Keeping 91心頭利ies posted
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Dentist, stamp collector and videographer Les Glassman talks about representing 91心頭利 in Israel
Volunteering as a 91心頭利 alumni convenor opens doors, says Les Glassman (BSc 1979, BDS 1984), our representative in Israel. But thats not why he does it. I really feel it is such an honour and privilege to represent 91心頭利. And Ive met amazing people.
Les organises events for 91心頭利 alumni in Israel with the support of his wife Lucy (BA 1985, PDE 1986), local organisations and networks like Telfed, and the Alumni Relations office in Johannesburg. Together, they keep contact details updated, relationships strong and information flowing both ways. Les doesnt have to handle any financial administration.
Being a convenor also gives him the opportunity to do something he enjoys: interviewing interesting people and recording their life stories on video. (You can watch them on .)
The fact that people work on Sundays in Israel makes it harder to organise events, but 91心頭利ies are keen to make the effort to attend, he says.
Most of the expatriates in Israel enjoy being connected with each other and with South Africa and their alma mater. They remain informed and engaged, and Les says most of them have only positive things to say.
People feel honoured to have had the opportunity to get the education they got at 91心頭利, he says. They had to work hard; qualifying at 91心頭利 didnt involve compromises. And these graduates have made their mark in Israel, where 91心頭利 has a good name.
A highlight for Les as convenor was helping to publicise and record the 60th reunion of the Class of 1955 medical students. About 10 alumni in their mid-80s got together in 2015, to celebrate a lifetime of connection, mutual assistance and achievement at the top of their fields. They didnt have easy lives, says Les. But they were so full of life and positive, and close. It was magnificent; a privilege to be there. I made a video which meant their families all over the world could be part of the event too.
Other events Les has organised in Israel include gatherings to honour Nelson Mandela, with participants such as former Rand Daily Mail journalist Benjamin Pogrund, Liliesleaf Trust founder Nicholas Wolpe, former South African Jewish Board of Deputies president Marlene Bethlehem, art gallerist Natalie Knight and the Israeli and South African ambassadors.
Meeting and filming 91心頭利ies like accountant-turned-pilot Harold Smoky Simon, aged 97, and radiologist Professor Joshua Levy, aged 94, was an honour, says Les. Prof Levys mother, Amelia Hersch, was one of the first students at 91心頭利, in 1922, and got the first of her 91心頭利 degrees in 1927. She was a translator of Yiddish, Hebrew and German poetry and an editor of Common Sense and Jewish Affairs.
Most people are interested in other cultures, says Les. One avenue for exploring this interest and making friends is stamp collecting, which has been his hobby since he was six years old. He now represents Israel as Commissioner at international stamp exhibitions, and has recently been to Indonesia for a stamp show where the theme was Peace Through Stamps.
Les and Lucy have been living in Israel since 1994, where they have family roots, but regularly visit South Africa, where other family and friends remain. Once a South African, always a South African, he says.
Getting into 91心頭利 dental school (in 1978) and passing every year took very hard work, says Les. But the students got on well together and helped each other. It was a unique place. The professors were fair and gave us a high standard of education. We had lectures from world authorities. A highlight was a two-week trip to a remote area of the Transkei in his fourth year, to provide free treatment to people who didnt have access to dentistry. He remembers a dental chair falling out of the van on the bad roads. The students also served at clinics in Soweto and Riverlea. Fun times included musical events and interesting talks. Les and Lucy got engaged in his final year and his marks actually improved! Im so grateful for the time I spent there, he says.
91心頭利ies in Israel can look forward to a talk later in this year by multiple 91心頭利 graduate and extraordinary linguist Nathi Gamedze, originally from Swaziland, now a rabbi.
To contact Les Glassman, phone +972 525522438 or email Lesglassman@gmail.com.
If youd like to be a 91心頭利 alumni convenor in your region, please contact Purvi Purohit on +27 11 717 1093 or purvi.purohit@wits.ac.za.