On The Eternity

Health services - Aged people's home - Cemetery - Eternity
Do you see the connection? perhaps the irony?
Walking outdoors provides us with a good opportunity for reflection on things in general, and on what we see around us in particular.

Let's take a walk on 'the Eternity' street. The name eternity (Nezach -in hebrew) is rather intriguing to those who don't know there's a small, old, cemetery at the end of this street. The cemetery is at number 25. At number 23, there's an aged people's home, and further in the same row, at number 9 - a health services building. All three sites are of the highest standards.

The cemetery , now closed to burials, is considered exclusive due to its central location, quality of maintenance and some important figures burried here. If someone wishes to buy a plot (there aren't many left, if any), he'll have to be well connected and pay a large sum of money.

entrance to the cemetery

The aged people's home, Habait (home-in hebrew), adjacent to the little cemetery , offers all kinds of sheltered accommodation to choose from: retirement living, independent living, assisted living. nursing care, rehabilitation etc.. It is luxurious, with a variety of programs , facilities and services. and meant for people... with money.

Habait

The Health Services building is owned by the second largest health care provider in the country - Maccabi. It has specialized clinics, modern facilities , and highly professional medical staff.

Maccabi Health Services

First there was the cemetery; then, behind it, several residential buildings were erected. The question of why the price of a flat in each of these buildings was so expensive - usually got answered with : "you get the most quiet, well-mannered neighbour possible". Indeed.

residential buildings behind the cemetery

'Charity begins at home' and Wizo

At least once a year, usually in Spring I make a bundle or two of clothes to be donated to the needy. It makes me feel good to help those people who cannot afford buying clothes.

There are several ways of donating clothes and accessories. I choose to do it through the nice local branch of the volunteering women organization WIZO. This organization which has branches all over the country (and abroad) is engaged in activities that promote care, education, and support for children, women, and families.

The WIZO branch consists of a large conference Hall (for the various social and cultural activities carried on here) with a small office and restroom - and a Store (in a nearby alley) for sorting. fixing, arranging and distributing the donated items. Part of the clothes are given away for free to people recommended by the local welfare authorities; the rest is sold for a symbolic fee to whoever is interested in second-hand items; the small profit is used in improving the place and its blessed activities.

conference hall - corner for refreshments

conference hall - chairs

The bags with the donated stuff can be left either at the office or at the store (called ביגודיתBegudit). However, the latter being open only for two hours daily, most people leave them inside the Hall, in a narrow space near the office.

bags with clothes left near copier

Those who bring the stuff after activity hours and place it outside the entrance door could create a serious security problem. Evil factors (terrorists) might be tempted to introduce explosives in those bundles of clothes. Constant efforts are being made to make the public aware of this danger and convince potential doners to avoid bringing stuff when the branch is closed.

"Begudit" (closed at the time of visit) in adjacent alley

''The Rimon Experience"

There's a lovely five-letter hebrew word רימון Rimon which means both pomegranate and grenade. Good music is juicy like the fruit (pomegranate) and explosive like the weapon (grenade); thus 'Rimon' seems an appropriate name for the independent, professional school of modern music in Israel.

Here it is (the school), behind the fence

The Rimon school of music (which has an exchange agreement with Berklee college of music in Boston, USA) offers studies in a variety of musical fields : composition, songwriting, performance (general and jazz, vocal and instrumental), film scoring, music teaching .

The students at this school (some 500) come from various countries ; the diversity of their cultural backgrounds helps create a richly flavored music and original interpretations. ''Rimon'' graduates are very appreciated professionally both in Israel and abroad.

The modest campus is located in a green, quiet residential neighborhood and it consists of several one-storey buildings with classrooms, recording studios, a library, performance spaces , and the outer recreation space.
The flat buildings could well do with some remodelling and fresh paint, but I am told that an entirely new complex is about to be constructed near by, so that would explain the present state of the existing structures.

needs some fresh paint

entrance to one of the buildings (see painted exterior)

recreation space

Rimon school is not far from my home, and yet I don't often come near the place. I think it's something psychological , and it has nothing to do with music but rather with my feelings of reluctance regarding general and local political elections. The polling station where I 'm supposed to place my vote on Elections Day is located ...on the same street with the Rimon school of music.