Reggie A life of a Reluctant Pioneer

My name is Reggie and I was born in Cairo in 1937. My family

insisted that I should write my story, but my excuse was always

that for that I would need plenty of time. Then in 2020, there

was a Coronavirus Pandemic, which lasted until 2022 and gave

me plenty of time to write. So here it is. And now that it is

written I have to thank them all. First, the main man in my

family, Jason, who had to patiently and lovingly share our only

7Reggie Pearlson

computer, and helped me to remember all the shared incidents

in our life. And then Rotem, our daughter who believed this book

should be completed and made sure that it was, by coming to

visit us from California, and sat with me for many, many hours

editing and searching through piles of random photos until it all

made sense.

And thanks to all our children, Avishai, Nir, Oren, Rotem, Inbal,

and Raviv, who having heard these stories over the years from

me and Jason, endlessly encouraged me to write them, as they

wanted to be able to read them to their children. And thanks to

all our 13 grandchildren who have also heard many of the stories,

and are still interested in hearing more. They will also be told to

our great-grandchildren, Itai and Noa, and the many more to

come!

As Anias Nin wrote: “We write so that we may taste life twice.

Once when we live it, and once when we remember it”. Reliving

my life through writing it has made me realize what a great life I

had. My idyllic childhood in Egypt, growing up with loving

parents and my beautiful sister, marrying the most handsome

and handy husband ever. Joining Habonim, moving to Israel to

help build a kibbutz, and having six talented and wonderful

children. What a life! Living it once, and remembering it every

time I reread and edited the stories. Thanks to my children this

book came to be written. Thanks kids! I love you all to bits!