Jane Ben-Yehuda:  

Life I was born in Sacramento and lived here until 1976 when my husband and my two daughters and I moved to Davis. I thought Davis was so far away. I actually cried for a week! Then I met my neighbors and became a happy camper and realized that the drive from there to Sacramento wasn't so bad after all. It wasn't long before I thought that Davis was the best place to live and raise my children. We only lived in Davis until 1978. Next move was to New Orleans, LA. We lived there for 14 (1978-1992)years. It was a real adjustment living in the South. I actually felt that I lived a shelted life in Sacramento and Davis. Things were so different there. I started working for the phone company(South Central Bell and AT&T) after living there for 3 months. Then divestiture came (the break-up of the phone companies)and job losses. I only had 7 years of services so I was laid off. Then I worked for Dean Witter Reynolds for 3 years as secretary/sales assistant to 4 brokers. That was interesting until Black Monday. That was too much stress for me so I quit with only a short notice in advance! Next job which was offered to me the next day after quiting the brokerage firm and it was with the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. I really enjoyed that job also. My family (husband and daughters)and I had converted to Judaism in 1980. We were already established in the Jewish community so I knew most of the people I worked with. I was at the Federation for 3 years. Next move was to Beer Sheva, Israel. This move was just my husband and I. I had only visited Israel once and that was in January,1991. I experienced the first scud missles that came into Israel from Saddam Hussein at the beginning of the Gulf war. The sirens going off and having to go into the sealed off room with our gas masks! Wow! That was a scary experience! Not knowing the language was another problem. We were staying with a doctor friend of ours in Haifa who had only been there for less than ...Expand for more