Family affair
Source: Ha’aretz (Original Article)
The Frankels, Kibbutz Revadim
The cast: Marda, 73, and Yehiel, 75.
The home: Shaded, green-lawned, between trees bearing pecans and pitangos. In the front is a long table with 20 chairs, near a bicycle with two baskets and Yehiel in a striped shirt. The entrance is from the porch, via a sliding door with shutters.
We enter: To the left is the original section, from 30 years ago, to the right the addition from four years ago. The old part contains a living room, kitchen and guest room; the new part has a dining area, a computer desk, a bookcase and a bedroom. The total: 80 square meters. In the living room is a small table with a lace tablecloth, between two sofas (gray and blue). Nearby is a teak buffet (”We bought it 30 years ago in Petah Tikva”) and on the wall are old posters of exhibitions by Yehezkel Streichman and Yosl Bergner. Marda offers us whole-wheat cookies with sesame seeds (”I baked”). We partake. Where is the rug? In the summer it is folded up behind the sofa, Marda says. We head for the bedroom. On her side is “Scarlett” (the sequel to “Gone with the Wind”), on his “Letters by Moonlight,” a collection of letters written from Jordanian captivity by Yehuda Hitin, a member of the kibbutz. In the computer area is a bookcase containing the Bible (S.L. Gordon edition, with commentaries). We peek into the kitchen. On the range is a pressure cooker (”Ten minutes and it’s cooked!”). We ask about the long table on the porch. The children and their families visit every Saturday evening.
Children and grandchildren: Ami, 50, married plus three, agronomist; Galia (47), married plus four, art teacher, lives on the kibbutz; Lilach, 44, married plus five, works for Intel; Ella (35), married plus two, registered nurse, BA in philosophy, teaches guided imagery.
Occupations (Yehiel): Responsible (for 12 years now) for handling the insurance policies of the kibbutz (vehicle, property Business Credit Cards and foreign travel). His former positions …continue reading