MY NAME IS AYALA LEVY AND I LIVE IN MONTREAL SINCE 1972. I AM A PROUD NASH DIDAN AND THANKS TO MY LATE GRANDPARENTS , ISSAC AND TOVA HANANIA , I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HEAR ” LESHAN DIDAN” FROM THE DAY I WAS BORN.
MY MOTHER IS RIVKA LEVY , AND YOU ALL MET HER LAST WEEK AT THE “MIFGASH” . THAT ,,,, BECAME A DAY I SHALL NEVER FORGET . I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO THINK OF MUCH ELSE SINCE . WHAT WOULD I HAVE GIVEN TO BE THERE , NEXT TO MY MOTHER RIVKA , AS SHE SHARED WITH YOU THIS MEMORABLE EVENT .
I ARRIVE TO ISRAEL OFTEN SINCE I WORK FOR AIR CANADA AS A FLIGHT ATTENDENT , AND I DO LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOU ALL ,ONE BY ONE, OR AT THE NEXT REUNION .
I AM SORRY FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO WRITE ON THIS BLOG IN HEBREW , BUT THOSE OF YOU WHO SPEAK NO ENGLISH CAN ASK SOMEONE TO TRANSLATE . MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS JOAYA@YAHOO.COM AND YOU CAN WRITE TO ME IN HEBREW . I SHALL BE SO HAPPY TO MEET YOU ON THE INTERNET AND SHARE INFORMATION AND PHOTOS .
SOME OF THE NAMES ON THIS BLOG, I REMEMBER FROM MY CHILDHOOD IN JERUSALEM , AND THEN IN TEL AVIV .
PINCHAS , I STILL REMEMBER YOUR VISIT IN MONTREAL.
MENASHE ………. I KNOW THAT YOU REMEMBER ME . AFTER ALL , DIDN’T YOU ALL COME TO MY WEDDING ?
SOME OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE PASSED AWAY , AND AMONG THEM , MY AMAZING GRANDPARENTS .
THERE IS A STORY I KNOW , OF WHAT HAPPENED TO MY GRANDFATHER’S FAMILY WHEN THEY WERE IN IRAN , AND EVERY TIME I TELL THAT STORY , PEOPLE SAY IT SHOULD BECOME A MOVIE . SO , MY DEAR NASHDIDANIM , START WRITING AND DOCUMENT ALL YOUR STORIES AND YOUR MEMORIES OF THIS . NEVER KNOW WHERE THIS WILL TAKE US .
AS FOR OUR LIFE IN MONTREAL , WE MISS THE TRADITIONS , BUT EVERY NOW AND THEN, IMA MAKES SHEFTE , BSHAL-LUSHTAIM, MAASHE SOUP , DOLMA CHAMUSTA , KALIA , AND SO ON .
I THINK WE CAN ALSO TRY TO PUT TOGETHER A RECEPIE BOOK OF ALL THE FOOD WE GREW UP WITH SO I’S NOT FORGOTTEN BY THE NEW GENERATION .
I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A YOUNG GIRL, WE DIDN’T REALLY KNOW WHAT TO TELL PEOPLE WE ARE AS A COMMUNITY, OR WHAT LANGUAGE WE SPOKE . I AM SO TOUCHED BY HOW PROUD WE ARE OF OUR FORFATHERS AND HOPE WE CAN REVIVE AND TEACH THIS ‘LASHAN DIDNA” THAT WILL OTHERWISE DISAPEAR .
AS FOR LIVING IN MONTREAL , THERE IS ONE THING I AM ALMOST SURE OFF ……….. IF I WANT TO TELL MY MOTHER A SECRET, I DON’T NEED TO WISPER . I JUST TELL IT TO HER IN NASH DIDAN, AND I KNOW FOR SURE , THAT NOBODY IN WILL UNDERSTAND .
SO , THANK YOU MICHA FOR THIS AMAZING PROJECT AND THE ENERGY INVESTED IN IT .
GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS
ELHA GALCHON
AYA