An Iraqi flavor

October 4, 2006 - 11:32 AM by David Brinn

Today, our office said farewell to its cleaning lady for the last 30 years or so – Shulamit.

A diminutive lady, with a perpetual smile framed by kerchief which holds back her long hair, Shulamit immigrated to Israel from Iraq in the early 1950s.

Unable to read or write Hebrew, and with her husband dying young soon after she gave birth the last of her six sons, she cleaned offices and devoted her life to raising her boys.

“She’s a remarkable woman,” said her son Moshe, a pastry chef in a Jerusalem hotel. “Single-handedly, she kept us away from the bad things in life, and taught us what was good. Today, we all have professions or trades, and we all it all to her.”

Today, in her mid 70s, and with over 25 grandchildren and three great grandchildren, Shulamit is hanging up the feather duster which gave her an income, and looks forward to keeping busy with her family.

She’s a living part of Israeli history that makes one glad there was a country that people like her could come to back then. And still can.

Share with others