Page 230 - big friday
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that she developed a prodigious musical faculty. She plays the piano a lot, and is studying
dance. "I love dancing and music," she says.
S he dreams of being a kindergarten teacher; meanwhile, she displays her aptitude by
taking care of her younger brother and sister. She also enjoys reading the Bible, both at
school and during her free time. Her classmates are now learning the First Book of Samuel,
but Atiya has already progressed as far as the Book of Kings. Her hope, as she turns ten
and in general, is "that there should be peace, and that all weapons should sound only
beautiful tunes…".
I immigrated inside a bathtub
"They brought me to Israel in a strange way," recounts Haya Doncher, her black eyes
blazing. "My parents didn't have a single suitcase or anything when they arrived at the
Haifa port, after their many migrations. They had neither knapsack nor satchel; all they
had was a small tin bath, and in it their only possession - a happy baby. That was me…"
"Have you heard the story of the ship Moledet (Homeland) and its passengers?" Chaya
asks. "My parents were among the immigrants who arrived on it in Haifa, and the British
wouldn't allow them to disembark. They wanted to send the immigrants back. To where?
They had nowhere to go back to. All that my parents wanted was to come to the Land of
Israel. They had suffered greatly; they had crossed borders at night, wandered from place
to place, until they found a ship that was willing to take them to Haifa. There the British
lay in wait for them and shot at them; they shot tear gas so they couldn't disembark.
Front pages of children’s newspapers from 1948: Davar LeYeladim from
December 4, 1947, and from June 17, 1948
228 The Friday That Changed Destiny
dance. "I love dancing and music," she says.
S he dreams of being a kindergarten teacher; meanwhile, she displays her aptitude by
taking care of her younger brother and sister. She also enjoys reading the Bible, both at
school and during her free time. Her classmates are now learning the First Book of Samuel,
but Atiya has already progressed as far as the Book of Kings. Her hope, as she turns ten
and in general, is "that there should be peace, and that all weapons should sound only
beautiful tunes…".
I immigrated inside a bathtub
"They brought me to Israel in a strange way," recounts Haya Doncher, her black eyes
blazing. "My parents didn't have a single suitcase or anything when they arrived at the
Haifa port, after their many migrations. They had neither knapsack nor satchel; all they
had was a small tin bath, and in it their only possession - a happy baby. That was me…"
"Have you heard the story of the ship Moledet (Homeland) and its passengers?" Chaya
asks. "My parents were among the immigrants who arrived on it in Haifa, and the British
wouldn't allow them to disembark. They wanted to send the immigrants back. To where?
They had nowhere to go back to. All that my parents wanted was to come to the Land of
Israel. They had suffered greatly; they had crossed borders at night, wandered from place
to place, until they found a ship that was willing to take them to Haifa. There the British
lay in wait for them and shot at them; they shot tear gas so they couldn't disembark.
Front pages of children’s newspapers from 1948: Davar LeYeladim from
December 4, 1947, and from June 17, 1948
228 The Friday That Changed Destiny
