Valerie Knowles did not need more than smiles and giggles to communicate with our girls during her recent visit to the Children's Home. Spending her afternoon at the Rubin-Zeffren Home, she and her friend Eileen Lowey met our Programs Director Bracha Runes who gave them a grand tour.

Valerie, who is a retired colonic therapist, spent 49 days in Israel visiting friends in all regions and enjoyed touring Be'er Milkah, Carmiel, Rosh Pina and the artists' colony of Ein Hod, just to name a few locales.

Our friend told LLL “When I'm in Israel, I feel whole and complete.” Visiting the girls at the Home, Valerie reflected that they are well taken care of, dressed cleanly, yet there is so much more to be done for them emotionally.

Arriving at the Home after 2:00 PM, Valerie and Eileen, who joined her for a two week stay, interacted with our older girls, who just returned from school. Valerie noted that many of the housemates she met had a command of the English language, but when translating got a little tough, Eileen, a retired teacher, asked a girl “Where’s your Hebrew/English dictionary?” In a flash, the reference book came down from the shelf.  The women, who both hail from Colorado, loved visiting the Home's kitchen, meeting the chef, and watching the food prep. Of course, no guest is allowed to leave the Home hungry.

Tzedakah ~ charity, is a strong belief for Valerie, who says, “I feel G-d guiding my path.” Besides her love for travel, Valerie is an avid gardener and enjoys painting in oil. Her retired profession as a Colonic Therapist, she explains, involves the preventive measure of using H20 for cleansing of the colon, the last 5 feet of the intestinal tract, thus making digestion and absorption much easier.

Valerie Knowles loves the smorgasbord blend of Jews she met in Israel, which included varied nationalities:  Yemenites, Moroccans and Ethiopians, just to mention a few. She also served Honorably in the U.S. Army branch of the military and is a Gulf War Veteran.  Her parting words with Lev LaLev were, “G-d will bless those who bless Israel.”

We are indeed pleased and honored that Valerie and her friend Eileen privileged our girls with a special visit to Netanya during their Israeli sojourn. The girls appreciate their kindness and support and especially their presence among them.