Easter 2026 Newsletter

Dear Friends

I travelled to see my friend in Sweden in early March, when the weather was quite clement and did not fall below 4 degrees.I had two reasons for going-one to see my dear friend Eleanor whom I have known for the last twenty five years, since she was a student at Cambridge University, and the second to meet Robert, a relative of my late mother’s, who was born in Sweden and I whom I had never met before.

Eleanor lives in Upsala, the oldest university town in Sweden and teaches at the university there -her subject is Aramaic.Upsala is a fine and thriving town with a splendid cathedral which we visited on the first day. We toured round the cathedral and lit candles and then had a nice lunch in a local restaurant,having had coffee and a delicious cake a couple of hours before in an old fashioned cafe in the town.

After lunch we walked along the river, still icy in places.and we glanced in the little shops. One evening Eleanor’s partner, Mohammed, who is a music teacher, gave us a recital on his oude, a Middle Eastern instrument.Eleanor gave us some recitals on her piano.

Stockholm was a definite must for a visit, so we boarded the train another day for the hour's journey.What a beautiful city! The houses are in pastel colours, yellow for the government buildings and in the middle of the city is the impressive Baltic sea. The city was cooler than Upsala with quite a wind blowing although the sun was also shining and we took refuge in the Old Quarter, where we had a splendid meal. Unfortunately I did not have the chance to eat much Swedish food.

On Saturday Eleanor had prepared a lovely meal for my relative and his wife who arrived after an hour and a half’s journey from their home.What a wonderful surprise when they arrived! I can’t say I noticed any family resemblance, but Robert had all our relatives in a family tree on the computer and we had much to talk about. HIs wife Christina is delightful and they have four children. My  grandmother Anna Bergson was born in Karlstad, her father, my great grandfather Benzion Bergson, having emigrated from Lithuania in the middle of the 19th century.

On Sunday we went to Sigtuna, a little town on the lake; a couple of people were ice skating!A very successful holiday.

It is with great sadness that I write to inform you of the death of my close friend and colleague Svetlana Kurtes.Svetlana and I met at Lucy Cavendish College in the University of Cambridge over 25 years ago. Svetlana took a great interest in The Little Sisters of Joy and was a talented professor of linguistics, at times living in different countries, such as Qatar and Madeira. She had a great sense of humour and loved my music. She will be greatly missed.

I hope you had a good Easter and Passover which came together this year.

Shalom from Gila

The Little Sisters of Joy