From England with love to Hod Hasharon by David Ben Asher

Published in "YAROK" 21.2.2014   translation from Hebrew by Sid Cooper

 

Sid and Rina Cooper of Hod Hasharon were born in1929. They have been married for 63 years and have 4children and 9 grandchildren.

In an interview with ‘Yarok’, they speak about their aliya to Israel, their connection to education and the energy they still possess in their ‘golden age’.

 

It started in London, some time last century, when Sid, still in his youth, was seized by the idea of Zionism and the land of Eretz Israel beckoned him from a distance, both of space and time.

As a youth, Sid became chairman of a Jewish Youth Club in London, where he lived and then as local chairman of Macabi youth and sports movement. Later, he was chairman of the parents association of his children’s school.

 

He continued as a Zionist activist and in 1982 was elected National chairman of the British Aliya Movement (Tnuat Aliya), which position he held for 1 year. In 1983, the Cooper couple, together with their children decided to fulfil their dream and to act as a personal example to the Jews of England. They packed up and made aliya to Israel.

Sid remarked proudly that in his year as chairman, there was a record number of olim from the U.K.

 

Yarok: And how was your absorption in Israel?

“In England, I worked for many years in business,” says Sid. “I ran my business in import and export and it flourished. In Israel, I decided to leave business and work at something completely different, something which gave me pleasure, satisfaction and also contributed to society. I began to teach English speaking students in schools in Hod Hasharon and Kfar Saba at the elementary level.

I still work as a teacher at Hamagen primary school and I also teach children as a volunteer, at Hadarim high school prior to the English oral bagrut. I have been teaching for over 10 years.

 

Yarok: Sid, it sounds very nice but our teachers normally retire on a pension 30 years younger than your age because of the understandable grinding down process, so how is it that you at 84, still have the motivation and energy to teach?

“I simply love it; I am enthusiastic and I feel that I am contributing to education in our society. It gives me a sense of deep satisfaction.

 

Yarok ; and Rina and Sid, do you have any hobbies? How do they fit in with these activities?

I’ve recently become an author. I have 3 books published: 1st is Robert the robot stories which is a series of 13 stories. The professor doesn’t like doing housework so he builds a robot to take over the tasks of cleaning, cooking etc. It provides humour and learning English on the side. The 2nd book is ‘The house in the woods’, a mystery story about Sara who lost all her family and lives in the mysterious house with its frightening characters;

And the 3rd is ‘A shot in the dark’. A corpse is discovered without any identification, without signs of violence and unknown in the area where the shot was fired.

The books are all written in English and can be read simply as novels or used as teaching tools.

 

Yarok: And you Rina; haven’t you got something on your plate?

Yes. I’m involved in different art forms. I paint and I sculpt. I’ve participated in two exhibitions up to now; one in Yad Lebanim and I enjoy the work which I produce in

Hod Hasharon.  

 

So, the splendid family Cooper, salt of the Earth with just a touch of English gentility.