The Mutual Mending Society
Early Years
An explanation is required to understand how this assortment of males happened to be standing together at a railway bus stop in Haifa.
It all began in the pre-covid era. In contrast to the alleyways where he searches for stray cats, Shaul came across me at a gathering of people constituted for the promotion of a bicycle path for Jerusalem,
Concern for the future of our environment unites the mixture in the above picture. It was no accident that we both attended the Velocipede consortium. He rides, and I used to ride until one bright day, I parted company with the machine when, contrary to my instructions, it went one way and me another.
Unlike felines resembling one another, we are a diverse group of people, not all initially sociable, but with the potential to become so.
From the Russian Square, where the meetings were held, we graduated to Nahlaot, a conglomeration of 19th-century villages.
Several Jewish philanthropic organizations formed trusts called Kollels to build these complexes of small apartments, each with space for a vegetable garden. The inhabitants were Jews who had come to the holy city to study the Torah, escaping persecution in Russia, elderly people who wanted to spend their final days in Jerusalem, and young yeshiva students whom the Kollels supported financially.
Reclining on wooden benches beneath Eucalyptuses in the middle of this labyrinth of communal structures, in an enclosure known as "the park of the Hashish smokers." The collector and I met.
Abutting on Mahaneh Yehudah Market made it a convenient spot to meet. I'd buy a beer and a pork sausage, and my companion had a bagel, being vegetarian. We congregated occasionally but not at any fixed time, date, or day.
The inventor comes up with names for objects, like the silly name "The Mutual Mending Society", and it's stuck. He has a mischievous smile that he imagines is friendly or happy. He encourages people to partake of activities he believes will bring them health and happiness. There might be some merit to his ideas, and he improves people's lives in accordance with his own conception of improvement. The people involved may have different opinions.
Our club now consists of five individuals.
The first addition to our little group was a fellow who leaned his velocipede against a wall surrounding this little haven of peace, tranquillity and doers of nothing. Parcels and bags festooned from the handlebars indicated his intention to go home and do some cooking. Hearing South African accents, he stopped and initiated an approach to befriend us. His question, "Do I hear South African English being spoken? " received a positive reply, and we captivated him.
Robby, a great asset to the society yet to be formed; all-knowing and acquainted with everybody, is a veritable mine of data. Unlike a mine, however, where you had to dig deep into the earth to find gems his sea of wisdom pours out of him like the floodgates of a dam flooding a tomato patch. This newly acquired member of the club suggested we meet the following Friday for coffee.
This is how the idea of established assemblies came about. His pal Declan, a white fuzzy-haired kind of shaggy dog character, accompanied him to the next assembly. Shortly after, the Irish gentleman joined and his chum Mike, a smiley observer from the United States of America came along.. The first official step was taken when Shaul invented the epithet The Mutual Mending Society and publicised it via "Whatsup"
At somebody's suggestion, the group commenced assembling at Coffix. In fact, the beginning of routine get togethers of the mutual mending society coincided with the establishment of inexpensive coffee places called Coffix. One could buy a coffee for a low cost of five shekels; the price went up to six, but it was still a good deal.
To the great disappointment of the members, coffix shut its doors, and they were left high and dry. Still, they soon revealed a place they liked on Jaffa Road, which also served coffee at five shekels, but that folded aswell..
I suspect that some organization lies behind this trend of closing down. We'll leave that for the detectives.
The club was now well-established. We had a set time, 10:30, and a day, Friday. After meeting at Neeman in King George Str for a while, which the participants found too noisy, we moved to the coffee shop YOLO, which suited Shaul's gimmicky mind. You Only Live Once = YOLO. It took me some time to catch on. So, the club consisted of five, with Shaul endeavoring to enlist new blood. The latest addition, Jon, is testing to see whether or not he fits in, which means he's an on-and-off member.
The instigator came to the conclusion the bunch should conduct a collective activity to strengthen the bonds between the individuals So everyone elected an jaunt to Tel Aviv to partake in the mass transport system introduced there known as the Dankal.
Leon mapped out the route, spending a day riding the trains and busses to examine the sites to be visited.
The tour proceeded as designed. Mile's wife, Mira, joined us, and the group benefited from the pleasure of the feminine touch. This event was so successful that the gang chose to have a communal meal at Mike's place in Musrara. Robby found the meat, Mike provided the drink, and Leon's wife, Ettie and Declan's, Susan, the salads. The company enjoyed the company of Declan's wife, Sue and Leon's wife, Ettie. The latest outing was to Haifa.
The club members gathered in Motza on Independence Day. It was a big hit; Robbie barbecued, assisted by Declan. The list of names of those present is too long for this brief, first of, hopefully, many more missives of the doings of the Mutual Mending Society.
Watch this space for more write-ups. Anyone who is a fully-fledged member is entitled to post on this blog.
More events are planned, and everyone except Netanyahu is welcome. Things are going ahead full steam.
The crucial hour has arrived, and I must leave this writing to make my way to Yolo.