and tractors, and complained that many expensive repairs were needed because they drove too aggressively. I wonder if that was you Geyzi?

 

I mostly worked in the Ozat factory, cutting steel bars at the back of the factory. There was a very nice kibbutz member named Moti who was helpful and friendly to me while I worked there.I remember a few American young kibbutz members – Ruel from New Jersey and a young woman, Eve Handelman whose parents have an art studio (silk screening) in Jaffa. There was also Don in the cow sheds. Those are all the names I remember but I can remember so many more faces!

 

I will send you some pictures that I have received from Joyce as well as my kibbutz picture. I wish I had more pictures but I didn't bring a camera on my visit to Israel.

 

 I would like to visit Israel again. I am thinking that since next year is the 60th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel, I will try to arrange it with my wife and family. My wife Rochelle and I have been together since 1977. I have a daughter Elinor (eliorah) aged 12 and a son Jonathan aged 10. We just celebrated Elinor's bat mitzvah in April.

 

Could you tell me if any of the 1980 kibbutz youth (garim) are still on Nahal Oz?  I know that Danny Rahamim is still there as I saw this story in Haazetz

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/788995.html   I also saw another Haaretz article a few years ago where Siobhan Rahamin said that there was serious social upheaval in Nahal Oz around 1999 and that many families left the kibbutz. I was very sad to read about it, I know that the changes in kibbutz life are necessary but painful.

 

I never got to go diving in Eilat, I am sorry I missed those trips while on the kibbutz. I did get to go to many beaches along the Sinai and I spent several days snorkelling in the Sharm el Sheikh area and Naama Bay. If I visit Israel next year, I will definitely go to Eilat.

 

 I hope you remember some of the faces in these pictures that I am sending. Thanks again for posting all the Nahal Oz pictures.

 

Best Wishes            Steve Plender              Toronto Canada