Meeting the Minister of Well Fare

Today Bracha took me to Haifa to stand in a demonstration with the rehabilitation teachers and meet the Minister of Well Fair. Now, I don't quite understand why he's called the Minister of Well Fair because he doesn't seem to be doing things well, and what he is doing is not fair. But he's a politician and politicians are never quite honest.

We stood there waiting for a while and finally the Minister Herzog arrived. He shook hands with everyone there, including Bracha. Some of the teachers began accosting him and telling him he had better get some money together and pay their salaries so they could go back to work. Sometimes they argued and when that happened it was sort of like a lot of dogs barking all at once - nobody hearing anyone else. Then things quieted down and Bracha told him that she did not approve of outsourcing services that should be provided by the government, and he attempted to brush her off, saying that that had been 30 years ago, but Bracha said that didn't mean things couldn't be made right and that the government had to be responsible for tending to all its citizens. He did stay to talk with us and everyone was pleased that he had stayed to listen. . Then he went inside to do whatever ministers do inside.

There were some other exciting people there in addition to the minister, though. We met a lot of other rehabilitation teachers and a man whose name was Ilan who has a guide dog called Rio, whom I made friends with right away. Ilan cannot see or hear, and he is a very special because he is determined to communicate to people despite the fact that he cannot see or hear, and knows how to use a computer that does everything he needs to communicate with people. He whipped out a tiny laptop out of his bag and showed Bracha the tiny screen and braille keyboard. Evidently he's a real whiz, but I could not understand what Bracha said to him because Shosh and his rehabilitation teacher showed Bracha how to communicate with him by writing on his hand. Bracha got his email address and will write to him. When the minister met him he shook his hand and Ilan's teacher later explained to him that he had shaken hands with the minister, and explained to Herzog that Ilan could not speak to him or hear him and that she was his teacher and he and a lot of other people needed her help. And if that doesn't convince the minister of well fair that he had better solve the problem, I don't know what will.