Page 234 - big friday
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There was much tumult among the Arabs; the noise and the sirens disturbed the
twins' sleep. Demonstrations were held against foreigners, and against Jews in particular.
Houses went up in flames, and property was stolen. The twins remember the nightmare of
a bloodthirsty Arab bursting into their home: "Father took me on his shoulders; Mother
took my sister in her arms, and they carried us to the roof, where we hid all night long."
Their mother jokes that when the girls were babies, one was nicknamed the "professor", the
other was the "pharmacist". "They were both bald, just like professors and pharmacists…"
Today, no-one would guess; they both have thick, shiny black hair.
T he ten years of their lives so far have been crammed with adventures and impressions.
They have been to many places in the country, and they chat naturally about their travels,
and "also other important events": going to the cinema in Tel Aviv for the first time; a
strong wind that lifted the roof off their neighbor's house, while the roof of their own
house remained in place; how they heard an alarm and cannon fire from a nearby plot,
and thought it was enemy fire, but it turned out that it was I.D.F. soldiers undergoing
training; and on and on.
Although the girls like to play, and spend lots of time playing chess and football, they
are also nimble in knitting and embroidering, and help their mother with the laundry and
other chores, "so that everything is clean and tidy in a flash".
A bove all, Manya loves the Bible. "It has such amazing stories – about Samson and the
bees, about David and Goliath, and other stories that you don't find in any other book."
Sima, in contrast, likes nature and arithmetic. "When you don't know arithmetic really
well, it's no good," she argues with Manya. "But one has to know the Bible as well!" her
sister retorts in response.
W hat do they want to do when they grow up? "When I know how to play the piano
well, I want to be accepted to the Israeli orchestra and to give concerts," says Manya. Sima
wants to be a sailor, "to see the whole world." Both conclude, "And that Ben-Gurion will
be Prime Minister for many more years, and that he'll bring over all the Jews who are still
in Egypt."
H e's always poring over his books
"Go to sleep. The light is spoiling your eyes. It's late," Yisrael David's mother tells him,
night after night, when she finds him reading in bed.
"It's okay, I'm not tired. I don't feel like sleeping yet," Yisrael David replies, and immerses
himself once more in his reading.
Y israel David Taub, a student at the Yesodei Torah school in Rehovot, is a bookworm in
the full sense of the word. His eyes are brown and serious, he wears a hat, and uses words
sparingly and judiciously. He is the school librarian, and in his free time he devours every
book he can get his hands on.
Along with Torah books, Yisrael takes an interest in agriculture and nature. When he
232 The Friday That Changed Destiny
twins' sleep. Demonstrations were held against foreigners, and against Jews in particular.
Houses went up in flames, and property was stolen. The twins remember the nightmare of
a bloodthirsty Arab bursting into their home: "Father took me on his shoulders; Mother
took my sister in her arms, and they carried us to the roof, where we hid all night long."
Their mother jokes that when the girls were babies, one was nicknamed the "professor", the
other was the "pharmacist". "They were both bald, just like professors and pharmacists…"
Today, no-one would guess; they both have thick, shiny black hair.
T he ten years of their lives so far have been crammed with adventures and impressions.
They have been to many places in the country, and they chat naturally about their travels,
and "also other important events": going to the cinema in Tel Aviv for the first time; a
strong wind that lifted the roof off their neighbor's house, while the roof of their own
house remained in place; how they heard an alarm and cannon fire from a nearby plot,
and thought it was enemy fire, but it turned out that it was I.D.F. soldiers undergoing
training; and on and on.
Although the girls like to play, and spend lots of time playing chess and football, they
are also nimble in knitting and embroidering, and help their mother with the laundry and
other chores, "so that everything is clean and tidy in a flash".
A bove all, Manya loves the Bible. "It has such amazing stories – about Samson and the
bees, about David and Goliath, and other stories that you don't find in any other book."
Sima, in contrast, likes nature and arithmetic. "When you don't know arithmetic really
well, it's no good," she argues with Manya. "But one has to know the Bible as well!" her
sister retorts in response.
W hat do they want to do when they grow up? "When I know how to play the piano
well, I want to be accepted to the Israeli orchestra and to give concerts," says Manya. Sima
wants to be a sailor, "to see the whole world." Both conclude, "And that Ben-Gurion will
be Prime Minister for many more years, and that he'll bring over all the Jews who are still
in Egypt."
H e's always poring over his books
"Go to sleep. The light is spoiling your eyes. It's late," Yisrael David's mother tells him,
night after night, when she finds him reading in bed.
"It's okay, I'm not tired. I don't feel like sleeping yet," Yisrael David replies, and immerses
himself once more in his reading.
Y israel David Taub, a student at the Yesodei Torah school in Rehovot, is a bookworm in
the full sense of the word. His eyes are brown and serious, he wears a hat, and uses words
sparingly and judiciously. He is the school librarian, and in his free time he devours every
book he can get his hands on.
Along with Torah books, Yisrael takes an interest in agriculture and nature. When he
232 The Friday That Changed Destiny
