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June 25, 2004/Tamuz 6 5764, Vol. 56, No. 40
Winning the lotteryCARL ALPERTHis name has not been revealed. In television interviews, he and members of his family wore masks so that they could not be identified. We shall call him Moshe.We assume certain biographical details: that he was brought to Israel as a child, soon after establishment of the state. That life has not been easy. He never managed to emerge from the socio-economic class in which he had been born. There were times when he lived comfortably, but there were also prolonged periods of unemployment, reflecting the situation in the country as a whole. He married a girl from his neighborhood, and as both came from religious families, they fulfilled the blessing to "be fruitful and multiply." By the time Moshe was in his 60s the couple's 10 children had blessed them with 25 grandchildren. As the youngsters grew up they struck out for themselves, but none became wealthy. Some had economic problems of their own. They kept an eye on their parents and helped out when necessary. Ill health added to Moshe's difficulties. Moshe's one great weakness is an addiction to buying tickets to weekly games of chance that are legal in Israel. His favorite numbers had never substantiated the faith he had in them, so sometimes he altered his choices. He faithfully watched the weekly television broadcasts announcing the results. He would hold his breath for a moment or two and then, after the winning numbers were given, would crumple up his losing tickets and throw them away. A few weeks ago he dozed off during the broadcast. It was not until several days later that he passed the kiosk where he customarily placed his bets. He stopped and felt in his pockets for the slip of paper there. He went over to the window, perused the posted list and checked his numbers against the winners. A second reading confirmed that he held in his hand the correct numbers for the grand prize, 27 million shekels ($6.02 million). He pushed the ticket back into his pocket. Afraid that he might lose it, he asked one of his sons to keep it secure until the office opened after the weekend and he could claim his winnings. When he appeared, the press was on hand to interview him. He spoke freely: "It has not been easy to raise 10 children. There were difficult periods, even very difficult. Now at last I can help my children. One daughter is on the verge of having a mortgage foreclosed on her little apartment. I can quit the job I now hold, and now that there is food on the table, I can get to know better my 25 grandchildren." The latter part of the story, as reported in the press, is true. Some of the earlier details of Moshe's life are products of my own imagination. Hundreds of thousands of needy Israelis, struggling on the verge of bare sustenance, spend scarce shekels on weekly games of chance. Moshe was one of the few lucky ones. Carl Alpert is a free-lance writer in Haifa, Israel. |
