NEVER TOO LATE TO FIND MY VOICE BY ZELDA DVORETZKY

It happened unexpectedly, not in a tourist area but at a neighborhood salon where I was getting my hair cut. A man and woman about my age were speaking American English, from somewhere on the Eastern seaboard! In Israel, where the term “anglo” can refer to people from the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, to find a couple whose speech was so close to mine was unusual. I had to say hello.


That’s how I met Susan and Dick, who came to Israel in 1948. Dick had volunteered for the Israeli Navy during the War of Independence. Susan is a poet. We became friends, and she gave me several books of her poetry. She also introduced me to a group she belonged to, Voices Israel.


I’ve always been a word person, writing stories, teaching English, editing, writing press releases, ads and commercials, a humor column for a weekly newspaper, even doggerel for birthdays and special occasions; fun but nothing I thought worth keeping.


Thanks to Voices, I began looking at the world with a poet’s eyes, and I began to write poetry. My new friends immersed me in the art, and the rich texture of Israeli life and the beauty of Haifa provided more subjects than I have time to explore.


Most people think of Israel as “the start-up nation” or as bronzed pioneers making the desert bloom. It has, indeed, a tradition of literature in its reborn language, Hebrew. But it also is home to a group of people who write poetry in English.


Voices, Israel was born in 1971, its mission to encourage writers of English poetry, nurture their gifts, and promote international friendships through poetry. It has grown to more than 150 members in Israel and abroad. There are meetings where poets read their works and critique each other, intense workshops where creativity flowers, and anthologies of poems, written by members and other contributors from around the world and published annually. I’ve submitted a number of my poems, and I can’t describe the joy of seeing some of them in print.


The group sponsors an annual competition, named for its founder, and keeps members apprised of other competitions and outlets for their work. A monthly newsletter and a website, www.voicesisrael.com, serve as sources for this and other information about the world of poetry.


It has been an unexpected delight for me to have entered this world as I entered my ninth decade – and all because of a chance meeting at the hairdresser’s.