What started out as a strictly social group for Ashkelon’s Anglos has evolved into a help group for new immigrants and people in need – locally and nationwide.
By MAXINE LIPTZEN DOROTAshkelon children model the afghans knitted especially for them by ESOA members(photo credit: ORLI AVIOR)
What do a woman from South Africa, a woman from Ireland, one from Great Britain and an American male have in common? They all got together one summer evening in 2008 and decided to form a social group to meet the needs of fellow Anglos in their city of Ashkelon.For years, there had been a branch of the AACI (the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel) in Ashkelon, but it disbanded in 2006 due to a lack of interest. The Anglo community was left in limbo.During the interim, new English-speaking immigrants weren’t exactly streaming into the city, but there were more than enough who needed a sense of community.They were lost in the bureaucracy of settling in and getting general and specific information on day-to-day living situations in their new home.Due to lack of knowledge, many new immigrants wound up taking unnecessary trips to Jerusalem to solve absorption problems. Others spent long, frustrating hours on phone calls while others relied on emails.There was a growing need for not only a social outlet, but a help line for those new immigrants, returnees and not-so-new immigrants from English-speaking countries who had made Ashkelon their home.A few months after talking about starting a new Anglo social group, it was decided to hold a Rosh Hashana toast. Through word of mouth and local advertising, Ashkelon’s Anglos were invited to one of the city’s community centers. A surprisingly large number of people showed up, accentuating the need for a forum for English speakers. A mailing list was made that evening and, voila – the English Speakers of Ashkelon (ESOA) was on its way! The initial meeting of the founding committee discussed ideas for names, goals and functions along with the need for different committees. One of the first things that was done was the printing of a handbook in English for new immigrants. Meanwhile, several events were held with a small entrance fee. The group found itself with extra funds and donated the money to a local food kitchen to provide daily hot meals for children in need.In the meantime, with the generous help of the then-mayor Benny Vaknin, Welcome to Ashkelon, a guide for new olim, was published on a more professional level and was distributed to newcomers to the city and those thinking about immigrating to Ashkelon. Today, as then, newcomers are greeted by an ESOA care package and a list of important phone numbers and contact people within the organization to help ease their aliya process. The organization’s welcome booklet is also available on its website (www.ashkelonesoa972.com).The social group for Anglos was a success, and as the social and charitable aspects grew, a desire to do volunteer work was brought up by members. Since then, ESOAers have been lending a hand on myriads of ongoing volunteer projects. For example, before a Hanukka, they help wrap and pack candles made by at-risk youth in the city’s Na’arei Ha’or (Youth of Light) candle factory. They also pack medical supplies in a nearby army base and wrap and distribute mishloah manot gift packs to soldiers on Purim. They arrange furniture for lone soldiers and have also knitted and crocheted hats for them for the winter.In conjunction with the local Barzilai Medical Center, they give toys and games to young patients on their birthdays and holidays. Many gifts are given by the ESOA members themselves; others are provided by local merchants. ESOA members also help Ethiopians with English studies at one of the local community centers, and help in local schools doing English tutoring.There are several activity groups for members. The craft group, besides making hats for soldiers, has made afghans for local Holocaust survivors and teens at risk, along with baby layette sets for less fortunate families and single mothers. Afghans were also knitted for abused and neglected children who had been taken from their homes by social services and put into a “family” house in Ashkelon.Additional groups include a self-defense course and weekly art sessions led by a professional artist who is a member of the Art Society of Ashkelon. Before joining the art group, most participants had no experience or special ability. They started with the basics and, to some surprise, several extraordinary drawings were made. The city’s annual art exhibition displays work created by group members, other ESOA members, and local English-speaking artists.There is a jewelry group and one that teaches how to grow gardens in containers. There are theater outings and guided day trips – not only in the area but all around the country, including Jerusalem, various kibbutzim, vineyards, the Carlsberg brewery, the electric company and more.Well-attended lectures take place several times a year on a wide range of subjects and there have been lectures by writers from The Jerusalem Post, medical lectures, talks about wills, guardianship and power of attorney, and by a CPA about American income taxes (which left some of us reeling). There are also biannual bazaars and used book sales, Purim, Independence Day and Hanukka parties and raffles.There is also a monthly newsletter sent out via email.A widely respected organization that has left its mark on the city, ESOA is frequently asked to lend a hand, often by city social workers and schools that ask for aid for families in need and hungry students. No one is turned down. Not long ago, ESOA almost completely refurnished a house that had been severely damaged in a fire – all that was left were the walls. The family, which had no insurance, lost everything. ESOA got donations of furniture and clothes, some new and all in good condition to get the grateful family back on their feet. The family had never heard of ESOA before this.ESOA galvanizes its members and the community when asked to help people in need and is recognized by the city as a reliable address in almost any emergency.A collection for the victims of the recent fires in Haifa amassed so many items that a truck had to be rented, at the organization’s expense, to transport the goods up north. A day before the truck was due to roll, those overseeing the project were told that there was an overload of goods and they didn’t need the ESOA donation. It was decided that what had been collected would be divided among several local charities.“Believe me,” says June Narunsky, one of ESOA’s founding members, “there is, sadly, no shortage of people in need.”Members of ESOA come from all walks of life and just about every English-speaking country. They are secular and religious, young and old, teachers, real estate agents, physicians, businesspeople, attorneys, hitech workers, contract managers, singers, musicians and even a female former command sergeant major, the top on the non-commissioned officer chain, who served in Afghanistan and retired after 37 years in the military.ESOA recently became a non-profit organization, enabling it to expand the scope of its charitable deeds.This brought immense satisfaction to all ESOA members, especially the older ones were skeptical that a viable English-speaking group could actually be formed, as many previous attempts had failed.What started out as an idea tossed about one summer evening by the local Anglos a few short years ago has evolved into an organization of over 400 active members. ESOA is proud of its accomplishments and contributions to their city, and are excited, willing and able to take on the many opportunities and challenges that await them in the future.For more information: www.ashkelonesoa972.com
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