Ima Shimony woke up very early. It was her habit to make the
most use of the daylight, so early to bed and early to rise
were integral parts of her days. Now, as she woke up, she
breathed the fresh air and looked through the open window at
the twirling fog that danced up in the air. She couldn't
afford to linger long; much work awaited her. She rushed into
the little kitchen to light the primus, a noisy kerosene
burner, and boil up some water for a cup of Turkish ground
coffee.
It was Elul. The sounds of slichos mingled with the
blasts of the shofar, coming from all directions. In
these Days of Awe, which were felt very pronouncedly in their
neighborhood, Ima was kept busy getting reading for the
coming yomim tovim. She examined the family's clothes
and tried to fix them for continued use during the crowded
holiday season.
That year there was a special sewing project. It included a
new dress for each daughter. Directly after the holidays,
Aunt Elka was to be married. This event required something
special and it being so close, already, these dresses could
be of great use to enrich the wardrobe for the double
purpose.
This very special project had to be calculated carefully. It
involved purchasing material, choosing styles and hiring a
seamstress. Everything was carefully deliberated and planned
so that the styles and the material would create an elegant
impression with the minimum use of fabric.
At that time, the `in' style was pleats, which meant using a
lot of material. Ima and the seamstress decided that the
skirts would have only several pleats which would utilize
only a little extra cloth and still give a stylish effect.
The busy seamstress set a date for the Shimony family and now
it was time to go shopping for material. The best, while
still the least expensive, material could be purchased at the
home of Eidel.
Eidel lived in the Beis Yisroel neighborhood. The distance
from Mekor Boruch where the Shimony family lived to Beis
Yisroel was quite long. There were no buses, which was a good
thing, since fares were much too expensive, in any case.
To reach Eidel's home was like going on an out-of-town hike.
Most roads were unpaved and in order to reach Beis Yisroel,
one had to climb over boulders and walk on gravel. As this
mission was important, the Shimony girls walked eagerly. They
were happy that the roads were downhill. Finally, they
reached Eidel's home.
Choosing the material was no problem since the selection was
small to begin with. It was Eidel's task to measure and
calculate the exact length of the needed cloth. She figured
the sum and marked it in her book, to be paid after the
Yomim Tovim. The way home, however, was much more
difficult since it was all uphill.
At home, a surprise awaited them. Aunt Chaya had come to
visit, bringing along a reminder of the beloved Carmel
mountains, arousing fresh memories of the recent vacation
they had spent in the little moshava. Aunt Chaya had brought
along a loaf of bread and a hunk of cheese, the handiwork of
Bobbe Faiga. The entire crowd of Shimony girls greeted her
exuberantly and danced around her joyfully. Aunt Chaya was
the same age as Chedva, so they immediately began gossiping,
oblivious of everything else.
Ima was busy preparing supper. The additional bread and
cheese came in very handy. It took a little longer than usual
since she had to take into account extra sandwiches for
Chedva for tomorrow. Chedva would be accompanying a class of
girls not much younger than her on an outing to the woods in
Atarot, outside Jerusalem. As an older child in the family,
Chedva, only nine, was already very mature and responsible,
and had been invited by the teacher to come along and lend a
helping hand. But since she would have to devote her entire
attention to the group of lively little girls, she would not
be allowed to have Aunt Chaya accompany her.
*
Early the following morning, Chedva left and Aunt Chaya
stayed home to help Ima by watching over Tzila and Yisca. She
kept them entertained by telling them tales about the farm,
but they soon got bored and decided to go over to the
schoolyard and play with the other girls.
Aunt Chaya held Yisca's hand and Tzila followed close behind.
They joined a group of girls waiting for their sisters to
return from their outing and soon were preoccupied in a game
of tag.
Ima emerged some time later to check up on the girls. From
afar, she saw them running and playing noisily. Then, to her
horror, she saw a motorcycle speedily heading their way and a
few seconds later, she saw Yisca collapse to the ground.
Within seconds, she was surrounded by a crowd of children.
Ima's knees buckled under her. She felt the world turning and
spinning. In a daze, she found herself propelled forward, her
eyes focusing on the spot where Yisca lay, her mind spouting
questions, "Is she alive? Is it too late? Can something still
be done?" Breathless and almost fainting, she reached it.
Yisca moaned. "Where is she hurt?" Ima blurted in a weak
voice, afraid to look down. But she did, and saw Yisca's face
covered with blood. Blood was oozing rapidly from an open
cut. As if in a trance, she picked her up and headed towards
the nearest pharmacy.
The elderly attendant was standing by the door. He moved
aside quickly and made Ima sit down. Then he picked up Yisca
and placed her on the glass-topped counter. Relieved of her
burden, Ima began coming to her wits and cried out, "Fetch a
doctor!"
"Here I am!" said the doctor, who lived nearby and had been
alerted by the children. He examined Yisca and said in a
serious voice, "I will do my best to stop the bleeding, but
she will need stitches and a tetanus shot. You had better
take her to Shaare Zedek Hospital." [Ed. The `old' Shaarei
Zedek is in the center of modern-day Jerusalem, situated
between the Machane Yehuda shuk and the Central Bus Station.
In those days, it was way out, with no public transportation
to it.]
Ima sat there woodenly. Someone brought her a glass of water.
"The fastest way to get to Shaare Zedek is by foot," she
thought aloud. She was too weak to do it herself, as it was
some distance. But then, again, whom could she ask? Taking a
deep breath, she stood up, picked up Yisca and began carrying
her towards the hospital.
She kept glancing down at her child as she walked, murmuring,
"You're going to be alright, b'ezras Hashem, aren't
you? Oh, please, Hashem! Help me!"
A young man walking by assessed the situation and took Yisca
into his arms and began rushing towards the hospital, Ima
following fast on his heels. Once they arrived, everything
went smoothly, and with a local anesthetic, Yisca was soon
fit to be taken home. By this time, Abba Shimony had arrived
and carried her back home.
Yisca was bedridden throughout Succos but enjoyed being the
center of attention. She was waited on by a doting Chedva,
and even received a doll with a real china head. On Succos,
when Aunt Elka paid a visit with her chosson, Yisca's
bed was placed facing the door of the succa so she
wouldn't feel left out.
The only drawback to this idyllic period was the excruciating
changing of the dressings. When the bandage was finally
removed, a long ugly red scar remained, which faded somewhat
with time and was hidden by a different hairstyle.
Eventually, Yisca found a fine husband. Her matchmaker
— Aunt Elka.
