Long ago grandfather had an orchard

Together with his brother, they built a house for the caretaker and a water tower for the needs of the oranges.  One generation later we used to have picnics there and rejoice in the agricultural development of the country.  But the orchard is long gone and tonight we witnessed again how far gone it is.  

The organization that united the orchards in the area tried to dissolve the company ten years ago when the whole system of agriculture fell apart.  They’ve been trying for 10 years to legally dissolve, but had to sell their offices and properties and just couldn’t get through the red tape.

Tonight we went to a meeting of the shareholders – even though our share in this is minimal.  There were over 250 shareholders but only 16 attendees and we met in the basement of a luxurious brand-new synagogue in some remote part of Petach Tikva, where it was clear the Chair was an important member.  Almost all of the people were old and it was clear the oldest ones had been farmers.  

I sat there wondering over how we had come to this state – former farmers going broke in a high-end synagogue.