Astounding Growth, Shiloh's Elementary Schools

September 1, 2019, first day of school

Thirty-eight years ago, September 1, 1981, the Shiloh Elementary School, Ohel Shiloh, opened its doors, yes doors since each class was in a separate small building, for the first time. There were eighteen students in three classes, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades.

In 1981, Shiloh was a small, rather isolated community which was trying to grow and expand. It had been decided that in order to attract more families, make life easier, more attractive and provide employment opportunities, they would open a school.

A local school was one of the factors that helped us decide to move to Shiloh, even though our eldest daughter would have to travel to Ofra. There weren't enough "older children" to have more than three classes. For the first school year, the classes were in new prefabricated homes that Arik Sharon, as Minister of Housing, had brought to Shiloh. Even though the summer of 1981 brought a record-breaking number of new families to Shiloh, most of the houses were empty. It was good to have the school using three of them.

The following year, the school moved down to the neighborhood near the Tel Shiloh, and more prefabricated buildings were brought in for the growing school. A few years later a proper school building was built in the "Middle" of Shiloh, between Tel Shiloh and our neighborhood over a mile up the hill. Preschools and the Infant Day Care Center were also built in the area. More buildings had to be added to the elementary school, as it reached eight grades plus separate classes for boys and girls. As the school continued to grow, especially since students came from nearby Eli, Maale Levona, Shevut Rachel, Shiloh Valley hilltop communities, Southern Shomron and  Jordan Valley, two separate schools were set up, one for the boys and one for the girls.

My youngest child graduated 8th grade over twenty years ago when the school was still relatively small and hadn't yet been divided. I've had little reason to enter it, more accurately the schools, besides Election Day, for many years. And the voting booths/stations are set up in the building cloest to the entrance to the schools' campus. Since there's now a maze of buildings, I can't even point out the original one, where I had been the girls gym teacher for many years. Davka, this week my I accompanied a friend in one of the buildings in the middle of the campus. She had to bring something to one of her children. If I hadn't been with her, I'd still be trying to find my way out.

Here are a few pictures of Ohel Shiloh Elementary Schools circa 2019, 5779-80 on the Jewish Calendar.

Living it Up in Retirement, New Life

As many of you must know by now, I'm retired, and I'm having great fun. For the very first time in my life I'm enjoying "school." I'm studying in two different places, Matan and the senior citizens program in Ofra.

One of the extra enjoyable "bonuses" in the Ofra program is our interaction with the students. We study in the girls high school. I like to say that we're a three generation family in the school, since two of my daughters are graduates, I have granddaughters studying there and now, so am I.

Today we heard a presentation by girls studying graphic arts about how they designed the logo for our program.

It has an "eye-catching" wise owl look, which really grabs attention and honors our wisdom. The large Hebrew writing says:

מועד ג
moed gimel (3)
"third chance*"

Followed by:

כיתת וותיקים
kitat vattikim
senior citizens class

The girls chose the gold color for the phrase "golden age," which as you know is one of the euphemisms for the elderly.

We had a wonderful time looking at the graphics exhibit about the special programs in the high school of which ours is one.

*moed is a testing time, and usually there are two, moed alef (1) and moed bet (2.) A euphemism for post-retirement is the "third" stage of life, which is alluded to in the logo's moed gimel.

End of School Year Celebration

Yesterday afternoon, even the Ulpanat Ofra Girls High School hosted a festive end of year party for the participants of the senior citizens program I attend and our families. Most of us had some of our children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren in attendance, too. My daughter and grandchildren in Ofra came, too.

In the formal ceremony I was one of the speakers. I told everyone how much fun it is to be old. We get discounts, people give us seats in buses, we get paid not to work and we can attend the wonderful program in Ofra.

It was through that program that my "story" was put on the multiple history program of the Diaspora Museum.

I've made some new friends and really enjoy the classes. Gd willing I'll sign up again next year.

Celebrating 70 Israeli Independence

We went to Ofra for the celebrations last night, since one of our grandchildren was among the performers. It was very enjoyable for sure, especially when I discovered old friends in the audience who were there for the very same reason. It is especially nice when landsmen have children and grandchildren living in the same town, and our kids are friends, too.  

Chag Atzma'ut Sameach!

70

Joyful Independence Day!

Unthinkable: Day Without Phone, Oops!

I must admit that I was very lucky. Somehow, my phone slipped out of my pocket yesterday as I was getting out of a neighbor's car. Part of my borderline OCD is that I check for my phone frequently, especially after leaving the house or a car etc. It's not even something I think about.

My friend and I got to Ofra, got out of the tremp, and... yes, the phone wasn't on me. We immediately called it from my friend's phone. No ringing, no vibrating, no phone.  I looked on the street we had crossed, no phone lying there waiting for me to rescue it. We didn't remember seeing anyone walking just after us who could have taken it.

Next, I called my husband and requested a few things:

• notify the kids that I'd be incommunicado for the day
• contact the neighbor (or his wife)) who had given us the ride
• contact our son who has the number of the kitchen contractor that I'd be incommunicado for the day

And then we went off to class, the senior citizen program we attend in the Ofra Girls High School, aka Ulpanat Ofra. My friend was very impressed at my calm attitude considering that I can get hysterical too easily. Luckily I still carry my camera on me and was able to photograph our activities.

Throughout the morning I did make lots more calls on my friend's phone until I knew for sure that mine was being well cared for. And about eight hours after leaving the phone in the car, I picked it up from my neighbor. 

All in all, I'm rather proud of myself for getting through the day with a smile on my face.

Guess Which I Drew

We did chalk or pastel drawing yesterday. I am not good at this sort of thing.

Some pictures were joint efforts and others individual.

Can you guess which are mine...

And the Tremping Saga Tremps on...

It's hard to believe that all these siyate d'Shmaya rides and tremps were all in one day...

Newly redecorated trempiada, hitchhiking post
just outside of Ofra going to Shiloh and further
north or west

I've frequently described my mode of travel as siyate d'Shmaya caful X2 ( the Hand of Gd doubled.) First of all we must remember that all safe traveling is due to Gd's help,  siyate d'Shmaya. And all safe traveling is a gift from Gd, which is why I call it "doubled."

Yesterday was a busy day for me. No, I didn't go to work. I had errands in Jerusalem and then babysitting for the young grandkids in Ofra and visiting the older ones. So I had to squeeze in my Jerusalem shopping within the rather late opening times and still manage to get to Ofra in time to pick up my young granddaughter from Kindergarten. I also wanted to get in as much walking/exercise as possible.

After walking down the hill to the main Shiloh bus stop, I saw a lot of people waiting to get out. OK, not everybody goes towards Jerusalem.  And the large number of young girls from the 8th Grade were waiting for a bus to take them for entrance exams in a nearby high school. But still, even after taking all that into account, I wasn't quite sure how I'd travel. Nobody seemed to know if the 8:29 bus had come or not, even though I did get down there at 8:30. So we waited. After a bit, one of the young home-grown Shiloh men, who now has children attending the local school said he was off to Ofra, so I got in. We had a great talk catching up and I told him a lot about the history of the school, things little kids don't notice or quickly forget. Due to our talk he discovered that one of his students is the daughter of an old friend. He dropped me off by the Ofra bus stop, and within a couple of minutes, who should drive by but my very own daughter... Now, that was an unplanned treat. We had a nice visit while going to her Jerusalem office.

In Jerusalem I managed to walk to all of my planned destinations and got almost everything accomplished. The only foul-ups were when I discovered that my water bottle had probably fallen out into one of the cars, and my lunch (apple and almonds) had either done the same or had been inadvertently left at home. Minor snafus.

I took the lightrail to the Ammunition Hill stop and then walked down (Ramat) Eshkol Blvd to a bus stop at which I caught a bus to the "cityline," since I didn't know if there was a bus to Ofra. While waiting there a bus (461) to (Shiloh and) sped by and almost didn't stop. A couple of us had to run to catch it when he finally stopped a good 20 meters after the proper place. His driving was so crazy, we were halfway to Ofra before I could maneuver myself to a seat barely 90cm (about a yard) from where I was hanging on for dear life. The young man sitting there had kept motioning for me to sit down, but every time I tried to move I felt the bus careening in the wrong direction. Thinking back, I guess there were no passengers waiting in Sha'ar Binyamin or Ma'avar Michmas, so he never stopped.

I got to Ofra early and went to my daughter's house where I quickly took something to eat, relaxed, and then went to pick up my granddaughter. Eventually all of the Ofra grandkids got home, and I had a nice visit and was very impressed by their English comprehension and other talents. Finally it was time to go home.

Just as I got to the Ofra bus stop, I saw a 461, which goes up to my neighborhood coming in. I greeted the driver and a neighbor, and just as I was taking out my money to pay, the bus "died." The driver, well experienced as he is, couldn't get it to start, so I said goodbye and went off to the trempiada just outside. Within a couple of minutes or less, a neighbor who lives nearby stopped to give me a ride home.

B"H another wonderful example of siyate d'Shmaya caful X2 ( the Hand of Gd doubled.)

Additional Safety Barriers at Ofra Junction

I frequently wait for a ride home to Shiloh at the Ofra Junction. It's a good spot for rides. After night shift a friend quite often gives me a ride to there, and I wait. Sometimes it takes a few seconds to get a ride, and sometimes the minutes feel endless. That's tremping aka hitchhiking; it can be very unreliable. But when you don't have a car, and there's no bus expected, nu....? What else can I do?

For years there were a few cement barriers near the unused bus stop, but that was a bit far for me, since I like to be in view of the guard at Ofra. I stand very close to the corner.

And yes, there have been a number of terror attacks at similar spots. The Arab terrorists' latest method is running people over. So the security people placed a whole bunch of barriers for us to stand behind. The idea is also, if Gd forbid there is some shooting, we'll have someplace to hide.

A Chiastic Trip Home

First of all I must give credit to my favorite Tanach, Bible teacher, Yael Ziegler, whose frequent mentions of the chiastic structure of various Biblical stories and passages is the only reason I am familiar with the term.

Chiastic structure, or chiastic pattern, is a literary technique in narrative motifs and other textual passages. An example of chiastic structure would be two ideas, A and B, together with variants A' and B', being presented as A,B,B',A'. Alternative names include ring structure, because the opening and closing 'A' can be viewed as completing a circle, palistrophe,^[1] or symmetric structure. It may be regarded as chiasmus scaled up from clauses to larger units of text.
These often symmetrical patterns are commonly found in ancient literature such as the epic poetry of the Odyssey and theIliad. Various chiastic structures are also seen in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, where biblical writers used it to illustrate or highlight details of particular importance. (Wikipedia)

C.W.Vong

Last night I made an effort to leave work early enough to catch the 9:30pm to Shiloh from Pisgat Zeev in Sha'ar Binyamin. The Rami Levy was pretty empty, and I didn't see any neighbors shopping there. Sunday is a pretty quiet night in general.

I got out on time, before the bus and just as I was calling my husband who may have been on it, a woman stopped and said she was going to Ofra, half way home. I got into her car and thought to myself that I could always catch the bus in Ofra if I don't get a ride first. And when she mentioned that she needed to fill the tank on the way at the gas station at the Psagot/Tel Zion/Kochav Yaakov/Migron Junction I calculated that I'd still have time to catch the bus.

When we got to the gas station she began to honk the horn and explained that she couldn't get out of the car to do it herself. Nobody came out to help her. So I volunteered to go into the store and ask. When I got out of the car, I saw "my bus" already at the stop and knew I'd never make it. We would be in Ofra long after the bus. The worker told me that it's self-service only. I reported back, and she was upset because she was in too much pain to do it herself, and I haven't a clue as how to deal with the gas and hose and all. So, I told her I'd find her help and walked over to the only other car nearby explaining the problem. The driver (male) said he'd be right over. He parked his car, took her credit card, filled the tank and returned the card.

We drove to Ofra talking like old friends, and she blessed me with wishes for a safe and fast ride home, and I blessed her with refuah shleimah, a complete recovery.

I immediately got a ride to the Shiloh Junction and a few minutes after I got off, I got a ride to Shiloh. It ended up not being all the way to my neighborhood. I walked up (literally up the hill) with a very heavy backpack full of shopping, but no ride. When I made it up I was exhausted and could hardly move. Luckily I met a neighbor who kept me company walking me to my house. She volunteered to carry my bag, but I didn't want her to know how heavy it was. I had already done the hard part.

This seemed so much like the Chiastic Structure in that my neighbor helped me, just like I had helped that woman.

• A- I helped the woman
• B- ride from Ofra to Shiloh Junction 
• C- at Shiloh Junction I see the bus already leaving for Eli
• B- ride from Shiloh Junction to Shiloh
• A- neighbor helped me

Quick Nosh on the Road When Tremping

There are lots of fig trees in the Binyamin/Benjamin area, and many are along the roads. There's a very tempting couple right where I wait for a ride outside of Ofra.

Figs have to picked when they are just ready.

I had to climb down a bit to get to it, but there didn't seem to be a car coming. So I wouldn't miss a ride. A young guy waiting had gotten himself a few, too.

It was definitely worth the risk!

I love fresh figs! It's one of those treats I only discovered after making aliyah and living in Jerusalem. Decades ago when we lived in Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem, I remember buying some from an Arab woman who went house to house, building to building.

Fireworks on Israeli Independence Day in Shiloh

This year I went to Ofra, to the grandkids for the Yom Ha'Atzma'ut dovening and celebrations.

I ended up going home in the middle, getting a really siyate d'Shmaya, Hand of G-d ride with the granddaughter of an honoree who lives near Shiloh...  When I got off the tremp, I heard Hatikva from the Shiloh celebrations and then the fireworks began.

And now we're back to normal and Sefirat Haomer.

Israeli Independence Day Eve in Ofra

Last night we went to the Ofra Yom HaAtzma'ut Festivities, because our eldest grandchild was performing with the other kindergarten kids.

Ofra, the "mother of all yishuvim in the Shomron," has a very well-deserved reputation as a super-efficient, well organized place, and last night's show was excellent and not too long.

Here are a few pictures. No, our granddaughter isn't in any of them.