JERUSALEM — The other day Barbara Bayer, Kansas City Jewish Chronicle editor, picked up her home phone, dialed a 913 number and we connected.
That’s because we have a plan that allows others to call us as if we were in the same country. When we came to Israel, my daughter, Elissa, who had made aliyah in 2004, told us to order a Vonnage box and sign up. You have to bring it in with you. When we moved into our apartment, it was connected through our computer and we installed a phone in my office. For a set fee each month, we can call the States as often as we like and talk as long as we like and enjoy business and family relationships.
Those abroad can also call us (just remember we are eight hours later!). We’ve had our share of early morning calls, like the time our accountant called at 2:30 a.m. My husband, Barry, answered, good morning. He answered, oh, isn’t it afternoon there? Somehow he thought we were eight hours earlier.
But, as Barbara said, what a different it is than when you wrote for The Chronicle 30 years ago.
Milton Firestone (z"l) would either call me long distance or send me an air-mail letter if he had an assignment. If it was urgent, he would send a telex to the Government Press Office which would place it in my mail box.
After completing the assignment, I would type it up on an electric typewriter with two carbon copies, keep a carbon for myself, take a bus to town to the Government Press Office where I would show the original and leave a copy with the censor, then walk to the Main Post Office where I would either send it by telex or mail it special delivery.
Of course photographs had to be sent by mail and I recall Milton’s major complaint was when the story arrived on time but the photographs came too late.
Now we have the Vonnage phone for overseas calls, a land phone for local calls, two cell phones (Barry and I each have one), two computers (one for each of us), two printers (one for each of us) and a fax machine.
Amazing how easy it is now to communicate and to send out stories!
