The story: Yafit and Noga, who are disabled ("more than 100 percent"), live in an apartment of their own and maintain an independent lifestyle with Hirosha's help.

The home: Rented, 112 square meters, ground floor of three-story, stone-covered building. They have three bedrooms, living room (with exit to a yard), kitchen, two bathrooms, dining area and a hall that is called the "corner of wisdom" (Noga).

Corner of wisdom: Because of the bookshelves there, including John Grisham, "Winnie the Pooh," the poet Lea Goldberg, "Who's Who in Mythology" and "The Big Pasta Book."

Tour: The front floor is shiny, the gas burners in the kitchen are covered with aluminum foil, the natural air is cooling (there is also air conditioning), the front door opens by means of a remote control device that operates an engine. We sit and partake of refreshments (saltines and chocolate chip cookies). In the well-lit living room there is an orange sofa opposite a heavy wooden unit with a television. On the wall is a painting (a reproduction) of a huge red, dominant rose. We head for the rooms.

The chair: They both have advanced electric-powered wheelchairs. Yifat's was made by a German firm (which has since gone bankrupt) and has a top speed of 6 kmp. ("I would like double that") and cost NIS 70,000. Noga has an Israeli-made one, which is cheaper.

The vehicle: A 2002 Chevrolet Savanna with a small electric steering wheel. Noga passed her driving test (on the sixth try) in 2001 ("because of the hills in Jerusalem").

Occupations and livelihoods - Yafit: Yafit works three times a week (from 10 A.M. until 2:30 P.M.) in the Shekel association (in the Talpiot neighborhood), which assists disabled people in the community (with housing, employment and enrichment groups). She herself works with the PR person, Adriana Dudi ("I am her typist"). She goes back and forth via transportation provided by Yad Sarah, a nationwide voluntary organization, at a cost of NIS 35 each way. "I pay for it," she says, though this outlay constitutes her entire salary.

Noga's occupations: Noga is a student who is at present on vacation. She will soon be starting her second year of special-ed studies at the David Yellin Teachers College in Jerusalem. She studied education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the past, but did not complete a degree. She also gives private lessons to high-school students in history, geography, literature and Bible (NIS 60 an hour) and in arithmetic to elementary-school students.

Hirosha: Works a six-day week, 24 hours a day, apart from Sunday (when she is off and has a replacement). She cooks, cleans and helps with everything, earning $650 a month ("The two of us pay her"), in addition to NIS 100 a week for pocket money. She keeps a room in an apartment in the city center.

Yafit's bio: Yafit was born in Tel Aviv in 1974 to parents from Iraq ("a salaried family"). She suffers from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA, also called Lou Gehrig's disease), a genetic disease which appeared in her childhood. Until the age of eight she walked with a limp ("I walked downstairs backward") and attended a regular school. In fifth grade she switched to Tekuma, a school for the disabled located near the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, and remembers well the "terrible" transportation she had by bus, where a seatbelt wasn't used ("And it hurt so much"). A year later she underwent surgery at Hadassah University Hospital in Ein Kerem ("which succeeded, but there was a deterioration"). She was discharged to recover at home, and then was sent to Alyn (a pediatric and adolescent rehabilitation center) in Jerusalem, and remained in the institution for 17 years, from the age of 12 (1986-2003). During her years there, she studied at a regular school in the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood and in a comprehensive high school in the Gilo neighborhood, majoring in management ("I didn't really relate"). All told, she sums up, she enjoyed her school years, but has no friends from that period ("Everyone went his own way").

Bio (cont.): She studied computerized graphics and worked in the design of "papers, bills, receipts." She started her present job at Shekel (2002) "at first as a graphic artist." She met Noga at Alyn; they were not really friends.

Yafit's parents: "They visit occasionally," as does her brother, who is also disabled. She does not make reciprocal visits ("I'm not really wild about Tel Aviv").

Noga's bio: Born in Haifa in 1979, the middle child of five brothers and sisters (none of who are disabled). Her parents now live in Ra'anana. Her father worked in computers and is now retired; her mother is an insurance agent. Noga has been disabled since birth, suffering from fragile bones ("with a spongy structure"). In general, she says, her disorder is not painful, unless a bone is suddenly broken ("such as happened three months ago"). She was taken to Alyn when she was one month old and lived there until the age of 24, when she moved in with Yafit.

Noga's parents: She has good relations with them ("I don't judge people") and goes to them on Shabbat, though she has stronger relationships with her brother and sisters ("When I broke my hand, there was a general 'mobilization'").

The students: "I always break the recoil with questions like 'Is there anything you want to ask?' And they respond and a conversation develops and relations are normalized." After Denmark School she taught at the Kedma school, while taking a psychometric test (for university admission) and passing her driving test. She enrolled in the university and started to study education ("And this where the story actually ends at the moment").

Leaving Alyn: "It's like taking an irreversible step," Noga says. "It's not like leaving home, when you can change your mind and settle back there again." It took the two women two years to come to terms with the idea, "with the help of Tsela" (a social worker who developed a model for the transition to an independent lifestyle). No room would be waiting for them at Alyn anymore, Noga says, "and I was really scared."

Hirosha: Born in Colombo, Buddhist, high-school graduate, formerly silver medalist in the javelin throw in Sri Lanka, and married ("My husband is a businessman"). She is the mother of a seven-year-old child ("I haven't seen him in two-and-a-half years"), who misses him very much ("If I go there I will never manage to come back, because of him"), but will return home only in 2009. Until then will keep saving.

Domestic burden: They have a joint fund ("a supermarket kitty"); each of the two puts in NIS 600 a month. Yafit is in charge of shopping. She hangs the bags on the wheelchair's handles from the back ("I look like a mobile supermarket"). The rest of the housework (washing the floor, laundry, etc.) is done by Hirosha.

Daily routine: During the vacation Noga gets up at about 10 ("and sometimes at noon, too") and has a cup of instant coffee (Elite's Platinum) with two teaspoons of sugar and vanilla milk, and goes on errands. Yafit gets up before her, at 8:45, has a cup of tea (Lipton's) with two teaspoons of sugar, and puts on makeup. Hirosha always gets up before both of them. Yafit puts on eyeliner and leaves (the blonde hair is always done by Avi in the L.A. Hair Salon in the neighborhood). They have lunch together at about 4. Hirosha (with Yafit by her side) prepares spaghetti Bolognese, grilled chicken, fried liver and stuffed eggplant (Yafit: "Her cooking is fantastic"). When Noga is at the university Yafit usually doesn't eat until Noga gets home, and Hirosha prepares her a box with something cooked ("Chicken with rice, say").

Afternoon-evening: After a shower Yafit goes to the computer. Her homepage is Walla!, Noga's is Ynet; they both take part in forums. In the evening Noga watches "retarded" TV series ("Our Song") and is very fond of "Friends." "Therapy" (the Israeli series about a psychologist and his patients) bores her. Yafit likes reality shows such as "Survivor" and all the "Born to Sing/Dance" programs. Current events do not especially interest them. Noga: "During the war I watched the headlines, got the idea and felt really down." They are regular visitors of dating Web sites (Love Center, JDate) and they go to sleep late (after 2).

Specifications: Yafit - "He should accept me as I am, be a good listener, have the ability to give and be a good-looker." She has already had a few dates (in the apartment), but nothing came of them. Noga - "He should have a sense of humor, be intelligent and accept me as I am."

Quarrels and making up: "There are quarrels, but not many" (Noga). There are also silences, they say. The disagreements are usually "about those around us." And about Hirosha. Noga: "You are at the same time her boss and also have to give her a 'feeling of home,' so you have to find the right balance."

God: Noga believes. Yafit, too; she says she turns to God sometimes ("When you're in need"). No, they have nothing against him, they don't blame him.

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