The essence of ESRA is volunteering. At the annual volunteer award evening Merle Gutmann, President of ESRA, spoke about what motivates volunteers, and Ziva Sharp analyzed the relationship between volunteers and staff.

The Hand- in-Hand food pantry in Netanya benefitted by the reception and beautiful Beethoven piano recital given by Gil Shohat at the Sharon Hotel of Herzliya Pituach.

This well attended meeting updated members to the advances made of all the Esra projects. Co-ordinators all reported on their enterprises and members were encouraged to get involved. It was an exciting review of new developments and an inspirational morning.

To hear a woman compare herself to a “frozen chicken, without power to act on her feelings” and to actually see the headless frozen chicken being tossed about was superb theater and made for a powerful learning experience at a study day given by the Herzliya Regional Center for Prevention and Treatment of Violence in the Family.

With over 900 volunteers, 34 projects and giving help to 1,200 families every month, there was a great sense of pride at the AGM. ESRA's financial report was given, new officers were elected and Zipporah Porath rounded off the evening with some of her amusing memories.

Congratulations to ESRA Rehovot on its 10th

tribute-liz trakeniski

Up to now, schools in Israel have either belonged to the religious or secular school systems. Now a new initiative has been started. The Yachad Experimental Elementary School in Modiin is a school community incorporating both secular and religious pupils from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds which will be one of the flagship schools of a new “third stream” educational program in starting in Israel.