Dr. Dalia Sachs

October, 1992. It is the first day of studying occupational therapy at Haifa University. Dr. Dalia Sachs, then the head of the Occupational Therapy department, opens the school year.

I am a first year student to occupational therapy. What is this thing, this journey I am starting today, occupational therapy?

Dalia tries to explain. I feel confused, but understand that she understands. I hope that one day I would understand too. Three and a half years of meetings left me with a great feeling of honor and a role model.

October, 2011. I start thinking of a PhD. Dalia agrees to supervise me, great excitement. I had a lot of meetings with Dalia, both fun and challenging times. Every time the feeling of honor accompanies me, I find it difficult to let it go, I choose not to.

This week I meet her again, in her home environment. There is something intimate and different in a living room meeting. With her personal coffee mug and a cake from her favorite bakery. While we sit we remember to turn on the recorder, so that we won't miss anything.

She tells us how she began as an occupational therapist, completely unintentionally. She was between two very different areas, and by the end she was influenced by a picture she saw in the newspaper. A decision that wasn't based on any evidence and was a based decision, which has defined who she is now. I can easily empathize with that feeling; I made many similar decisions like this one.

In her story Dalia tells us about the changes she made and the opportunities she had. We all have many opportunities, the best advice is to take them, and Dalia utilized them all.

How much courage is needed from a young 30-year-old woman to establish an occupational therapy department? Dalia shares with us those decisions and how they changed and influenced her self-definition. She tells us how other pillars added to her being an unusual occupational therapist interested in philosophy, sociology, gender, and feminism. How those added to her being an occupational therapist who is both innovative and varied.

She had so much confidence and faith that her way is right, that she does have what to say, during days that everything was still unclear, unstructured, and novel. She had chosen to share it with others through teaching, opening the department, and through influence both socially and politically.

"What had led you?" We asked? "Social justice" she answered without blinking an eye. An answer not many can say without it being cliché. It was clear to me that Dalia indeed drove others from the same compass of values she carried with her in her different levels of evaluation. When she told us how in an oral examination she refused to answer a question because she disagreed with the answer’s value; I could imagine it happening. She is telling her story and through it, she passes on a clear message – to fight, be everywhere where there is a chance to move social matters and foster any opportunity for equality, to let our voices be heard, for and together with the people we accompanied, and for the uniqueness of our profession. Dalia highlights again and again our uniqueness in the broad understanding of the person in all aspects of their life. "Which other profession does that?" She asks. I have no answers. It is indeed a wonderful profession. She sent us with no hesitation to our two next stations in this chain that had evolved, two new exciting opportunities.

We leave by the red door, one that only Dalia has.

While we walk along the path we smile with satisfaction. I choose again to keep holding it.

Every day I learn new aspects of the profession. I still don’t know why I took this way but I understand why I am still taking it. I choose to be an occupational therapist.

Naama

We scheduled the meeting with Dalia for the first day of Joan Toglia's workshop in Haifa University, for me, to find it easier to get to her house located on one of the most complex and beautiful streets in town. It was great timing for me to be able to have a real observation of her influence. Until yesterday, she was, for me, an impressive figure who I knew from a distance and lately had heard about her more and more from Naama.

From a close view she is just as I say about our profession – as more regular and down to earth, more relevant and meaningful. The is something simple in her, maybe it was sitting in her living room in her inviting house, and the four o'clock timing that gave the atmosphere. This natural feeling created a simple connection that doesn’t need to be explained. Every sentence makes me more curious and now and then I join the conversation because she speaks straight through my own set of values.    

She tells us about her initial reason she chose the profession, and I'm with her, I chose and fought on my place without a clear reason, I just knew. Later on, I realize this feeling is based exactly on points Dalia describes, of a profession that not only focuses on the individual itself but also on the society he or she comes from. Society influences an ability to integrate within it. For me, her ability to strive to justice, and the belief that what should be, not as a slogan but as a personal-professional way of living, with the demand to apply those values in legislation, research, calling out – I identified to my own everyday practice and vocational decisions (that sometimes feel odd to others).

Dalia looks at both of us during the discussion, she is not only speaking equally to us, but also acting this way. She is dividing herself equally and presenting the same to each one. She spoke about the need for a discussion of occupational therapists from a multi age level, that a mutual learning is so important for an evolution of new and old knowledge. Naama quoted Anthony and we all know whom she is speaking about.

They talk about the first strike of people with disabilities; knowing that I don’t "remember", only "know about". I explain from the field how we practice these values. However, in the past, a revolution was needed for them to be noticed. Yes, I used the term revolution even though I don't like it, because the biggest revolution today is to keep changes in the daily routine. To create more interventions, more connections, write another paper, perform in another conference, research, and build up another generation of valuated occupational therapists. Things that would evolve our society, and the people living in it, to have a better and more meaningful life.

She also, as those she follows, tells us about big things she has done while young in age. One being, the creation of a new occupational therapy department at the University on the Mountain. A few hours after I heard the current dean praise the OT department I hear Dalia’s story, explaining to the Dean, years ago, why there is a need for this department in the University. And it happened. She also mentions Yael H'alevi, with great respect, as a strong person that led others in new endeavors. The name Aliza Karni was also mentioned several times. It marked a direction and lead us on the path. It tells us that our community is one with a wide scope that with every meeting reveals to be part of it.

This is our third meeting and I already feel how the story forms an image. She sends us on two routes: one to the academy, and one to the field. I all of a sudden understand that the story of occupational therapy was framed in my mind with a specific point of view of what I know. Which is good, but just part of the big picture.

Sivan

Prof. Noomi Katz

I have known Noomi Katz from reading her articles, research, hearing her and about her. I think of her as one of the most influential people on our profession. From my personal perspective we have similar name, small differences, I'm a young PhD, and she is a professor. During the years, more than once I received e-mails addressed to her by mistake, or people thinking I'm her and was surprised that I'm not. Of course every time I sent them back to her, but those little funny experiences strengthen the impression about her from other people and let me see the difference between professor Noomi Katz, the one and only, and me. Later on I had the privilege to be supervised by her in my doctoral dissertation. As her student and colleague at work we went together to a conference in Japan, there I realized how much she is respected. I stood aside impressed and excited from the amount of people addressing her, recognizing her work, and specialty. Moreover, I was impressed by her modesty and how she addressed others speaking at eye level with each one. Sometimes in the moments I observe myself sitting with Noomi (drinking coffee, of course) and astonished by the calm atmosphere between us.

Yesterday we asked Noomi to interview her. We entered her office, an office where I have learned to enjoy and work together. On one wall is white shelves covered with master theses, and doctoral theses she has supervised for many years. One of them is her own. I could see names of occupational therapists, experienced side by side with young ones, a long chain of occupational therapists gathering together on this white shelf. What an impressive chain would it be!

We have learned to turn on the recorder in the beginning and that we don't need to ask questions, the discussion just flows and exists and there is so much to talk about. It was clear to us that every moment would teach us something about who we are. We asked Noomi where she started. I have heard her story so many times and any time I hear it is different.

This time I was busy with the change issue. Noomi had made so many brave changes in her life, not always conventional at the time she did them, like moving to another land, changing of roles and professional areas. She chose to develop and change, and told us stories from her past that I could easily imagine. When she talk about Claudia Allen, her thesis supervisor I recognized how she admired her, and with her developing side by side with Allen she tells us about the disagreements that made her develop new perceptions and new research.

Noomi tells us how as part of the team that established the LOTCA she traveled with a little wooden box to AOTA conference trying to find investments for this well-known evaluation. I could imagine that, Noomi and her friends with the wooden little box built by Loewenstein carpenter, walking through the performers fair looking for investors. More she tells how they arrived to Taiwan to a workshop about the tool and all of a sudden they realize that many people planned to come and they had only one kit. When they got to the hall where it took place they found out that the people there arranged many tables and on each table placed a LOTCA kit. I could feel the surprise, the astonishment and the excitement they felt. How did you know? How did you have the guts to do it? I asked. The field was mature enough, she answered immediately.

She told us how she and a group of friends felt they want change and made up the first committee of the Israeli Occupational Therapy Association. To the first meeting 100 occupational therapist who felt the same had attended. Where did you find the courage to do so? So many feel they want to make a change and so little do so. What is the mechanism that enables to make such an active decision?  These questions opened a long conversation of the evaluation, of the profession, of time changes, and different needs, how to feel that the field is ready to change and about the profession that change and evolve with the help of people who love and believe in it.

This conversation made me think and raised many questions. Where are we today? What is the field ready to today?

Where do you see the profession in 10 years? We ask, and Noomi answered, a profession that leads to cooperation with other professions. One that initiates connections with other health professions and doesn’t lose its own unique way.  

I picture it in my mind, occupational therapists initiating connections with other professions without thinking of missing parts of their own way – so much strength and respect in this picture, strength with who we are as occupational therapists, and what we can be as occupational therapists.

We leave the room, I glanced again on the occupational therapists chain that take place on the shelf. I can imagine how it grows and get more collared and varied. I leave the room proud and strong, love to be part of this exciting chain. Love to be an occupational therapist.

Naama

Stand on the shoulders of giants. Newton's phrase is placed so properly in the entrance page of Google Scholar. That was my strong feeling the moment we entered the room, a feeling that got stronger with every story and example of things that are so trivial to me and someone who had to start and establish them.

I knew Noomi from her papers, some of them I can say I know she wrote and some I don't just know that someone strong and meaningful wrote. That why I came to this meeting with my head, and by the time it ended, her story and how she organized things helped me find where I am with my professional heart.

While she speaks I imagine the reality of our community that has so many today without crucial things. I imagine how it is to have only one academic school, only first degree (and even no degree, just a vocational course), no association or a journal. All of a sudden everything is so precious.  

The fact that we have several occupational therapy programs in different area has enabled appreciation to an active academic action, that she was part of, an action to build up a group of occupational therapist with progressive academic degrees that would expand the opportunities.

I'm thrilled from thinking about the involvement and the thinking ahead and the ability to visualize it in the mind and make it happen. I look at myself and realized how much had to be done for me to put a lot of effort to get into a proper program and learn first and second degree, and answer any other one who ask me "does this profession has master degree?" with a great "Yes" and even show off with "..and even professors".

Suddenly the place, the association, and the journal mean much more than I had in mind. I'm a member from second year in first degree and have written to the journal several times. I could write to English journals but writing my last article (and thanks to Anat Mann for the insight) I addressed many things to the Israeli audience and to the local community and the IJOT, the Israeli journal is a great place for that, and was not as obvious as it is today until people made it a fact. Same thing for the annual conference.

Noomi talks a lot about doing things together, many names were in the room, colleagues, partners, family.  She describes a way to walk together, and this togetherness has a great power. I felt that she sends us with this power to make it within our community, a strong community that can work with others.

I left the meeting fascinated, with thoughts of how with the change and the development we keep our frame, how we innovate without throwing away the good and old. I feel that when we manage to stand on giants shoulders and not start from scratch, it can be done great and strong. It is a lot about if the field is ready and the gathering together that is always so important. It is unique people that walk together to made up a vision, and a lot of learning and building a legend that make up the sequence that leads to a development.

Sivan

Aviva Fried

For a while we are thinking about the need to document seniority occupational therapist, those who influenced in meaningful way about the profession. I feel responsible to do so. How can it be that an occupational therapist won't meet with Dalia Sachs and get excited or get a bit confused with Aviva Fried.

After all, we are here thanks to so many..

The journey starts.

The first meeting is with Aviva Fried. For me Aviva is an unclear figure who I met in a course at the master degree in Tel Aviv. I remember thinking in the class thinking Aviva is talking about something high and important. Remember the feeling of not understanding the idea she is talking about and in the same time it is clear to me that there is something I should understand. Something is telling me, loud and clear – one day you will understand.

A phone call and coffee, coffee at Aviva.

There is a sign in the entrance that gives us the notion of the occasion. This is the house where Prime Minister Rabin lived. Already a story, piece of history.

The mailbox marked as 1 but after it the number is 11. What does it mean? Is it 10 with dropped number? Another enigma…

The sign that tells it used to be Yitzhak Rabin house

We found the apartment and get into Aviva's privet space. A smell of lavender welcomes us, biscuits and coffee. 

Same as I imagined carpets and leather couches, books, coffee table. We sit on the couches, from the first moment the stories start. The friendship with Rabin and Leah and the unmediated encounter with their security men.  I find myself concern with the thought that I should have turned the record in the stairway… every moment worth recording.

Aviva immediately start telling, even any question was asked about Yael Halevi, the one to influence Aviva's perception and her professional development. I stop and ask for permission to record, feel that any interruption stop a story that could be told. Decide not to interrupt more. We both set up the record and dig into a conversation about the essence, the profession, intuition and its meaning and about being. A philosophic conversation that can be possible only with her. During two hours that pass without notice she hand out a picture of Yael Halevi with awed, a pile of papers written with an old font why it is important to create a proper academic root to the occupational therapy profession.

We look at those pages, stop on a list of reasons why this process is not necessary. First reason – if it likes physiotherapy there is no need. The similarity to our nowadays reality hits me. Is it possible that so little has changed? There are moments in the conversation that I find myself observing the almost sorialist situation. Me, Sivan and Aviva drink coffee and talk about the togetherness, the same and the different.  

I'm excited.

We copy the papers with awe; feel as if a fortune of professional history found her way to us, while we expose Aviva to the technology that made it possible to us to do so without taking the papers out of her house.

I'm excited again.

Last question, if you could build a community of occupational therapists, that you are part of it, who will you invite to be in it?

The name rise without any other thought.

It came naturally and meets me with great pleasure.

The next link in the chain.

We leave with feeling of euphoria and elation. Smile on my face for the days to come, rare one, saved for special occasions. We are out for the journey, and I have this feeling it takes us to great places.

Love being an Occupational Therapist.

Naama

In a blue folder that moves with me to every apartment gathered together Brill, Leibowitz and Hegel, tempting me once in a while to peep at the anthology Aviva Fried made us, first year students in the occupational therapy program. In the reading list I give my students there is an article from the book published upon her lectures in the Broadcast University. What I learned from Aviva and from many other Occupational therapists I want to pass on to others, to my students who soon become my colleagues, and to my community which I feel deep feeling of belonging.

In the phone call she try hard to remember me from all the students she had, and open the door widely, it feels as if she is on her way to join us. With a sense of mission she asks me questions that get deep into the goal of what we want to do in this meeting, the first, that would direct us to all the others. When she raise Yael Halevi's name I feel that she do for me what I want to do for others, telling me about someone I didn't have the chance to know and made a main difference for Aviva helping her find her professional way.

I was glad that she invited us to her home, telling us more about herself, if to use her words – entering us to her own space, to a discussion which is our safe space. We came to hear about the beginning, about her being a young, 22 year old woman, placing in this high position because there was anybody else. Hear about the people who influenced her, and how things rolled. Little stories about her patients, about teaching, inserted to the big story as jewels. Describing us, with the tune of one who explain it so many times and never get tired of it, how by experience, and philosophy, one learns how to get the courage to care for another, to enter his life and take part in them. How from all these you build your intuition and how this intuition is a tool, so important tool in our daily work.

Time pass and the conversation was no more just an interview but a talk made by three occupational therapist about the past present and future, about the professional identity, the special and unique. A meaningful conversation of our profession which let and demand us to be humanistic and to consider the other own space, to identify, always be the one to identify the key point. For me it was an amazing opportunity to put in words what I do every day in my workplace with the people.

In the days after the meeting every second sentence started with "Aviva said…" and the energies were so high. The thoughts, about the content as well as the meeting itself, accompanied me in all other human interactions. Suddenly to think – Who is my Yael Halevi? What move me in my professional way? What are the thing I won't give up for? I am quite pleased that I have answers to these questions, and moreover of the fact that they change all the time.

From all the knowledge and the deep experience of walking together the same path I take with me what Aviva said when we asked her what have changed. She took some quite moment before she answered. "What changed is that there are educated occupational therapists like you, who come and ask the questions". The best way greeting to a wonderful journey.

Sivan