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brothers behave like cat and mouse (their battles continuing in bed), Yehuda defends his
brother when necessary.
Yehuda wants to be a soldier, to protect the borders, "so that the thieves won't steal our
cows and sheep." After some thought he corrects himself: "No, I should rather be a pilot."
"Aren't you afraid of falling out of the plane?" I ask him.
"But they tie me in," he smiles, "And I'm not afraid at all." His wish for himself is for a
small plane; and for the state – lots and lots of planes, and at least one "Sputnik"…
" I like making people laugh, and flying"
Yisrael Assis from Nun Gimmel Street in the HaTikva neighborhood is the tenth and
youngest child in his family. The most important and central event in the lives of Yisrael
and his brothers and sisters over the past ten years, according to his parents, has been the
fact that they have grown up.
"I really like playing darts and watching movies about Native Americans," he says. In
addition, he likes to entertain the girls in his class. He's good at it, too, as his classmates
testify. They don't care one way or the other, claiming to be "indifferent to girls…".
Certainly, Yisrael wants to succeed in his studies, "but I don't really enjoy exerting
myself in that direction. The main thing is for me to continue growing quickly, so I can
become a pilot. Because there's one thing that I do want, and that's to fly."
T he young gentleman from Mizra
When I found Amikam Roshansky, who lives in Kibbutz Mizra in the Jezreel Valley, he was
busy in the children's dining-room. He helped to wash dishes, cleaned the floor, moved
chairs and tables back to their places, then washed his hands and was ready to talk with
me.
Like his kibbutz peers, Amikam knows about working. He works every day – in the
dining-room, in the vegetable patch, in the animal corner, and in the other branches of
kibbutz activity.
His daily schedule is crammed full. "At twenty to seven the child-carer wakes us, and
by seven we have to be ready, washed and dressed. By 8am we gather for breakfast, and
from 8:30 we study, until 10:30. The last class is usually drawing or woodwork. Then we go
to work, eat, and rest until a quarter to three, and study some more until 4pm. At 6:30 we
meet with our parents, and then they read us stories until 9pm. Then we get into pyjamas,
brush our teeth, and hop into bed…"
Amikam is a little "yekke" [a colloquial term for German Jews, or more generally –
someone who is precise in everything he does]. The girls call him a "gentleman". He is
precise and meticulous, and likes order. Everyone knows that he can be relied upon: he'll
230 The Friday That Changed Destiny
brother when necessary.
Yehuda wants to be a soldier, to protect the borders, "so that the thieves won't steal our
cows and sheep." After some thought he corrects himself: "No, I should rather be a pilot."
"Aren't you afraid of falling out of the plane?" I ask him.
"But they tie me in," he smiles, "And I'm not afraid at all." His wish for himself is for a
small plane; and for the state – lots and lots of planes, and at least one "Sputnik"…
" I like making people laugh, and flying"
Yisrael Assis from Nun Gimmel Street in the HaTikva neighborhood is the tenth and
youngest child in his family. The most important and central event in the lives of Yisrael
and his brothers and sisters over the past ten years, according to his parents, has been the
fact that they have grown up.
"I really like playing darts and watching movies about Native Americans," he says. In
addition, he likes to entertain the girls in his class. He's good at it, too, as his classmates
testify. They don't care one way or the other, claiming to be "indifferent to girls…".
Certainly, Yisrael wants to succeed in his studies, "but I don't really enjoy exerting
myself in that direction. The main thing is for me to continue growing quickly, so I can
become a pilot. Because there's one thing that I do want, and that's to fly."
T he young gentleman from Mizra
When I found Amikam Roshansky, who lives in Kibbutz Mizra in the Jezreel Valley, he was
busy in the children's dining-room. He helped to wash dishes, cleaned the floor, moved
chairs and tables back to their places, then washed his hands and was ready to talk with
me.
Like his kibbutz peers, Amikam knows about working. He works every day – in the
dining-room, in the vegetable patch, in the animal corner, and in the other branches of
kibbutz activity.
His daily schedule is crammed full. "At twenty to seven the child-carer wakes us, and
by seven we have to be ready, washed and dressed. By 8am we gather for breakfast, and
from 8:30 we study, until 10:30. The last class is usually drawing or woodwork. Then we go
to work, eat, and rest until a quarter to three, and study some more until 4pm. At 6:30 we
meet with our parents, and then they read us stories until 9pm. Then we get into pyjamas,
brush our teeth, and hop into bed…"
Amikam is a little "yekke" [a colloquial term for German Jews, or more generally –
someone who is precise in everything he does]. The girls call him a "gentleman". He is
precise and meticulous, and likes order. Everyone knows that he can be relied upon: he'll
230 The Friday That Changed Destiny
