Dear Bat Zion Graduates,
I am still calling you girls, although some of you are grandmothers and have grown up children. I hope you are well and coping during this Corona period when all the world is upside down.
I must thank Nomi Spanglet for suggesting that I write this letter. Nomi contacted me because she felt that the Bat Zion Bogrot would be very happy to hear from me.
We are living in difficult times and it must be hard for you not being able to see your family, especially if you have family living abroad. I know we have found it very difficult not being able to see our extended family, but with Hashem's help this period will pass soon and we’ll get back to normal living. People say that the world will change when we get back to normal living if so, I hope it will be for the better
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen any of you, but I do see some of you on Facebook and somehow, I feel I really haven't lost contact with you all together.
I know that many of you who were in Orot when I was there have made Aliya, but there are those of you who still live in Chutz LaAretz. I’m sure you have interesting lives and successful careers. I would be delighted to hear from you.
I often think of the years I spent in Orot, especially when I was house mother, when I came to your apartments and spent time talking to you, the tiyulim with Yitzchak Sapir and the Shabbatonim we spent together.
I’m sure the whole experience of coming to Israel for a year, sharing apartments with your Israeli roommates, and of course the fact that many of the shiurim were in Hebrew, helped you mature and integrate into Israeli society. I hope that you will always remember your year at Orot as one of the most uplifting times of your young adult years and cherish the lasting memories and friendships.
My husband and I are well, and Barush Hashem we have been blessed with many, additions to our family. Sometimes I think of Jacob who went down to Egypt with 70 people and became a nation. I haven’t got there yet , but I’m working on it.
Stay safe and well,
Judy Ford