When I spoke on the phone to the coordinator she told me the younger sister of two women in the group had died last week following unsuccessful surgery in Egypt.
Her relatives had difficulty returning her body to the village of ‘Asira al-Shamaliyya, where she lived. They finally had to pay thousands of shekels to fly her back.
In view of the sad news, it was clear we couldn’t meet as planned.
We reached the village at 11:00 and were met by a group of 50 cheerful children, aged 6-13, who awaited us in a spacious kindergarten located in the center of the village. Almost all had brought notebooks and pencils, as we’d requested.
A little girl was frightened by the sight of two unfamiliar women and began to cry. Attempts to calm her were unsuccessful; one of the adults took her outside.
There was a great deal of commotion in the room. We gave each child a sticker with their name in English and they introduced themselves. Then they began loudly singing “A B C…” and Susie led them in activity games, in English. Then they were asked to write in English their name, age and where they live. It was hard working with such a large group all in one room without any equipment. Next week we’ll split the group in two, younger and older, and meet in separate classrooms which have blackboards, tables and chairs. If possible, students from the village who speak English will help translate.
When class ended one of the women invited us to her home for coffee and tea.
They told us about the beach day last week, how much the children enjoyed it, even though the police at the entry to Israel behaved aggressively and firmly refused to admit an infant who lacked a permit.
We talked a bit about Ramadan, about the lack of jobs for young people graduating from university. It’s a big problem. Without jobs they can’t marry,build a house and raise a family .
Before we left, these generous, kindhearted women gave us squash, eggplants and hot peppers from their gardens.
13:10 We left to go home.
Photos of the activities are attached.