Tziona and Jeremy Shor, a match made in Blue Box Heaven

JNF not only enhances the lives of those living in Israel, it also enriches the lives of those living in the Diaspora. Meet Jeremy Shor, born and raised in Perth, and Tziona Rabinowitz, born in Johannesburg and raised in Perth from the age of 11.  They never crossed paths because they went to different schools. Towards the end of high school, they met at a party where a mutual friend introduced them. Keen to see her again, Jeremy found a way to bump into Tziona at another event, which was the start of a whirl-wind romance. It ended in true high-school fashion – abruptly and confusingly. Although the two went their separate ways, it wouldn’t be long before love came knocking at their door.

When Tziona was a uni student at Curtin, she joined AUJS and her first task was to organise Holocaust Awareness week on campus. This involved inviting a Holocaust survivor to talk. Enter Richard Farago, a survivor living in Perth and a long-time supporter of JNF. When Tziona approached Richard, he reluctantly agreed to tell his story to the group of AUJS students. He said it would be his last one as he just could not do these talks anymore. He asked that in exchange, Tziona agree to become a Blue Box collector for her own list of community members. He expressed that not enough young people were involved with Blue Box collections, and that it was time for the next generation to step up. 

When Tziona received her first Blue Box list, she was surprised to see Jeremy Shor’s family on the list, especially because they did not live in the same area. Twice a year she would visit Jeremy’s family home to collect Blue Box coins and each time, Jeremy was there to greet her. Soon he was joining her as she walked from house to house clearing Blue Boxes. Eventually he asked her out again and time, their relationship would be forever. Jeremy and Tziona have been married for 17 years, have two sons, an adored dog, and are active members of Perth’s Jewish community.

Tziona was dedicated to her Blue Box duties for several years and when she wanted to give it up, Jeremy said he would take over her list. To this day, Jeremy is a Blue Box collector for JNF. One could say, Richard Farago’s Blue Box legacy lives on through the Shor family.