Sherman Aliyah Blog

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2010-03-23T01:08:00.001-07:00

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Auschwitz

2006-11-10T01:24:00.000-08:00

Some people say it has the status of a Makom Kadosh and others say that a visit there is a way of paying respect to the people who died there and some even say they experience a feeling of victory as the Nazi filth were ultimately destroyed and we subsequently, with the help of so many Jewish survivors of the Holocaust regained soverignity in our homeland after thousands of years. But for me, I mainly felt feelings of overwhelming sadness alternating with horror being at the site where my brethern were bruatlized and murdered in the most awful ways one could imagine. I felt that I was dirtied, somehow polluted by being in a place where such evil, unspeakable evil had taken place. At times I felt bad, like I was being a voyeur, seeing things that were inappropriate for me to look at. I think there are certain things we are not meant to see - why else do normal people regurgitate when they mangled bodies and other such horrific things. It also seemed to me inappropriate to see the mounds of hair and glasses and shoes and other belongings - I felt I was invading the privacy of the victims. I cound not bring myself to take pictures of these things.

Before going to Auschwitz, I was ambivalent- on the one hand I think it is important to have first hand witnesses to this place where the Nazis perpetrated their evil. But on the other hand, what possible reason is there to visit such a place. And these feelings pervaded during the hours I spent there.

Among our first stops was the only gas chamber still standing in Auschwitz. All the others were destroyed by the Nazis before they fled, in a vain attempt to hide the crimes they committed. Almost as soon as I entered the building, I experienced an undescribable feeling of sadness and dread- I had to leave it as quickly as I could.

Our guide was very knowledgable and understanding. She has been a guide for 9 years and it has obviously had a powerful impact on her- she is in the middle of completing a PHD at the Jewish studies department at the university in Cracow. But I was also ambivalent about listening to her- on the one hand it is important to know the gory details - to be able to bear witness - dates, numbers, places, processes. But on the other hand, what difference to all these numerous details matter - do we need to know more than anything except that Nazis murdered over 1,000,000 Jewish children, men and women in a systematic, efficient manner at this site. That they placed priority on killing Jews even as it cost them in their war effort- none of the other details really matter and even the things to see there can't teach you anything more. Too see a large room with no privacy, where hundreds of people were given 2 minutes to the bathroom. This was too base a sight for me to take a picture of.

The only small moments of comfort I found there were when I saw small little Israeli flags randomly stuck in places and seeing the beautiful young women from Avital's high school, Noga, walking there with Israeli flags draped around their shoulders.In applying some aspect of religion to the flag, Rav Soloveitchik zt"l found it to be likened to the garments of martyrs, a halachic concept that appears in Shulchan Aruch, in that the martyred soldiers were fighting to be able to raise the flag over captured territory.

The only spot there which provided a measure of quiet from the unsettled feeling of being there was a place in Auschwitz-Birkenau where the some ashes of victims were found. Almost all the ashes of the victims were dumped in rivers and fields in the surrounding area, but there was this one spot of ashes with tombstone like monuments placed in front. Here at least was a place where I could say the Prayer to be said at the Graves of Tzaddikim. At least here, I was able to have a small feeling of accomplishing something positive for those who had no one to aid them. To do something human and Jewish in a place where inhumanity ruled for 5 years.

Auschwitz-Birkenau is a vast area where almost everything was destroyed by the Nazis before they fled. The magnitude of this killing ground strikes you as you walk in this huge area. You walk and walk and reach the far end and look back and see the spot you started from way in the distance.

For one to internalize and imagine the events that happened there are too much to bear. I did feel it for brief moments - in the gas chamber and at one other time- when we walked through the barracks which had the personal effects of the victims there was one large glass case the held numerous Tallitot (prayer shawls) and I was consumed with grief for what was destroyed and the future generations which never born. These Jews packed few precious possessions when they were pushed out of their homes and among these they included their religious articles.

I don't think I would ever visit Auschwitz again and don't know if i would recommend it to anyone else. Perhaps it is important for teenagers to go there, but only with a Jewish guide who can put the place in the context of our people's history and beliefs, so they can also be inspired by the stories of goodness and piety which took places amidst the brutality.

Make Aliyah and See the World

2006-11-09T06:25:00.000-08:00

Hi it is me, the husband of Ruth, making a special guest appearance here on our family blog.

Little did I know that when we made aliyah my new job would afford me the opportunity to visit so many places outside of Israel that I never imagined I would ever travel to. In my job in Canada, I did have the opportunity to visit many towns in rural Ontario within a few hours drive of Toronto but it was only after making aliyah that I had the chance to visit Philadelphia, China, South Africa and Poland in the space of one year. Fortunately, the trips have all been less than a week so I was able to be home for Shabbat with the family each time, except for my trip to North America where I was able to visit the alta heim for Shabbat. Although I have stories to tell about all my trips, I want to write down my impressions from my visit to Poland while they are relatively fresh in my mind.

The thought of visiting Poland was unsettling to me for obvious reasons. I arrived late Sunday evening in Cracow and went straight to bed after arriving at the hotel. The hotel was situated in the heart of the former Jewish district of Kazimierz where 60,000 Jews lived, or about 1/4 of the population of Cracow. Although the Jewish population of Cracow is obviously very tiny, I set out early in the morning to see if somehow I could find a minyan in the area where more than half a dozen shuls still remain standing, although there are only services at one of them on Shabbat.

I set out early at 6:30am. As I walked down the still dark narrow cobble-stoned streets of Kazimierz with my tallis and teffilin in hand, I felt almost transported back in time as I could easily imagine the thousands of Jews who would have been accompanying me along these streets not so many years ago. My best chance to find a minyan was at the Rema shul, a 5 minute walk from my hotel. Tears fell on my cheeks at the thought of the fate of the Jews who lived here in 1939 and how the vibrancy of their lives and their community was turned to dust and all that remained was this shell - these beautiful shuls sitting empty of life and maintained as museums for tourists. I did not know how I would feel during a visit to Auschwitz but here where the shul buildings stand but where no real Jewish life exists anymore, I felt a deep feeling of sadness. The gates of the Rema shul were locked of course but there was a Polish man sweeping the courtyard beyond the gates. We babbled at each other for a bit and then he turned around and continued with his task. I just stood there for awhile off to the side and after a few minutes he opened the gate to take something into the street. I thought, perhaps 20 zloty could buy me access to the shul for 30 minutes to daven by myself. He let me in to the courtyard but he didn't have the keys to open up the Shul. I went back outside and looked at a small street map posted on a sign. I decided to walk through the streets of Kazimierz and pass by other shuls - perhaps one would be open. Again I thought as I stood in front of each shul I thought how, at this hour of the day, each one would already have been open for awhile packed with people davening, learning and saying tehillim. It is hard to imagine a similar scene even today with perhaps with the exception of some places in Israel like the Old City of Jerusalem where so many Jews lived the traditional Jewish life packed so closely together. Here lived over 60,000 Jews but a heartbeat in time ago. Each one of these shuls were not small shteibels but rather large magnificent edifices. The Nazis and the Poles turned a beautiful community in to a memory, a museum, now crowded with pubs and hotels catering to tourists. For most who visit here, it is a place of historical interest and not painful as it was for me. From the Rema shul built in the 16th century I passed the Popper shul built in 1620, now used as a cultural centre. I left Szeroka street by Jozefa passed by the High Synagogue built in 1560. Just before the High synagogue I note a Hebrew inscription and 2 stars of David on the facade of a former Beit Midrash. Then turn right on Jakuba, walked 1 block to Izaaka St where I find the 17th century Izaaka shul. the shul was restored in the 1990s but it too was locked with a big sign in front reading Memory of the Jews in Poland. An exhibition that includes life-sized cut -out figures of pre-war Jews. Here now they only have cut-out figures of Jews and a few real live Jews and maybe some other Jews who dont know they are Jewish or hide the fact from everyone. As i stood outside the Izaak shul a light rain started to fall, tears from heaven. So i walked back to my hotel and said to the oblivious clerk at the desk, All the synagogues are closed. she muttered something with a shrug of her shoulders. i went and davened in my room
R

The Holiday of Many, Many Fires..Lag B'omer

2006-10-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe folks but this is our fiftieth blog entry, I cannot believe we have written so much. It helps us to feel connected to you and to know you have access to details about our life. I also find it very relaxing and enjoyable and I quite enjoy looking back at our experiences and milestones in writing.

Lag B'omer in Neve Daniel began weeks before Lag B'omer actually began. Soon after pesach we began to notice young children wandering around the yishuv pulling around sticks, branches oh and skids! This was the beginning of the great wood hunt which would continue on until the night of many fires. It was hysterical, driving home I would come across a group of little people, together, pulling massive pieces of wood to some site where it was counted and catalogued until the night. It was necessary to catalogue the wood because if you didn't keep track of what your shevet owned and what was in your woodpile, items would disappear. The kids clearly took this whole ritual very seriously and parents were subsequently pulled into the hoopla and could be found filling up their nice vans with old wood and shlepping it to their kids medura (bonfire) site. We couldn't imagine that the kids would manage to burn all this stuff, but that didn't seem to slow them down any, the wood was travelling and my kids kept going out with their shevets to collect. If you didn't collect with the shevet you may not be welcome at the medura.

Well, Lag B'omer did arrive and after we had bought the mangal (BBQ) items that each kid was asked to bring for their bonfire, we set out to the first stop. We went to the shechunah chadasha, our future neighborhood, and there was a neighborhood medura happening. A huge , massive fire with hotdogs and marshmellows and music and singing and a lot of great people was a happening. Bubbie, of course, was with us and thought this all so interesting. IT was really just so much fun, eating burnt marshmellows, singing rebbe shimon bar yochai how much better does it get? The kids were all over the place just so happy to watch their wood go up in smoke. MOre than anything I think we felt , once again, this overwhelming sense of community, where everyone came together to celebrate together what was important in their lives. We looked out over the hills of yehuda and saw a landscape speckled with bonfires, beitar seemed to have a couple of massive ones happening. That day we had heard commercials and warnings on the radio reminding people about fire safety and how to build and maintain a safe medura! only in Israel!>

We finished up at the neighborhood bonfire and promised the kids we would visit each of their bonfires. So off we went Darrell, bubbie, myself and Sara to visit our kids bonfires. We arrived to the sites and were met with a long row of bonfires one after the other..........it was incredible.

Each bonfire was surrounded by a bunch of happy kids, preparing all their meat and food, potatoes were being wrapped to throw into the fires to bake as were whole onions, and grills were being prepared with MEAT for the late night eatathons that were about to take place. At one point I looked at Darrell and told him that clearly hashem and his angels were watching over the little children of Israel and their blazing infernos. How would I sleep knowing my children were out here with their madrichim and all these fires?

Oh, how things have changed! We said goodnight to our kids and gave them insane curfews, David 1:00 am and Yonatan 5:00am and Avital's was only starting at midnight so there wasn't a curfew per say. Now don't think we were completely negligent, each fire had atleast one madrich and sometimes a parent would stick around, I think security was circulating to check on the infernos and their arsonists. We walked home listening to the laughing , and singing of all the children.............."amar rabbi akiva, ve'ahavta le'reicha kamocha"! Oh, to be jewish in a jewish country.....

.

Yom Hazikaron/Yom Ha'atzmaut

2006-08-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like Yom Hazikaron/Yom Ha'atzmaut in Israel, that is a given. I'll tell you though, Toronto did a pretty good job of recognizing the two days in a appropriate and meaningful way and it was always part of our routine. For me, this year, Yom Hazikaron began a day before the day. Let me explain, Avital had an appointment with a respirologist whose office was in Mea Shearim, with regards to her asthma. It was an evening appointment and the two of us headed out. The doctor Dr. Eli Pikar, was a lovely, warm, happy man who took care of us so nicely. He wore a kippa , was clean shaven and immediately put Avital at ease. He was asking us about our aliyah and wondering how it has been for us. The usual question of why we came was asked and a "kol hakavod" accompanied the discussion. He was going to Montreal to visit a brother on sabbatical and was asking about hechshers and food etc. He had the remnants of a French accent and clearly was not a sabra. We said goodbye, nice to meet you we'll see you again in a few months. B'hatzlacha he smiled (good luck). I dropped into my family doctor the next day and mentioned that we had been to Eli Pikar yesterday and how nice and lovely he was. She asked me if he told us about his son. My heart stopped, oh no what about his son? His 17 year old son was killed a few years back in the attack in Atzmona..........What that lovely, friendly person had lost his 17 year old son? Atzmona was the yeshiva where an Arab penetrated and went on a shooting spree, killing Eli Pikars son and others, including a son of Toronto Olim. What struck me most was Dr. Pikars demeanor, his strength to resume a face of compassion and warmth in front of what he must feel inside, anger, pain and loss.

Yom Hazikaron began with another gathering of our yishuv in the ulam. We all filed in quietly and took our places. The ceremony began. Words are hard to use to describe the palpable feelings in that room. I felt as though I could reach out and physically touch the pain, loss and sadness. I also felt that strength was also palpable there, but for the moment sadness was overriding. One of our yishuv members , a man who lives one street below us spoke about his experiences in the Yom Kippur war. He talked about his friends who did not make it and for a few moments he stood up there on the podium and cried out loud. He pulled himself together and apologized, totally not necessary, but he did pull himself together and continued on. The youth read from appropriate readings, poems and stories. The rav spoke. The choir sang. The siren rang. It was piercing. I looked around me at those sitting near, and wondered what was on each of their minds, who were they thinking about, what battles were they remembering, reliving? I felt my newness in this country and my lack of history here. The ceremony ended and we made our way out. I was pretty much sapped of all energy and found it a hard time holding any sort of conversation. We headed home, heavy and deep in our thoughts.

The next morning I headed to the Gan before the siren. I had promised Sara I would be there with her for the siren, she is anxious about loud and sudden noises and I think she didn't understand what she was suppose to do and that upset her. So I came into the gan and was part of the mifgash, circle prior to the siren. The kids sat around in their circle. The teacher lit a candle and talked quietly and gently to the kids. There were pictures around the room of the flag, of soldiers, of memorials and she reviewed them with us. She talked about what we should be thinking about during the siren. "Remember children, we talked about some of you who have lost and are missing people who died protecting us...........Galia, you must be remembering your uncle yossi, and I am thinking about my cousin.........oh my Gd. here was a room of some 30 five and six year old kids, thinking about those they have and we have lost. I had a hard time holding myself together, but I thought of Eli Pikar and his son z"l........the siren began, thirty kids, two teachers and myself stood up. The teachers closed their eyes and looked down, the kids stood straight and looked at the ground, the siren moaned on and the kids stood straight and silent, I stood straight and silent too with tears rolling down my face, he was only 17, a baby! His family had to bury their baby and move on. Soon, the siren dropped in tone and began to taper off, you could again, hear it from the other yishuvim also tapering off. The kids sat down and the teacher began to say tehillim with them. After these deep moments of loss and sadness we turn back to Gd. and praise him and recognize his greatness, mercifulness, kindness..........ein amcha k'yisrael (there is no nation like Israel). I stayed a little longer and made my way home, slowly , because it took a lot of effort to drag my heavy self, actually my heavy heart home.

How appropriate in this country of ours that we go from great sadness to joy in matter of moments. We all gathered at our migrash prior to sunset for the end of yom hazikaron and the beginning of yom haatzmaut. There was to be a yishuv tekes, ceremony and two of our kids would be a part of it. This time it was Sara and Avital. Sara's gan was part of a dance and Avital had been asked to light a torch on behalf of olim youth. The ceremony began with the final siren of yom hazikaron and moved on to the celebration of israel's birth. There were poem's read and Sara's little dance was so cute. A whole bunch of little kids, decked in blue and white of course dancing in the shape of the Israeli flag. I must add that each and every event we have been to on the yishuv, in the schools, and gan are always decorated so beautifully and so too was the migrash with its big beautiful flag and balloons etc. Torch's were lit, twelve, one for each of the tribes of Israel, and Avital was called up to light hers. It is at these times when I feel the reality of what we have done, when I see my kids participating and being part of Israeli life, I have to pinch myself and then thank Gd. for the opportunities and the life he has enabled us to experience. The tekes ended and we joined our friends the Ports for a seudah chagigit, which was enjoyable as always. We headed home, or atleast some of us did, exhausted but happy, others went out to continue celebrating with their friends, as usual there were more activities organized for the kids.

The next day we were getting together with the Pomsons, our friends who had made aliyah from Toronto one year prior to us and live in Jerusalem. A few years ago at a yom haatzmaut celebration in Toronto Alex and Darrell were standing around together and Alex turned to Darrell and said that when we arrive to Israel, we would celebrate an Israeli Yom Ha'atzmaut together, and so we did.
Like the entire country we headed out for a mangal (BBQ/picnic). I must add that we started out late, because the Pomsons, were glued to the TV watching the Chidon Hatanach (world wide bible contest,the finals take place in Israel of course). What a place, on the day of its birth, chidon hatanach takes place on TV and the results are announced all day long on the news, and the radio etc. So we headed to Begin Park to find a suitable site for our long awaited BBQ. Well, I have to tell you that Israelis are PROFESSIONAL picnicers. First of all they were literally everywhere. Even along the highways, you could see spatterings of picnickers everywhere. And these were no regular picnickers, there were portable tables, major and minor portable bbqs, chairs set up in large circles waiting for large numbers of family members and friends to arrive, sometimes mattresses and hammocks were set up, some picnics were quiet, some had stereo systems going it was unbelievable and did I say they were everywhere? We found a nice spot and set up, we did not have so much to set up, the bbq, the coolers and some games we brought for the kids. The Pomsons arrived and we began. Well, all of us are technically Israelis now, but we have some practise until we are professional bbqers. Alex told us about this doohickey, which looks like a dustpan, which is to fan the flames, we could have used one of those. The next day I noticed in the supermarket the whole section devoted to bbqs and picnic paraphenalia, Yonatan declared that we too would have and set up a hammock next year. We had a fun afternoon, the kids loosened up and enjoyed also, although Avital and Anna spent a high percentage of the time sitting in the back of the open van, listening to IPod , crocheting kippas go figure.
We parents shared our aliyah woes and also some of the successes our children were beginning to experience. It was moving to see these eight kids in their new surroundings and environment celebrating the birth or THEIR new country. I still believe that despite the difficulties the day will come, probably later than sooner, when each child at their own time will thank us for bringing them here, that will be a great day. They say aliyah is the best gift you can give to your kids.........some of them just don't realize that yet. It was nice to be together and hopefully next year we will be a little bit more "professional" about it.

It was a wonderful first yom ha'atzmaut and we just really felt greatful to be here and be a part of our jewish homeland and its history in the making. After the picnic we headed off to the airport to pick up bubbie who was arriving for her six week visit.

P.S.: we seem to be experiencing some difficulties posting pictures. I in my limited technical ability have not been able to solve the problem. I will seek help and update my blank entries, especially of note was the lack of pictures on the Sherman visit blog and sara's siyum. Some entries are accepting pictures and others not......so frustrating. When I get it all to work I will let you all know to look backwards to see the pictures.

Yom zicharon L' Hashoa Ve'legevura

2006-07-02T02:48:00.000-07:00

This year Holocaust Memorial day fell out on Mon. April 24/Tuesday April 25. In Toronto, we always knew when yom hashoa was because the children all prepared for it in school and quite often we would attend speakers or a ceremony commemorating the six million. Once again, here in Israel the day permeated our lives in a way it only could in Israel. Fifty nine years ago, out of the ashes of the most horrific events in history, Israel rose up and NEVER AGAIN did we have to be defenseless as a people! What was amazing to me was that this feeling is so palpable here, even among the young! The feeling of the horror of the event and the helplessness of the six million to have any sort of control of their horrendous destiny. The feeling of the world standing by and watching this happen and there was no one to help us or care about us and nowhere to go. On the MOnday night, there was a yishuv ceremony in our ulam. I went with my mother in law and we met up with Darrell who was on his way home from work. I was amazed at how suddenly, the often leibadik israeli kids and even the little ones knew to be quiet. When the siren went off everyone stood and you could hear a pin drop!! Unfortunately, the siren is part of life here, and children grow up from infancy hearing the siren atleast four times a year, on yom hashoa and yom hazikaron, so they all know the seriousness of the moment. The ceremony was simple but so moving. There was the siren and prayers, there was a lovely woman, a mother of one of the yishuv members who stood up and spoke about her experiences in the holocaust. There was a choir of young girls who sang so beautifully. We sat their staring at their beautiful innocent faces and listening to their sweet sweet voices............how many of them had grandparents who were survivors?, how many of them were missing grandparents who didn't survive? The feeling of the founding of this state and the tragedy of losing so many beautiful souls because we had no state no home of our own at the time was literally palpable in the air. The feeling of being a people who is hated in this world was also palpable. But out of the ashes and the horrific events of the Shoa the Jewish people perserved as we always seem to do and not only did we survive but we have flourished! And thus, these beautiful sweet children singing in front of us and helping us remember our loss of six million and to feel the loss and pain of the survivors. For Darrell and I we also experienced the awesome feeling of now being a part of this place, of Israel, of our yishuv.........we stood side by side with our fellow Israelis and yishuv members and cried and remembered! We felt proud to now be a part of the answer to the Nazis and the world at large. The ceremony ended and everyone helped to put their chairs away and we filed out of the ulam, somewhat quieter than usual.

The next morning, approx. 11:00 am, the sirens sounded once again. I was home with my inlaws and we stood by the window, in silence and looked out over the Judean Hills while the alarm sounded. It is an eerie sound and cuts to your heart quickly. We could hear it from the hilltops of the surrounding yishuvim. From where we stood the traffic continued, mostly Arab traffic I'm sure. That's okay, I didn't expect them to stop. Darrell called to tell me how he was in the board room in his Tel Aviv office, when the siren sounded, he stood by the window and looked out on the busy street and watched the world around him come to a complete halt. Cars stopped and people stood by their cars in silence. Sara came home and asked why everyone looked at their feet during the siren. She didn't get all the hebrew explanations she had heard in gan so I tried to explain.

It was one of the most meaningful Yom hashoa days I had ever experienced and once again, we felt that we and our children had just experienced a day that we could not have in Chutz l'aretz.

April.....the month of Visitors, Reunions and the message of Massada

2006-07-02T02:30:00.000-07:00

One week after ulpan the onslaught began..............I mean that in a good way!! First, Grandma and Grandpa Sherman arrived for their three week visit. The kids were so excited! Darrell's parents had always been such an integral part of their lives and that was one of the biggest losses of their move to Israel. Darrell called from the gate that he was driving in with them and we all ran out to greet them as they drove up. It was wonderful to see them and to see how happy they were to see the kids and the kids them. When we arrived inside, Grandma, who is one of quick movements and little patience when it comes to gift giving, quickly opened her Mary Poppins bag and began to distribute all the goodies to everyones delight (except Sara that is, who was not so content with her days of the week underwear). Two days later, Cory, Francine, Michael, Eric and barmitzvah boy Jonathan arrived and went straight to Tel Aviv. I drove up on the Sunday with everyone minus Darrell and Avital to visit them at their hotel. Another wonderful reunion which filled my heart to see the cousins all together. Probably the hardest part of aliyah is leaving everyone behind, and to see everyone back together and picking up right where they left off was almost a relief.

The Cory Shermans were up North until Erev Pesach while I continued to prepare for pesach. We were all planning to be together at the hotel for the seder but I still had to prepare for shabbat and second day not to mention the cleaning. Israel , in all its brilliance,lets the kids off school atleast a good week before the chag, a real treat for parents getting ready for the most labour intensive chag in the year, especially for those not working in education. We celebrated our first Pesach in Jerusalem,with our family, and ONE SEDER! Driving into Jerusalem from Gush Etzion you could feel the added security and had to leave early to get there before yom tov, it was funny , I said to Avital who was with me, I feel a little uneasy about being in Jerusalem over chag. We chuckled because usually people feel the same about coming out to us. The seder was nice, hotel, chazzan, not really our speed but sometimes you have to do these things to be with family. That was great, to look down the table and see everyone together. The chazzan and his little singin' son was nice for one maybe two songs but it became a little bit of a show. The food was unbelievable, it almost felt sinlike eating food that didn't taste like pesach food! For me the most amazing part was being served and getting up and walking away from the table at the end of the seder. We stayed in Jerusalem for second day and it was really odd..........seeing all the chutznikim walking around in their yom tov attire and us jumping in the car etc. Thursday night, my father in law took all of us and Francine's family out to a barmitzvah celeberatory meal at Normans SteakHouse. It was too weird, being in a regular restaurant, eating very delicious regular food, on Pesach. It was weird and great at the same time..........only in Israel!

We headed home on the Friday to get ready for Shabbat, and the Cory Sherman gangs visit. It was nice to show them our home and our neighborhoods and I think they enjoyed. They did the lonetree thing, derech avot, our new house of course,the shul , it was nice! Next time they won't get away with not staying for Shabbat!!! Motzei Shabbat was a party organized by the barmitzvah tour group. It was nice, Sara danced up a storm! It was nice to see the Balitsky contingent.....Esti, Michael and Naama and again to just be with everyone again. The Shermans Sr. went off to Haifa for a couple of days, with the Balitskys. During the week we joined up with Cory , Fran and gang here and there with their touring. We took a day off of family to join up with the Kandler family, and I don't mean just the seven of them. We joined Orit and her extended family for a day south, you know past Chevron. This was the first time I had driven south of tzomet gush without bulletproofing and while I was nervous and not so happy about it, it wasn't horrible and I quickly settled into it. Still it isn't something that I will choose to do on a regular basis. We went to Carmiel a small yishuv where her now married brother is living. The kallas family lives there and showed us around the dairy, which was so fascinating. We stopped for lunch in a beautiful forest nearby and I chuckled as we Shermans pulled out our matzvah, cheese, jam, fruit and whatever regular stuff we threw in our bag as the Kandler/Cohen gang pulled out tupperwares filled with delicacies and real food and of course it all seemed so effortless and run of the mill. We went on to the dead sea where we were treated to snapelling "a la dubi". It was a fun and Israeli experience in that it was not a organized group thing. I don't know if Israelis appreciate that we North Americans normally don't just go into our machsan and pull our snapelling equipment out and go off with the kids to you know.....snappelon some cliff ! The Cohen family was so friendly and we felt welcomed.

Thursday bright and Early Darrell and Yonatan set out to Massada to climb at the wee hours and meet up with us later on for Jonathan's barmitzvah. We also set out early but not as early! We arrived at Massada at 8:00 and met up with the Sherman/Taras group. Up we went in the cable car , on our exit from the car we bumped into Yonatan and Darrell who had a great hike up and were waiting for us. The barmitzvah took place on the edge of the mountain in a special patio made for this purpose. It was beautiful and Jonathan of course did a beautiful job. Emotion was overflowing of course, first of all for the joy and pride in the moment itself..........standing on Massada and watching Jonathan lain was just overwhelming. But also, the absence of Francine's dear father was felt so acutely here and not just by Francine and her family but by all of us. Tommy zichrono l'vracha was a huge lover of Israel, Judaism and the Jewish people and so loved being in Israel..........he would have been so proud, happy and joyful to have been with Jonathan at this moment and those who knew him felt that incredible loss again. At the same time, I suppose, it helped to make Tommy's presence felt and the continuity of him in his children and grandchildren. The fact that they chose to come and celebrate this milestone in Israel meant that Tommy and his values are being carried forward to the next generation. And for that we are so proud of Cory, Francine, Michael, Eric and Jonathan!!!! Their tour guide gave them a little shpiel about the message of Massada. He spoke about how it represented an important idea for the Jewish People. How we are responsible for our destiny, that no more would we just surrender to our fate as determined by our enemies. It was about believing in ourselves as Jews and fighting for ourselves and our rights. He referred to the swearing in process in the army which takes place at the bottom of the mountain and the connection betweeen the two. That we also have to be willing to sacrifice for our people and country because we believe in ourselves. It was very emotional! He talked about how when you come to visit Israel you don't leave as the same person as you came and how important it is for all Jews to atleast visit Israel. It is true and made me think about what happens to people who come and stay what changes do they experience and does it stable out? In fact, I already felt that I as an individual had changed since we came, not drastically, but inside I somehow am not the same person that arrived last July. And so ended the barmitzvah celebration and with that more goodbyes again! We once again stood together hugged and cried and said goodbye at the bottom of Massada! We stood and waved to their bus as they headed down to Eilat and got into our car and went to the dead sea to spend a glorious day with the kids and Darrell's parents.

Grandma and Grandpa Sherman stayed another week or so until the end of April. They became more adventerous taking, buses into town and even lifts. They went to the Begin museum and explored the city a little bit. It was wonderful to have them. I think they saw Israel in a completely new way than they did on past visits on tours etc. and we hope they were pleased with our new lives here!

Other events over pesach time were the Goldberger barmtizvah at the Kotel, the Hanachat Tefillin Of Noah Schwartz and Daniel Turk. The Shumachers came out and spent a glorious day with us in Gush Etzion including, lunch at the winery and an omega/zipline ride across a huge valley..........no just the kids did it! It was wonderful being with old friends and great to share our neighborhood with them. Then more goodbyes and now I had one week to get some kind of order and routine in our lives before my mother arrived for her six week visit. The month had been wonderful, but I was exhausted beyond and we were all in need of some more regular routine! So we said good bye to everyone and settled back down to regular living here in Israel, if there is such a thing!

The end of an Era........Ulpan finishes!!

2006-06-11T04:41:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks before Pesach, our ulpan finished. I was amazed how affected by the ending I was. When I think about it, the ulpan had been part of my routine from shortly after our arrival! For over 6 months, four days a week I came to ulpan and sat from 8:30 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. with the same people day after day, struggling to learn and perfect our new language. I started with Darrell in tow and soon after Avital joined us. Then in January Darrell went to work and by the end of February it was time for Avital to go back to school full time. I cannot describe how ulpan affected our lives and carried us through those first months of aliyah. We all started ulpan the week after the kids started school and by the second week our phones were ringing during class with teary kids on the other end begging to be picked up. We would walk back into class all distracted and distraught only to be comforted by the other parents and our morah sara. When events occured in the world and more specifically in our little country, we helped each other process and deal with them and of course morah sara was always ready with her more Israeli approach and opinions and helped us to see the bigger picture. She listened and encouraged us.........."you olim have a very important tafkid " she would always remind us.........."just because something has been a certain way for ages on end doesn't mean it is good and you olim have to help us see where change needs to take place and help us to do it. That doesn't mean that we will agree and listen to you readily, you may have to push and keep plugging away, but don't give up on us!". We would have many class discussions about many different issues, Sara would remind us that it isn't about the topic but about the language we use to express ourselves, but the topics were important too. They weren't always heavy some were funny and light , we talked a lot about parenting and the educational system in Israel. We talked a lot about our kids and our feelings around our aliyah. Each chag was celebrated in a unique way in our ulpan. I will never forget Tu B'shvat, which I think I wrote about, and how it was so important and meaningful. The story of the transplanted tree, wilting and then regaining strength and blossoming again so beautifully, still brings tears to my eyes and never have I so strongly related to a tree before. The connection that we have to the land, grew within me as the months past. We read Agnon and I was so touched by his writings, it was simply beautiful. Sara of course picked a beautiful story which was an analogy for the jewish people and the galut. We talked about our professions and working in Israel. We talked about building homes and putting down roots............and once when the boys were all absent we had a lesson about all the words we women need to know about our bodies for doctor appointments etc. I practically always went to ulpan and didn't miss too much. It wasn't easy , there was lots of work and there were days when I just wanted to stay at home and whatever. But I made a commitment to myself to make ulpan a top priority and work at it like a job, and that is the only way to really do it. My hebrew improved immensely, still lots of work to do though, but more importantly I grew as a person and as an Israeli citizen. I will never be a sabra, but Sara and ulpan helped me to better understand the culture into which I have been dropped and hopefully by trying to understand and accept rather than always resisting I will experience a smoother klita, at the same time remembering my very important tafkid here.

Thank you Ulpan Alon Shvut, I will never forget all of you my wonderful classmates and my most wonderful teacher who took three of us Shermans into her class and shaped the beginning months of our aliyah and thus will remain with us in our israeli lives always. I feel like a kid being sent off into the big wide world now, go and find your way!!!

March 28/06..........Election Day

2006-05-30T01:11:00.000-07:00

Well, who are you going to vote for? Who? Why?............Who are you going to vote for? And so on, and so on and so on............and you can't answer I don't know yet, because whoever is asking will proceed into a discertation about who and why you should vote for! And if you even dare say, I rather not say............well, you're asking for it.............then EVERYONE will know that you are from North America (as if they didn't already know!). It was a huge day for us new olim, to cast your vote and be counted among the jewish people in the jewish nation. At the same time, it was a difficult time for us because we sort of felt that this year, it didn't mean much! The writing was on the wall, and our vote wasn't going to change anything. We felt frustrated with the whole electoral system here, that made us feel powerless. There is a disconnect between how votes are cast to what ends up in the knesset, it feels somewhat like a will you dance with me and in return for what sort of process. We also felt saddened by the pre-election hullabaloo and the rifts and lack of any real understanding between different segments of Israeli society. Some of the ads were downright disgusting and untrue........on both sides. As we have felt many times over the year, there was a saddness we couldn't beat about the lack of knowledge and connection that so many people here feel. There was also this worry, about the results, and how this would affect are day in and day out regular lives..........in other words, it was all so real and so intense!

In Israel, voting day, is a day off! Darrell, wouldn't commit to having the day off, until the day before, only because he couldn't believe he was going to get the whole day off to go into the ulam on our yishuv and vote, which would take maybe 5 minutes. Well, he realized that this was going to happen and we would vote in the morning and .................have a SUNDAY!!!!

In ulpan, we had gotten a lesson on the how to's of voting which I had given over to Darrell. You go in, show your teudat zehut, they cross your name off, you go behind the curtain, where you will find a hodge podge of white pieces of paper, many many pieces of paper, each with a letter or group of letters on it in black ink(each piece represents a different party). You choose your letters, fold it, put it in the envelope provided to you by the people who crossed your name off, and seal it. You come out from behind the divider and put your envelope in the box! Ve Zehu! You may now go and have your Sunday.At six in the morning , Darrell was up and anxious..........okay, let's get ready, gotta go vote, it opens at 7:00, get up , get ready............we're voting today!! Okay, okay Darrell, it's only six the poll is a 5 minute walk from the house. No that wasn't good enough.......every five minutes I got a countdown to the poll opening hour...........I felt like Mufasa in lion King when simba wakes up at the crack of dawn and is jumping all over simba to get up and get going on their little tiyul together.....come on Dad , come on let's go. We finally did get out of the house at the more decent hour of 8:00 am. We waited in line with everyone else, and had to endure many comments about "oh, first time voters, how do you feel?" It was exciting and monumental for us, and although we knew the results would not be to our likingthe fact that we were standing up and somehow were being counted was important. We cast our votes, and then we were off to Wadi Kelt with the Beit Sefer Sadeh (field school) of Gush Etzion, who had organized many election day tiyulim.

It was a great day, beautiful and fun. We spent the day in the Judean Hills/desert with our fellow Israelis and we had a great time. We wouldn't know the results to the next day............maybe..........and then how long would it be until we knew who was in the cabinet ..........???

Sara's Siyum Sefer Bereishit

2006-05-30T00:42:00.000-07:00

Soon after purim we were invited to Sara's gan for their siyum sefer Bereishit. This was my first Gan event so I was unaware of the calibre of the show to be. Darrell was unable to attend as he was working but I promised all to video the extravaganza and we would watch at home together when Abba came home. We were greeted in the gan by a group of 30 happy, excited kids dressed up as Jews in the time of Avraham Avinu. The show began and the kids went from song to song, welcoming us and then going through the story of Sefer Bereishit. Sara and her buddy Rivka were also excited and we wondered how much they would be able to participate or would they shy out. To our great surprise, the two of them were stars singing away in hebrew and acting out the stories just like everyone else!!! As happy as I was to see Sara singing away and participating, it was seeing Rivka smiling and singing away unabashadly in hebrew that really did me in. I knew that Sara was able to speak hebrew and had begun to do so in school on a regular basis. Rivka was having a harder time and while I know she understands she has not been ready to say much in hebrew. So when she stood beside Sara and sang away in hebrew I felt a huge lump in my throat and was flooded with emotion. To see these two little girls who were plucked from their nice comfortable , english environment and pluncked down into a place where for a long time they did not understand anything going on around them and to see them part of a greater group, participating and being happy.............it was beyond. The content of the show was also very touching to us as olim. When the little Avraham avinus stood around a map on the floor and sang a song about how hashem promised them this land, I looked out the huge gan windows and thought yes it was exactly here where this happened, they were acting out a story which is right out their window. When they sang "ata etein et ha'aretz hazot"...........again, just look outside your window. Schools and teachers work very hard to help kids internalize the torah and its beautiful stories, yet here I don't think it is as hard a job, just look outside your window!!! It was a beautiful show and both the Frankls and I were overcome with joy and pride in our little girls! Wow, they have come so far and overcome so much and here they are singing about their torah and their inheritance of eretz yisrael and they are looking out the window!!

Purim in Neve Daniel

2006-05-28T00:24:00.000-07:00

It was with much trepidation that we approached the chag of purim in Israel. So far all the chagim had been so wonderful here in Israel, way more meaningful and real but this one i thought wasn't going to be one of those. Purim in Toronto had become a very special time at which we celebrated year after year with the same friends and it was so great. It began on Fraserwood with the Friedmans including Reena and Ari and us including only Avital and it has grown each year in numbers of people and in the extent. First it was a seudah which we alternated from year to year between us, with great food lots of music and dancing. Then somewhere in there, the Friedmans added a megilla reading and breaking of the fast, with themes, costumes and even some shpiels. When that happened the seuda was by us every year and the megillah by them..........it worked well and everyone of us looked forward to it. Megillah reading at the Friedmans was with the exact group of people year after year and it was a hoot. Last year each family was asked to present some form of purim shpiel. We chose to dress up as "settlers" and sing a song called Tunnel Road (to the tune of country road) all about Gush Etzion, our soon to be home. I remember getting all choked up in the middle of our shpiel, looking out at our dear friends and wondering who will I be with next Purim and how would I feel. When our seudah ended last year, it was a hard "good night" to say as we couldn't talk about next year. So I geared myself up for not a great purim, I thought if I expected the worst then whatever it was would be fine. We called the Friedmans before Purim began and had our tearful conversation which I knew we would, what is the theme this year? we miss you! What are you dressing up as? What are we going to do without you? I figured we better get it out of our systems before the chag began.

So began our Purim. We went to megillah reading at a small shul near our home where we daven Friday night. Okay, it was fine...........wasn't Lazer , but it was fine. Afterwards, we were part of a pot luck dinner of 20-25 families at the shul.......no theme and not as wild but it was also fine. The yishuv had a magic/illusionist show, which Darrell went to with the big kids, I stayed home with the little ones. They enjoyed, Yonatan said it was pretty cool.

The next morning Avital and I headed over to Elazar the yishuv next door. Our friend's daughter was reading megillah for a womens group. We had never been a part of anything like this before and it turned out to be really nice. Each women did a chapter and each one had their own style, voice, some even added a little bit of acting or role playing to their perek. It was fun and really nice! We headed back to Neve Daniel in time to join up with the yishuv activities. First, there was a "parade" around the yishuv. This consisted of a few decorated flatbeds or trucks and lots of people and kids in costume and music of course.

It went around the yishuv and stopped at different homes along the way of families who had upcoming simchas and offered a kibud.......something to eat and drink. Each stop also involved dancing. The whole thing was amazing and so much fun for the kids. For us, it just felt great being a part of this place. We really felt part of the community, we now knew people and they knew us and it was neat to feel part of something so special. The parade lasted a couple of hours and we ended up at the top of Neve Daniel. There was a quick costume contest, someone won a bike and then we were all of to the shuk Bnei Akiva..the Bnei Akiva carnival. The kids had worked on this for weeks and Avital's shevet was in charge. It was very sweet with tickets, games, prizes. Avital at one point was the subject who stood in a picture frame and had wet sponges thrown at her face............guess which two boys cashed in all their tickets to have a go?

We headed home to get ready for the seudah which began at 2:00 pm. We along with five families were invited to the Ports.

The Ports were our phone friends before we made aliyah and have become our real live friends since we arrived. Three of their five kids have become buddies with Avital, Yonatan and David, and are a big part of our whole aliyah experience. We arrived at the Ports where a lot of meat and bbqing was happening. Everyone began showing up with their costumes, food and great spirit. Each family, except for one which we met that night only, had become a part of our lives over the last year. The seudah was an absolute blast. The Werter boys were a definate hit of the party...........unfortunately their parents, our friends, were in Florida and were not a part of the celebrations.
They pulled out Darbugas and guitaras and began singing, dancing, drinking, shpieling......they were hysterical. The atmosphere was so contagious that everyone, really had an amazing night. We sang our shpiel from last year..........you know Tunnel Road, with everyone singing along, this time we really understood the song better.
Avital and Aviva were hysterical, dancing and singing up a storm. Yonatan and Shimon, well they like to eat a lot.
David and Gaby, well they were their cute selves and later on David let it all out and danced his little feet off with Abba and Natan the Chassid.
Natan gave an amazing "dvar torah" ........let's just say it was the most political gemarra I ever heard quoting such scholars as reb Olmert, Reb Bibi and various other characters. It was hysterical but also reminded me of how real and political our lives are here................references to events in the media and people in power are part of our lives here and we feel them so acutely. So our seudah turned out to be wonderful and fun and we were relieved for everyone.

We are part of a new community now and we have new friends and we are building new memories and history here.................by the way, that doesn't mean we don't miss our old routine and friends, we really do, but we will wait for you to come on over and start anew here with us! We called the Friedmans once more, to find out about their megillah reading and wish them a great seudah. I know Shayna was worried about us so I wanted her to know, it turned out even better than okay.............but that we were still thinking about them and everyone else. We cleaned up the seudah and all the young folk (not us of course) headed home to get ready to head out to Yerushalayim, there Purim was just getting started all over again!

Tu B'shvat

2006-03-18T10:41:00.001-08:00

Okay, slow and steady wins the race...........I am getting there , almost caught up! I'll be caught up just in time for the Pesach onslaught!
So, what are all your memories of Tu B'shvat in chutz l'aretz? Mine consisted of JNF tree planting........not the actual planting of course, the collecting or giving of funds into that envelope with the trees on it, and the bag of gross out of season fruit and the unforgettable boxer, with which we never knew quite what to do! This Tu B'shvat was a new and special experience for all of us. I think I have written before how after spending more and more time here we find ourselves more connected with the land that we had before. When people talk about their gardens or trees or the fruit that comes off of them it is with zest and a love that we never quite understood. So you can well imagine that Tu'Bshvat is a holiday with great meaning and significance here.

On Erev Tu B'shvat we were invited to the house of Ilana and Adiel. You may remember them from Sukkot..Ilana is a teacher at the ulpan and they are a very lovely and special family we feel priviledged to have connected with. We arrived at the Luvitch's home to a table decked out with fruits fresh and dried and vegetation from their garden as centrepieces. Everything was very casual of course in the most lovely way. The kids hung and played and Ilana practised some songs on her guitar. Darrell was to arrive late as he was making his way home from Tel Aviv. The Frankls arrived and the seder began............there is another seder besides the big "SEDER" that goes with pesach. He explained the order and asked questions, gave answers and made alot of brachot! There was wine and fruit cakes and it was amazing. Darrell did arrive in the middle. Ilana pulled out her guitar and we all sang songs about the land and the trees and tu b'shvat. Then they had a Chidon Eitzim (a tree quiz)....they pulled branches out of the vase and asked to which tree it belonged..........you could touch and smell the branches , it was fun. There was a prize for the winner and prizes for the non-winners too. There was a colouring contest for the girls too! It was so nice and meaningful, I never really had related to this chag before.

The next day, in ulpan we again sang songs and had special treats. Everyone all around was so into this chag. On the way over to ulpan in Alon Shvut you could see the beginnings of blossoms, specifically on the almond trees..........the shkadia does porachat and right on time for its special chag!!! Who knew? We had a lady from the nature society give us a presentation/lecture about the different vegetation in Eretz yisrael.......it was very fascinating. Such a small country and so much variety. Ilana told her class a story which Stella retold to me and I found quite moving. She compared the trees and plants to us the new olim. She said we have been transplanted to a new soil, one that is special and the most appropriate soil for our type of tree. It has everything that we need to grow, be healthy and blossom. But when you transplant a tree, it sometimes looks good and then the leaves begin to wilt as the tree readjusts itself to the new soil. Sometimes it takes a short time and sometimes longer but eventually the leaves perk up and begin to regain its colour and then some, the flowers bloom and the tree , now in the best soil for it, grows and takes root and the roots become stronger and deeper with time. When I heard this story I felt as though I could burst out crying at any given moment. Because that is exactly what I felt, a little tired and wilted with this whole adjustment thing, but knowing that this is where it is best for us. Ilana's wish for us was that the transplanting process would go quickly and that we would grow and flourish in the holy land of Israel. What an absolutely beautiful wish!

The kids got of school early of course and made their way home with all their seedling and plants etc. Yonatan dropped his stuff and ran out yelling back at me that everyone was going out the the ma'achaz (outpost) to plant. And off he went. I went to the top of the hill to see what was going on and you could see kids of all ages walking and running out past the water tower to the ma'achaz to plant. B'nei Akiva had peulot of course. It was a beautiful day out to boot, you know a gorgeous spring day, light jacket only......The Sherman Family had a great Tu B'shvat!!!!!!!!!

Shayna and Lazer Visit Neve Daniel

2006-03-16T12:35:00.000-08:00

Well once everyone left in December we began getting back into routines...........routines are good especially after a couple of weeks without them. Our next countdown was to Shayna and Lazer's visit. I thought it was just Darrell and I who were so excited but one day Yonatan woke up and commented on how many days left until the Friedmans arrive, it was very cute he said something like" man I wish I could just close my eyes and wake up the day they are coming"!

Although they arrived in Israel on a Sunday for their hockey tournament in Metulla we didn't get to see them until Friday when they made their way to our house. Darrell did get to see them with young lad Ari in the streets of Tel Aviv but unfortunately the rest of us missed Ari! Next time Ari, you won't get off so easy.
Friday afternoon Darrell picked them up in Jerusalem, he took them straight to our new house to show them around before shabbat and then they were at our driveway. We ran out to greet them, it was sooooooooooo great! The kids were cute, so excited and not sure what to do.........in the end there were hugs and smiles and we were all so happy to have them. We settled them in and lit shabbat candles............i had thought many times about having them here and now they were here. They were also our first shabbat guests since we had really settled in.......officially Roberta and kids were the first but we all spend shabbat with boxes all around. This was real, we were unpacked and unlike in August we were now really a part of this new community that we wanted to show and share to the Friedmans.

Now I have never really had a chance to describe Shabbat on our yishuv..........suffice it to say it is very special and we all REALLY look forward to it. It is hard to put my finger on exactly what it is but even Sara counts down to shabbat. On Thursday when she asks yet again how long until shabbat and I say its tomorrow, she jumps up and down and tells me how she loves shabbat and is so happy! One of my personal favourite parts of shabbat and my week for that matter is Kabbalat Shabbat. In Toronto, after I lit candles I would plunk down on the couch, read with Sara or most often doze off until everyone came home. Here I set out with the whole gang down the street to a little shul in someone's basement. And there I experience bringing in Shabbat in a way I never had experienced. It is a small little place packed with men and women and the singing is extraordinarily beautiful!! I don't think there has been a week where at one point in the davening I feel tears brimming in my eyes. THe tunes are spectacular, but what is more amazing to me is hearing everyone's voices together, and in harmony. You hear in the tones and depth of emotion of the singing that people here understand what they are saying and that makes it that much more beautiful.

So we lit candles , hugged and wished each other shabbat shalom and set off to shul. It is a short walk but there is a beautiful view overlooking the hills of Judea and Efrat, the air is crisp, everything is quiet except sometimes the prayers of our cousins over the hills can be heard. I take deep breaths and my shoulders drop and I always begin my shabbat with a little silent prayer to hashem , thanking him for bringing us to this day in this place. We arrived in shul and took our places and soon the singing began with yedid nefesh and went on and on. After Lecha Dodi, the men dance and sing on for a while, i hadn't dared to look at Shayna before this moment........so I leaned over and said.......isn't it an amazing davening......yup..........can you believe I get to do this every week......"I can't really talk too much right now, I don't think I can talk right now, I'm holding myself together but it may not last" was Shayna's reply and I knew exactly what she meant. We finished Davening and headed outside to make our way home, people came over to meet our guests and it was a nice feeling for our old friends to meet our new ones and to have some kind of connection between the two worlds. We had a lovely shabbat dinner, the kids enjoyed the attention and didn't want to leave. After they went to bed ,we stayed up to the wee hours of the morning schmoozing ....just the four of us. It was great to be with our dear old friends.........not that our friends are old just our friendship!

Next, morning we attended the Bet Knesset mercazi , the main shul. Shayna and I sat upstairs in the balcony...........just like we use to. The davening was nice, our rav spoke and Shayna was so pleased she understood most of it. Can you believe it ,I asked , in a little over a years time we will be celebrating Yonatan's barmtizvah here. During tefilla, someone in the mens section fainted, and there was a call out loud for a "rofeh", I realized right away what had happened. The man was fine and was taken care of quickly. As it turns out Lazer had a little fright , thinking that something was going on other than a sick congregant! Baruch hashem he was mistaken. After shul, we walked to a second shul on the other side of neve Daniel , our friends were throwing a kiddush in honour of their daughter's batmitzvah. We didn't make it for the kiddush but we got to see some of our friends and connect our two worlds again. I think it was also nice for Shayna and Lazer to get a sense of where we are now and that it is a good place.

We made our way home, and had a wonderful lunch with our friends the Ports..Jeffrey and Ariella and their five wonderful kids....three of whom are best buddies with Yonatan, Avital and David. It was fun and lively and I felt very content. The Frankles stopped by for dessert also...........so then it was REALLY lively!! Darrell and Lazer went to shiur together and Shayna and I schmoozed. MAariv on the street below us and shabbat was coming to an end. It had really been a very special shabbat.

After shabbat Darrell got ready and set off to the airport for his first trip to Chutz. He said it was the first time he did not feel so bad leaving because he was returning in just over a week. Then Shayna , Lazer and I ......a new threesome........set off to Alon Shvut to see the Simon and Garfunkel Tribute concert. It was amazing, it was a pretty anglo crowd from all over the Gush, and the music was fabulous. The emcee was Yonatan and David's principal...........the charity was jobkatif an organization which helps evacuees retrain and find employment. At one point I leaned over to Lazer and said ...."you see, even crazy,evil settlers like to kick back and enjoy the little things in life" .......we also realized that an event like this could never happen in Toronto. We saw the Seidenfelds and the Kleins there and Shayna and Lazer bumped into a few more people they knew to boot. We made our way out of Alon Shvut through the fog and came home exhausted and very happy. Shauna Tepperman showed up at our door and we stayed up late again talking and laughing.

The Friedmans spent the next couple of days in Jerusalem and then on the Tuesday morning I did my carpool to Bet Shemesh and drove into Jerusalem to pick up my buddies and we were off to the Dead Sea. We had two nights and almost three days of fun and hanging. I was worried about still going on the trip when Darrell had to back out to go to Chutz, but it was wonderful. There aren't too many friends that i could go away with , without my husband for over two days and feel comletely comfortable with. Poor Lazer, he was suddenly being told what to do by two women..........he was a great sport and whenever overwhelmed he turned up the volume on the Ipod and closed his eyes. Shayna and I indulged in a spa massage which was lots of fun. We hung, we walked, we swam and relaxed. We also bowled, i was sore for two days after. Oh, and did I mention the food which was out of this world! I think the three of us were the last in the dining room both nights.......yapping and yapping. I must admit that as comfortable as I felt I did miss Darrell.........We definately have to go back there, this time together.

drove back to jerusalem, to the Dan Pearl........no one talked about this being the end of a great trip and that a good bye had to be made once again. To make matters worse in the parking lot I banged into an out of sight ledge and yes I made the first dent in our new car.........I so wanted it to be Darrell!!! We said our sad goodbyes...........it was awful......i can't keep saying goodbye to you all ,over and over!!! Luckily, I called Dan Rand who had just arrived and he met us at the hotel and he came out with me to Neve Daniel to see the kids and our new home. Being male, he didn't seem to catch on to my deep sadness and talked away about this that and the other, it was just what I needed! So I deleted Shayna and Lazer's temporary Israeli cellphone number from my phone and added in Dan's number which I had to delete also 5 days later!!!! ADD-Delete, ADD-DELETE...........Thank G-d..........keep coming, we love to see you!

Our Trip Down South (and I don't mean Miami)

2006-03-12T03:02:00.000-08:00

After all our visitors in December, we thought it would be great to end off with a real vacation. Something we just did not have time for until now. We planned to go with the Steinmans on the Mitzpeh Ramon portion of their trip. We headed off on a Sunday morning, heading south with Moshe in the lead. We had walkie talkies so we could hear Moshe's running commentary from their car. We headed south and made some stops, one at a nature reserve and the second near Sde Boker for a hike in the wadi.

We were having a grand old time until Darrell decides to walk on the edge of some major hill, which from my viewpoint was the edge of the grand canyon...........and worse yet, he had David right beside him. I heard my voice saying , get down from there..........and when he said it's nothing..........I heard someone else's voice hysterically screaming and crying that he better get down from there right now if he cares anything about me............I felt my heart beating out of my chest and realized that the second voice was also me and everyone was staring at me ...........okay , Darrell said , we're getting down!
We went on with our hike and Moshe decides to take all the kids through these cracks in the wall ......he points at Golda and I and says "you two stay here!"..........well, I never! The Chutzpah........okay, we say, like we even have a choice! The kids reappear later on in the wadi only to disappear again into some other crack in the wall. This time Golda's other voice appeared and stated in no uncertain terms that there would be no more cracks in the wall for our kids!!! The kids reappear laughing and having just a grand old time! We continue on and bump into a big group of kids, maybe B'nai Akiva or maybe a school tiyul. Where are you guys from Ned asks?.............oh anachnu me kfar Pinas they answer. I am not going to elaborate on this story too much except that there was a lot of laughing ........a lot of laughing and red faces!
We continued on and moshe gave us most interesting explanations about the vegetation and flash floods etc. Suddenly we pass a group of the girls and Avital grabs my arm and says..........I think that was Liran Dembitz, you know from my class in grade 4 Netivot! Say hi , I said, we'll wait! No, she passed already. .......well some of the girls heard Avital and called out to Liran who came back and she and Avital had a little reunion.........in the middle of the desert, in the middle of some Wadi, Avital bumped into an old classmate! Where are you from Avital asks..........."don't laugh" Liran says.........."I'm from Kfar Pinas".
We finish our hike and make our way to Pundak Rimon near the machtesh Rimon. We come out of the Wadi and get a lift up to Sde Boker memorial with the bus of kids from you know where. On the bus kids were singing and laughing and it was nice. The youth here are somewhat outstanding and it was fun to get an inside view.

We arrived , checked in, and ran to go swimming. First though we had to light candles it was the last night of Chanukah. They had a lighting for all the guests and had a table set up for those who wanted to light their own. As we walked into the lobby , we hear our name being called and look up to see cousins Reena, Elliot, Jacquelyn and Marlon, sitting in the lobby. What a shocker......way out here in the middle of nowhere! We spent a few minutes and lit candles and then the kids wanted to swim, we would see the cousins at supper hour........Another, small country story.
We had supper.......absolutely phenomenal food there, by the way!! We hung out in the lobby and the kids hung out together. Yonatan and David played pool with Marlin and we got to catch up with Reena and Elliot. We went off to bed as we were getting up early for a day of hiking in the machtesh. Or so we thought........David woke up in the middle of the night, heaving ....big time. Next morning, when i woke up, Darrell walked in from Minyan and was looking white, no green, no white. Within minutes he too was heaving in the bathroom. Oh, my Gd. I was surrounded. Well, I went to have breakfast with those left standing and let the gang know what was happening with us. It was in the dining room where Yonatan started to feel sick and I quickly sent him back to the room. He too was soon heaving! Well needless to say we did not make it down to the machtesh. I got a late checkout and let everyone continue what they needed to finish and then I packed the car and loaded my sick soldiers, each armed with a plastic bag on their laps. I drove out of the pundak.........Darrell , should we stop somewhere and just get a view of the machtesh? No, No let's just get home. Okay and off we went. It was a good thing I armed them with bags. We found our way back to the yishuv , all my sickies climbed into bed and fell asleep. We didn't get to the second half of our trip with the Steinmans but we soooooooooooo enjoyed the first part and thank them for the great time!!!
COME BACK AND VISIT SOON!!

Visitors to the Gush

2006-03-11T23:06:00.000-08:00

As you can see, December was a crazy month filled with lots of visitors and simchas. We were running everywhere. It was wonderful and exhausting all at the same time. One aspect of all these visitors that we had a hard time accepting was and is people's reluctance to set foot over the greenline. Listen, we do understand on one level, it was our choice to live here not yours and there is a definite perception that people have of the increased "danger" in the "territories". On the other hand, it is hard for us to think that you won't come see us in our home or won't even examine the issues around it. The truth is that most of you , after spending a little time in Israel and seeing what really is and isn't have said you would come out. And those of you that only realized it too late this visit have said that next time, no question you are coming out. I would not feel right to convince anyone to come out...we try to present the facts as we know them and options re. how to get out here in a way that you feel comfortable and then the decision is up to you. Believe me please that we respectfully accept whatever decision you make , that doesn't mean it isn't hard when you say you are not coming. I always tell people that we are 10 minutes from Talpiyot, you don't have to drive through any Arab villages, that car shootings have been virtually non-existant in two years , and that if you are not comfortable in a car the gush bus is a private line that is bullet proof and will bring you right up into the yishuv. I also just remind people of the statistics of piguim and note that my feeling is that the cities are actually more dangerous than the highways out here. When people ask me if I feel in danger out here my response is "no more than anywhere else in the country" and unfortunately that is the reality of Israel , that wherever you are there is a definite risk of "incidents" and danger. That being said everyone has to find their comfort zone. A bunch of us "settlers" were talking about this issue and the "relativeness" of it. One woman was telling us how they were invited to a yishuv in the shomron (cannot remember which one) which is in a "more risky" neighbourhood, and her answer was that she didn't want to drive out there in her private car..........the woman who invited her was shocked and said " how can you say that, you yourself live over the greenline and drive back and forth to Jerusalem almost daily".......my friends answer was " that's different, that is just driving home from work not visiting." A similar incident just happened to me when the bat sheirut asked about organizing a shabbaton for the olim in Ofra. Would you like the kids to go by bus or can we take them in private cars?.......Well, uh, I would prefer a private bulletproof bus , to be quite honest?.....I started to chuckle and pointed out to her how bizarre my statement was.......I drive my kids back and forth to Jerusalem in my unprotected car and here I wanted a bus to go to Ofra (which we have driven to before in our car, to visit the Vanleewens).....sort of silly isn't it I ask her......no she said it's normal, everyone is comfortable or knows their Arab villages and the routes they need to take regularly, everything else is dangerous. Many people in this country take buses in the city, I am not ready for this and I have Yonatan take a taxi daily from school to the Tzomet where he would transfer to the gush bus or a tremp. That's just where I am ...I gave a lady a tremp a couple of weeks ago from the Yishuv........the bus routes have all changed and it is quite difficult to get into the downtown area, you now have to transfer in the city and take a city bus instead of the gush bus all the way. Anyways, she told me that until two months ago she would not take a city bus, then she decided it was crazy and expensive and "she turned off her mind" to the possibilities and now takes buses in the city, which she describes as built in entertainment and comedy. I am blabbling and I apologize, it is just that this issue is near and dear to my heart. I guess what I am staying is that you can all make your decisions and we will deal, but I am asking that you atleast examine the issues and look into ways of coming to visit that will make you feel more comfortable, don't make a blanket statement about not going over the greenline, wait until you are here and look into it and then decide.

SOOOOOOOOOOO it was with great pleasure and excitement that we received our visitors to the Gush.....first the Kleinbergs including Brian, Simmi, Eliana and Talya and shortly after the Steinman gang including Golda, Ned, Noam, Dini, and Yona .oh yeah and Moshe Ben Baruch.

Simmy, Brian, Eliana and Talia came out one morning one Chanukah. Darrell picked them up at the Pomsons and soon they were pulling up into our driveway. It was so great to see them!!!!!! And so nice to have them in our home and to show them around. We showed them the house and our new house, gave them a drive around tour of the yishuv. Then we were off the the sound and light show at Kfar Etzion. I stayed and watched it with them and Darrell did some errands. Now , Brian had just found out only weeks before that he had cousins who perished in the fight for Gush Etzion in '48 and he had just met their baby who had been sent out of the Gush to Jerusalem and survived his parents. so this film and area had new special meaning to Brian. We watched the movie and descended into the memorial. After it was over we began looking for his cousins names on the memorial and found them. The door to the theater opened and I looked outside for Darrell .....look Brian found his cousins on the memorial I called out........a woman at the desk looked up when she heard this and ran over.....who are your cousins?, Brian showed her, Tzippora and Yechiel Rosenfeld.......would you please come and sit with me , I want to talk with you.......I am Ora and I was the first baby of Kfar Etzion and I know your cousins. Wow, it was unbelievable. She came to the table with a pen and paper and asked Brian endless questions, wanting names and details. Then she finally told us her story and Brian's cousins story as she knew it. When all the women and children were sent out of gush etzion, brian's cousin Tzipporah would not leave her husband and sent her baby son Yossi in with the convoy with one of the single woman to take care of him. As it goes, both of Brian's cousins were survivors of the Shoa and had only been married a short time and were not willing to be apart. The battle for the Gush happened as it happened and both were killed in the battle. She told Brian that when the Arab's were interviewed about the battle , later on , there was a description of a blond woman who was firing from the window of the main building making the capture of kfar etzion more difficult and inflicting many casualties among the Arab Legion. No one was sure who this was but most suspect it was Tzipporah. She went on to describe what happened to Yossi , the baby ....that the single woman who was in charge of him gave him up to another family to take care of him and how to this day always wonders if she herself should have brought him up. I was blown away by the whole scene and first hand accounts of the unbelievable acts of heroism and the difficult situations which resulted. To hear of these unbelievably difficult decisions, I cannot even imagine. A man walked in to the room in the middle of the discussions..........these are Yossi's cousins, it was another "baby" from Kfar Etzion, it was really living history. Ora told us that her father survived the battle with an injury to his arm and they came back to Alon Shvut post-1967 to resume their lives in the gush. We were walking out of the building together, and I was overcome with emotion. Ora, I said, we are new olim living here in the Gush because of you and your family and their friends, it is only because of their sacrifices that we have the zchut to live here and I just want to say thank you to all of you for what you did for us! I don't know how I even got the words out of my mouth , and in hebrew too but it was important for me and an opportunity I would regret if I did not. She nodded, with watery eyes and I knew she understood how much I really meant it. Brian and I walked out of the building together and we were both crying, it was just so unbelievable and real.
Brian has told me that his cousins are mentioned in the book O'Jerusalem and that there is an amazing account of the battle for Gush Etzion. He said I should reference it to my readers.............I think that is all of you!

We continued on our tour of the Gush. We went to see the "Lone Tree" or the lonely tree as the incorrect English sign calls it. We drove through Alon Shvut and on our way to Efrat we stopped at the Etzion Judaica centre. Another cute story..........we told the lady who was serving us that we were from Toronto. It turns out that her family did shlichut in Toronto.....the Taburi's.....and her husband was Principal of Ohr Chaim. Anyways, we were talking about this one and that one........Simmi as you know is very good at this game........and she told us she taught at Eitz Chaim. She began to tell us about a grade 2 class that she will never forget until this day. And who do you think was the little boy who she really cannot forget.................Mordie Shields!..........."where is he and what is he doing?...don't tell me, I'm afraid to hear the answer" We assured her that little Mordie Shields had turned out just fine and was not in prison as she had feared!

Off we went to Efrat,
we drove through, stopping a couple of times to see the view and describe different sites. We drove back to Neve Daniel, stopped at our amazing bakery.......shiffon and came back to the house to have a quick bite.
Our visit was coming to an end and we were sad to say good-bye but felt really great about the day and the amazing experiences we had shared. We were very proud of Simmi! She was great! I drove the Kleinbergs back to Jerusalem and on the way Ariella called on Simmi's cell.!!! We are driving back to jerusalem from the Gush I heard simmi saying, we're just at the Machsom(checkpoint).........what Ariella said, mommie you went out to the Gush, without bulletproofing.......I don't believe it, Ariella was also proud! We passed through the Machsom and the Kleinbergs gave the soldier some goodies we had bought for them......Chag Sameach everyone yelled from the car. Chag Sameach the soldier called back.......we drove on in silence towards the tunnels.........."that was so meaningful and amazing" said little Eliana from the back

Only a few days later were we blessed with more visitors.......the Steinmans and Moshe Ben Baruch were coming out to spend a Friday in the Gush. We were especially proud of Golda as it was a hard thing for her to do and we know that she really went over and above to make the effort to come out despite her worries. We also knew that eventhough she wanted to see the area she was mostly doing it for us and wanted to see our home and support us. So I thank you for your efforts, you did make us feel very supported and it is so nice now when we speak that you really know what we are talking about..............THANK YOU!!

So I spoke to Golda on her cell from Moshe's Car on their way out. Yep, here we are , on our way out.....I could hear the tension in dear Golda's voice. Yep, on our way out.......uh Moshe, how long will it take and where are we going so I can tell the Shermans. Uh, Ruth, they aren't telling me anything.....I think it is a policy Moshe and Ned have adopted for the day! Okay, yeh, well I guess I will call you whenever we get wherever! Okay, that sounds like a plan for me....Golda don't worry , we'll meet up with you at wherever! Okay , good, good.........I'll call you from wherever. Moshe is a smart cookie,he took Golda to the Judaica Centre as a first stop! Nothing like a little browsing and shopping to calm the soul! We ended up meeting up with them at Kfar Etzion , the movie again! We greeted the Steinmans as they came out of the show. Golda , was already in a calmer state and kept saying how happy she was to be out here and how amazing and meaningful the movie was etc. etc. Moshe walked us around the kibbutz and showed us a few places that were important to the battle. He explained how important Gush Etzion was for the war of Independance and how Army stationed in the Golan were relying on the fighters of Gush Etzion to hold back the forces. We headed back out towards Kfar Etzion, of course to the Lonely tree again, it can't be so lonely, we had visited two times just this week! Moshe was taking us to Derech Avot! This is a walking path between Alon Shvut and neve Daniel, which is called derech Avot after our Avot (fathers) who walked this path. Avraham and Yitzchak walked here on their way to the akeida and Darrell jogs on it every erev shabbat. Again, everyone has their rules and comfort zones, and I had sort of taken the advise up until now, not to go on Derech Avot alone, and if you go to go with Neshek (gun)! Okay, we were not alone, we were all together, but we certainly did not have neshek. I was not going to bring up the issue with my good friend and really good sport Golda, so we continued on. Moshe took us out to a Mikva, which was from the time of the second Temple. People who were "holchei regel" walking up to the holy temple in Jerusalem would stop here on their way and purify themselves in this Mikva. Well in the middle of Moshe's drasha , a nice Arab shepperd and his grandson and his many goats or sheep or whatever they were began walking by. Well, I must say that Golda was amazing, despite her nervousness she managed not to go balistic and instead sat and pretended to listen to what Moshe was saying. The kids were jumping all around and having a grand old time. Of course, my husband who had gone down to the car to get something , stops beside the arab shepperd and begins to talk to him. I see the Arab saying something to him.......What's he saying to him Golda mutters in a not so affectionate tone.......why is he talking to him.....does he want to finish me off here? Darrell heads back," what did you ask him?" ......."I asked him how many goats does he have with him?" , "yeah, and what did he answer"........"I don't know, it was in Arabic!"......."maybe he said get off my land you stinking jew!"........"No, I don't think so, I would have heard that in the tone". Well, we all piled into the car and drove the rest of the way up to Neve Daniel....I had never done that before and it is a beautiful view! We stopped to eat at the Bakery and then took everyone down to see our new house. We stopped at the rental and then the Steinmans were off! Both Golda and Ned and of course the kids were so happy that they had come out and seen the Gush and we were so happy to have had them here. THANK YOU Guys!

(note the background in this picture..click on the picture to see Darrell's friend and his goats)

It was very cute, especially for those of you who know Moshe. When they left our we were standing outside the house to wave them off. Moshe went down the hill and they were all waving. I had told him to turn around and come back out the way they came in. So Darrell and I are standing there waiting to see them come back up and wave again..........you know like the Waltons,happy endings! So we are waiting and waiting and they just aren't coming. Darrell, I say, it's a dead end down there where could they be? Just when I was going to go in and call them or go down to find them, they come driving up the street. Where were you guys, it is a short little dead end street what took so long? Golda, looking, flabbergasted, was hufffing and pointing at Moshe............"He wanted to take his van, with my family in it up that steep. unpaved, small mountain...........partway up I decided that enough was enough and I am in charge............NOOOOOOOOOOOO.........I screamed, I am in charge here and we are not going up this mountain!" Moshe looked at me and said" she went crrrazy!.....it was just a little hill, why should we turn all the way around"............Bye y'all have a good trip back to yerushalayim we did our wave and went in to get ready for Shabbat!

In summary, we are waiting for all your visits with open arms and big smiles. We will show you around and try to give you a taste of what life really is here!

Yonatan Made a Phone Call

2006-03-01T03:54:00.000-08:00

Normally you would read this and wonder what I was talking about! Of course Yonatan can make a phone call he is almost 12 years old. So let me explain...........yesterday Yonatan came home from school to declare that he wanted to go swimming! Okay I said , you are going to have to find out when there are boys hours and when there are hasaot. Here is the phone number. Now usually, he hands me back the number and says could you please phone for me Ema, I can't in hebrew?! Yesterday he simply went to the phone, picked it up and I heard him asking to be connected to the pool IN HEBREW! Then I heard him asking about hours for boys and when he wasn't clear on it he asked again.....IN HEBREW! Then he asked about hasaot and what time they would be, a few questions and answers went back and forth..........IN HEBREW! Then he said todah rabba and hung up. He looked up at me who was sitting with my mouth dropped open and you guessed it ...tears in my eyes....and said "what's up with you Ema?". What's up with me?...I'm so absolutely amazed by you and proud of you I kvelled..........."it's only a phonecall, no big deal" Well it was a big deal and you my friend are "blogworthy"

YASHER KOACH YONATAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Miracle of Chanukah

2006-02-21T07:22:00.001-08:00

Once again the feeling was brought home to us that there is nowhere like Israel during the holidays and Chanukah was no exception.
Think about when you go into a mall from anytime after Halloween and you are greated with decorations, carols, and even Santa Claus. Well when we went into the mall this is what we saw:

Imagine, walking around downtown and turning a corner and coming to a square filled with people watching a beautiful fireworks menorah and then a whole fireworks display in honour of the fourth night of Chanukah. Imagine that everyone joins in song together after watching the chanukah lighting.

Imagine everywhere you go special Chanukah arts and crafts and programs......for Chanukah! Imagine treats being given out that your kids can eat! Imagine walking the streets and seeing Menorahs everywhere! Imagine arriving to a hotel in the middle of the Negev at candle lighting time, no explaining to do to the hotel staff about your strange custom of lighting candles at dark, just head into the lobby and join everyone and light your menorah. Imagine being wished Chag Sameach (Happy Chanukah) with every purchase you make!

Now imagine lighting the candles with your children 5 months after their arrival in their new home...........each makes their own bracha......and out comes the most beautiful little brachot in little israeli hebrew accents. For this year that was our most precious Chanukah Miracle: four seemingly happy/content children making their brachot in their homeland, the place where Chanukah took place, and beginning to understand and speak such a beautiful Israeli Hebrew. Shehechiyanu v'kiyimanu v'higiyanu le zeman haze.......thank you Hashem!

Off to Maarat Hamachpeila

2006-02-21T00:42:00.001-08:00

Before the last intifada there was a minhag on our yishuv. Every Friday morning prior to Rosh Chodesh a group of people from the yishuv would set out in the dark for maarat hamachpeilah in Chevron and get there in time for davening. At the height of the intifada the roads became too dangerous and the minhag was put on hold. Recently a group restarted the minhag and Darrell has gone once with the group. The kids were on Chanukah break and this was the only time I would have the opportunity to join as no one was needed to get the kids ready and off to school. Darrell and I woke up around 5:30 a.m. and were at our neighbours house by 5:45. We were met there by the Sussmans (Josh and Romi and boys made aliyah to Neve D. one year before us. We all climbed into his bulletproof jeep, we picked up (uncle)Dan Jacobson and his brother on the way out and as we came to the front gate we fell into line behind the other cars. It was quiet and dark and it felt very special to be driving through the country at this hour, watching the sun begin to rise over the judean hills (although it wasn't so easy to see through the bulletproof glass)on the way to visit our mothers and fathers!

I had not been to maarat hamachpeilah for over twenty years and could barely remember my last visit. We drove down past tsomet hagush and entered what felt very different than the highway north of the tzomet. Where we live you drive on a highway and can see Arab villages off the highway......here you drove through the villages. There are yishuvim that are situated next to villages with only fences or maybe a valley between them. Wow,I thought , people who live here are really idealists with a mitzirat nefesh beyond. We arrived at Maarat hamachpeilah in Chevron ...one of our ancient and holy cities, it was surreal. We davened shacharit and walked around to the kevers (not the actual ones which I gather are not accessible). There was a very tranquil and special feeling being there and I felt as though I had visited a family members kever to which I had not been to in a long time. You just cannot help but feeling directly connected to Avraham, yitchak, yakov, Sara, Rivka and Leah. People always refer to our forefathers...........and here we were at Maarat hamachpeilah, at their kevers, just as it was written in the chumash, how many times had I read these pisukim with my kids!!!!!!!!!!!

Someone once said to me "well the one place I would not go to is Chevron,it is definately a little crazy or unsafe to go there ". I may also have said that once also or maybe during the height of the intifada. I am not going to try and convince anyone to do or go anywhere they don't feel comfortable. I just ask that people begin to open their minds, and examine the real facts about what is or isn't "dangerous" here. There are areas that are higher risk areas,and I must agree that Chevron is one of those but that doesn't mean there aren't ways to get there in a "safer" way. For instance, I do not go south of tzomet gush without bulletproofing, that is a guideline I feel I must have for myself my family. I just feel that when I drive through those villages I prefer to have bulletproof glass between myself and our cousins. So to go to Kiryat Arba I would have to take a bus and not drive my car. Many people travel those roads daily in their personal cars and I don't think they are negligent or careless but it is just not for me at this time. I guess what I am trying to say is that unless we find ways to visit our holy and treasured places, there is more reason not to keep them...........if you don't use them you lose them! For all of you coming to visit soon, look into taking your kids to Kever Rachel and Maarat Hamachpeilah in armoured bus tours etc. it is a very special experience they and you will have forever and we don't know what will be with these places in the future.

We arrived back home in Neve Daniel before 8:00 am, to a quiet house, no one even knew where we had been or that we had even left. It felt odd, as I felt as though we had been a world and a time away and here everything was the same!

Two Very Special Barmitzvahs and Two Very Special Families

2006-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

I know, it is already the end of February and I am writing about events over two months ago. There were so many people visiting in December and they all kept us so busy that I wasn't able to write in the blog very much. I have also been adjusting to our new scheduale at the same time that the bus routes in Jerusalem changed.........I have been doing a little more driving than usual as Yonatan no longer has one bus to take him straight to school. So I feel that I have to backtrack because a lot went on that was really fun and special, including these two barmitzvahs.

First one was Nadav Kandler and it took place in Rehovot. We were very excited to be a part of this simcha! As most of you know, the Kandlers are very dear friends from Israel who for some reason like to go on shlichut in Toronto. We are grateful that they did the first round and we were priviledged to meet them and become such good friends. Nadav has always been a "character" who is full of zest and good fun. He loves to sing and joke and is quite good company! At the same time he is always ready to give a dvar torah and discuss more serious issues. The barmitzvah was taking place at the shul of Natan's parents and we were all invited. Friday afternoon we headed out to Rechovot. We stayed at friends of the Kandlers(sr.) and were greeted warmly and settled in. Friday night we all gathered at the shul where we were "reunited" with the Kandlers. It was a beautiful davening led by none other than Nadav. Friday night dinner as all meals was served in the shul. The tables were set beautifully with coordinating table clothes, and plastic dishes, each napkin had a little homemade napkin holder made by Orit and shlepped from Canada. Actually every meal had a napkin du-hicky made and shlepped by Orit. The food...all homemade and absolutely delicious...their families had divided up the meals and everyone made , brought and yes served. It was a scene to behold, not one "waiter", yet everything went smoothly from one moment to the next, there was no panic and everyone was happy and content. We slowly began to meet different family members and to feel a part of the group. Needless to say they are not a shabby bunch! Everyone was warm and welcoming , just as you would expect from Natan's and Orit's families. Each meal of the weekend, and there were alot, was set up and taken down by everyone and each one had different beautiful tablecloths etc. Why am I telling you all these little details.......because it was so opposite to the barmitzvahs we were use to in Canada and it really struck us.........this was less fancy, and had none of the 'help' serving etc that other barmitzvahs did but it was no less beautiful or special in fact it was even more special. We are finding that the events here don't have all the 'stuff' that goes with a simcha in Chutz l'aretz but generally speaking without all the 'stuff' you can feel the actual event more directly. It is like dressing something up so much that you do not recognize it and without all the glitz you can clearly see what it is.

The other feeling we experienced at this barmitzvah was the specialness of the families and the absolute love of torah and eretz yisrael. It was especially interesting for us as olim to look at the kandler family all these years after making aliyah from England, and to see how their children (natan included) and their grandchildren (ken yirbu) are thriving and how they are so a part of this country in everyway. Friday night after the meal the community was invited to join the Kandlers at shul for an oneg shabbat. People began floating in and dessert magically appeared and singing kept happening. Then brother after brother told stories and divrei torah, it was phenomenal. What is even more amazing is that they probably don't think it was all "so amazing and special" in the same way we do because for them this is just the way they do things always.

Well I cannot end without mentioning the very special star of the day, Nadav. His laining and davening were executed beautifully, with his strong confidant voice and his divrei torah were beautiful and thoughtful. I must make a special note of his solo performance sung to his Ima on the occasion of her birthday (she turned 28).
We packed up and said our goodbyes after shabbat feeling very uplifted and blessed. What was nice about this goodbye was that we know they will be back here soon and we will be able to spend many more special shabbatot and celebrate many more simchas together!

Only a couple of days later we awoke early and hopped into the car and headed in to Yerushalayim to celebrate the barmitzvah of Noam Steinman together with his very special family at the kotel. As you may or may not know I go back with both Noam's parents...Golda and I were roommates in university in Toronto, and Ned and I went to Camp Kadimah many many years ago (not that many, we are both very young!). Last year the Steinman-Feig clan came to Israel for a family trip whereupon young lad Noam declared that he did not want one of those big barmitzvahs and would like it very much if his parents would take the money and they could celebrate his barmitzvah in Israel. So here they were although much had occured in the interim. Golda's dear father Moshe Z"l had since passed away an event which was difficult for not only Golda but also for her children. His deep connection and history with Israel did not leave a small effect on Golda and her family. Noam lained beautifully surrounded by family and friends. Especially noteworthy was the presence of his Bubbie Lillian and her sister and nephew who all made the effort to travel and be with Noam and his parents on this very momentous occasion. He wore his grandfather's tallit and near him were his grandfathers cousins (the few that were spared Hitler's wrath) and old army friends who had fought side by side with his zaydie. It was a moving event and Golda's fathers presence was very much missed but also very much felt at the same time.

After davening and laining, we all headed over to Between the Arches for a beautiful breakfast celebration. There was a wonderful warm feeling of celebration and simcha. The restaurant is in a ancient water cistern and gives you the sense of the depth of our ancient history here.

Over the past few years our children have become quite friendly and really enjoy spending time together. So it was nice to see them hanging with the Steinmans, Yonatan especially looks up to Noam and I don't mean just physically. It was also special to get to spend time with our other good old friends Mike and Faye Landau-Goldman and their kids who had just arrived the night before and were in a jet-lag daze. You know your really great friends when you can go a long time without seeing them and just pick up where you left off when you see them again, those are what you call life long friends!

We were brought back in our memories to the day after our aliyah when we were in the same restaurant to celebrate with Zev Lewis, it was only 5 months earlier but somehow we felt a little different somewhat changed since that time. It is amazing how spending even short periods of time in Israel can really change you.

Sof , sof it was a beautiful event and a special memory for all. When Noam had his first aliyah in Ottawa I sent an email to him. In it I described how we felt he was a very special person,who at his young age made such a mature and difficult decision to forego his celebration in Ottawa for something less glitzy but so deep and meaningful. If I know you this is only the beginning of your relationship with Israel and that we will have opportunities to celebrate many more simchas together. Noam, we are so pleased you did make it to Israel and that we were able to a part of your simcha.

Tevia Syndrome

2006-01-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

I spoke to my father-in-law tonight..."I hope you guys had a nice quiet day today" he inquired.
Yes, thank Gd. , it was nice and quiet. My mind has been running circles since yesterday though. Darrell and I have been working through what happened here yesterday and if we should have prevented Avital from going out there. We think Yonatan shouldn't have been there, but he seems to have dealt with it quite maturely and I think he responded in an appropriate fashion. Discussion in the Sherman house has been lively and we all have many questions.....without too many answers I might add. I have decided that it wasn't a bad thing that the kids were there, what is more important is how we deal with it and that we help them to keep their minds open and that they analyze and look at the situation from different views.

We started with talking about why they were so sad, what was it that made them cry? We came to the conclusion that it was hard and harsh to see Jew against Jew like that. To see people hitting and jumping on soldiers and to see the soldiers picking people up, throwing people. Yonatan said it felt "weird" to see what was going on, that something just didn't seem right. He mentioned more than once how people were so emotional and kids he sees regularly around the yishuv were crying. I am sure that seeing raw emotion like that is disturbing and upsetting. He also had to answer as to why he went out there when I had specifically told him not to. He said he didn't really realize that he was going to end up at Sde Boaz, he thought he would just get closer for a better view.

We went on to talk about how people behaved...Did the soldiers behave appropriately and what about the protesters? I felt it was important for the kids to not blame the chayalim who are young kids themselves carrying out a task given to them from somewhere over and above their heads. Sort of the idea of don't shoot the messenger. I talked about viewing things from different perspectives. The soldiers there yesterday were not dati and probably none live over the green line. They do not have the same background, or the same education. They relate to the world in a different way or rather from a different perspective. They are not tied to the land in the same way a religious person is and cannot be expected to understand. They have not experienced community in the same way we have and so it is natural for them not to understand why someone who isn't directly affected is so vested...Avital said she heard a policeman and a young girl argueing...the girl asked him how he would feel if it was his home, his response was it isn't your home either so why do you care and why are you here? Avital just couldn't understand what he meant and why he would think she shouldn't care. We talked about the way protestors behaved, jumping on and punching soldiers, screaming and being verbally abusive to them. We let the kids know that we think this is an ineffective and even detrimental method of protesting. we asked them what they thought the chayalim would think and feel about and toward us at the end of the day..........will they feel sadness or empathy for us or anger and disdain? We talked about being a kiddush hashem and behaving in a mentshlich way. We talked about standing up for our convictions and not letting go or giving up land without a fight...but some of the behaviour they saw and we heard about was inappropriate and in the end it didn't accomplish anything except more bad feelings. "Seasoned" israelis often shrug off this "naive" view of ours to us being "greeners" , and coming from a place where we never had to deal with these kinds of issues. We feel it is just a different point of view, somewhat more objective and yes maybe naive but not to be dismissed, atleast not by us. We talked about the left-over anger from Gush Katif and how anger can change who we are and how we behave but that it also can remind us and help us to not make the same mistakes again. We want them to know that it is also okay to protest and protect our homes. Avital commented that on a few occasions she saw unnecessary aggressiveness on the side of the soldiers and felt this was wrong. She also commented that a representative of the residents of Sde Boaz publicly requested anyone who intended to be violent to leave and no one should hurt the soldiers. And a few protested his request but that it was clear the intent of the residents was to stay non-violent.

So this lead us to the topic of Israeli Dati-Leumi Youth. We asked the kids why they thought so many kids went out there? Did they go out to cause a scene? Were they looking for fights? Do they really understand the issue and identify with it or is it a snowball sort of effect? Avital felt that her friends identified with the issue and weren't there just because it is the thing to do. She did say though that there were clearly a few who were on a mission.....we are just not sure for what. We mostly wanted the kids to analyze what happened and look at it all from all perspectives but to also know that they need to use their own minds, and look at all the information and behave as they have been brought up to and as our torah demands of us. We talked about "mob mentality" and how a group of people can get carried away in a way they may not individually.

Darrell and I also felt conflicted about all the buzz around the event and all the different information being fed to us. It was important to me to speak to yarden and hear his perspective,his first hand account. I will try to attach or publish his mass email describing the events. When you look at different newspapers you read different stories and saw different pictures. Yarden said there was a lot of press and cameras there, he felt that everyone was looking for his own pictures....some wanted settlers attacking soldiers and others the reverse. He saw injured protestors and injured soldiers. It is really hard to make it through all the information and to know what is and what isn't. On one hand, we felt that when the "professional" army saw how much resistance there was they should have pulled back, on the other hand we feel that protestors and the youth were ready for a fight and provided a good scene. We 'hear' the outpost had ample warning to take down the house...which was a shack and one man's dwelling, with a simple bed,a few possessions and no heat....On the other hand we understand people's residual anger and FEAR of the government, army and police given what went on this summer. We 'hear' that the moetza or regional council was involved with and financed the establishment of Sde Boaz but that one or two people took over the running and expansion of it. We 'hear' that the army wants Sde Boaz to be there, it is quite strategic in the region. We'hear' that Sde Boaz is on Jewish owned land but the house which was destroyed went over onto Arab land. We 'hear' about illegal arab homes being built all over the place (does anyone hear or complain about that... any evacuated 'illegal' arab settlements in the news lately)and we have seen the recent upsurge of flatbed trucks filled with olive trees, and then the planting of fields everywhere .....legal?...where is the protest about that one?. On one hand we want to be out there standing up for what we believe, we know what we believe but on the other hand we aren't sure about anything that is going on around us.....what is fact?....What is reality...I used that expression in yesterdays blog, but today I am not even sure what it is. We feel like Tevia in Fiddler on the Roof going back and forth, back and forth. In the end we wonder if we are pawns, were we a part of a show yesterday, did everyone get to put on their own little play and spin it the way they want? Going back to the conversation with my father-in-law ,he commented "Oh, politics!" At first I thought yeah politics , but it is our lives now!....then I thought yeah we may have just been a political "play-out" but in the meantime it was my children witnessing and internalizing what they saw.

I guess in the end the best outcome was the one you have just finished reading about....the process of analyzing, talking about, trying to see things from different perspectives and feeling strong and committed to what we feel is important in the appropriate way. The best outcome of yesterday was the aftermath and conversation which ensued in our home. We feel it is our job to help our children to learn to think for themselves and that they have the necessary tools on which to draw on in times of inner and outer conflict. But most importantly and I worry that the youth of tomorrow should not forget this.... We need to act in a way befitting us, our creator and his Torah....without that, then what? Avital told us about how in the middle of the protest it started hailing and that it felt like hashem was pelting down on the scene at Sde Boaz...who do you think he was mad at?......at everyone involved...like a parent at fighting siblings it hurts to see your children fighting.

Both kids came home with mud on their boots, pants and jackets......Avital's new jacket was covered in wet mud...I washed it last night and it didn't come clean. It is stained I told her, I think it is permanently stained, I was upset about it! Today I took the jacket again and stain treated and soaked it ...I washed it a total of four times and I think the stains are out. If you look closely you can see the shadow of where the mud was but you need to look really closely to see it!

Where is Avital, You Ask?!

2006-01-11T04:17:00.000-08:00

Don't even ask me where Avital is right now! Don't ask ! I don't want to really talk about it............okay, okay twist my arm........she is out.....no, not at the mall, no, not at a friends house, no, she isn't studying at someone's house..............she is out trying to prevent the "take down" of neve daniel's outpost. I just spoke to her on her cell a few minutes ago, the conversation went something like this.
Me: Hi Avital, did you get to the maachaz (outpost) yet?
Avital: No, the army won't let us in, so we got out of the car and are trying to make our way in on foot. UH, where are we Yarden (an adult friend of ours)? Uh, we are in some field....some arabs field?
Me: Is the arab in the field too and if so does he mind that you are there
Avital: No it's fine Ema, don't worry, we are with someone who is helping us get in. ?(like that makes me feel so much better)
Me: Okay, well,.....are you still with Yarden?
Avital: Yeah, he's with me.
Me: Well, okay you make sure you stay with him........and Avital honey, DO NOT GET ARRESTED!!!!!!!! Oh , yeah Avital it is 2:00 now you have to be home at 3:45 , you have an orthodentist appointment.

It all started in ulpan when Avital got a phone call from her friend to tell her what was going on in Neve Daniel. "Everyone" is heading out there to oppose the take down. The rest of ulpan was her bugging me to go out there with her. Class ended and Yarden , of course, announced he was heading out to the maachez. Can Avital tag along I hear my voice asking? Sure, and off the two of them go. So that's what happened. Then the above conversation takes place.........pinch, pinch ...........is this real? I guess that's what I am feeling a lot of lately! Reality! How many times have I heard about outpost take downs and think for maybe 3 minutes about the people who live there, why are they doing this and what will be? Now suddenly the outpost is in my neighborhood and my daughter andfriend are one if the "settlers" opposing the take down.

I drive home from my errand in Efrat and enter the gate of our yishuv, smack into a convoy of army trucks. I heard on the news that 6 settlers were already arrested. There were hummers and other various trucks. Again, is this real? I pass by the trucks and look at the "baby faced" soldiers, one is eating a sandwich and joking with his friend and I wonder how they deal with this. I notice that the soldiers I see are not wearing kippas, is this on purpose? Is it easier for chiloni soldiers to do this because they feel disconnected from the religious world and even disdain towards us? Will this rift ever fill in? Is it that they have this image of us that clumps us together in one group to which they cannot relate? So many questions!

I call Avital again. This time she answers crying! What is wrong... are you okay?!!!! It is just so Sad ema, so sad! I choke back tears, did I do the wrong thing allowing her to see this? I know Tali, it is sad, this is your first taste of the real reality here. I know I could not have protected her forever from all this but to hear the pain in her voice and imagining the images she was witnessing, it is painful to me. She describes the line of people blocking the police and the police breaking through them. I hear the screaming through the phone. Ema they are hitting the police and the police are hitting back. Oh my Gd. ema they are bringing in a tractor! There are a group of girls sitting on the ground in front of the tractor and then the police are picking them up and moving them. Ema, I'm sorry, I am not going to go to the orthodentist today....I cannot make it back in time! Some things are just more important!

Yonatan comes home from school and catches wind of what is going on. I want to go in also. You my little friend are not going in....anyways, you can't get there the police won't let you through! Can I just go up and see what's going on? You can go up to where the police say turn around and then you must turn around. Off he goes.

I call Avital....hi ema, they are at the house (supposedly it is 'only' one house they are there to demolish or remove), and the people won't come out, they are bringing in more army and............oh yeah, Yonatan is here..............WHAT?...........yeah, he got in with Alon (Yonatan's 15 year old math tutor)! i cannot believe it, I am not worried for their physical safety , I know they are not in front of the tractors or in confrontation with police /army, what I am concerned about is their exposure to harsh, scary images that are not just images but reality. But as a friend gently explains, this is reality, their and our reality now and you cannot protect them from it. The stories are not about the greater "THEM" anymore they are about the smaller "us". Yes, it sometimes feels scary being smack down in the middle of the 'story' but at the same time it feels right, and it feels good.......this really is our home ,we are active participants in the events that will one day be jewish history 101.

I just called Avital again, she is crying! They just finished knocking down the house, someones home! I think of Gush Katif. I think of Avital and want to hug her.
They are arresting people now, she says she's coming home soon, I think even she has had enough of reality for one day. I am going to wait now for her and Yonatan to come home so we can talk about their day.

Yonatan's Chanukah Play

2006-01-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I have written and I have received a few comments asking me where I am..........well thank Gd. we have been very busy with friends visiting and our Chanukah break. It is funny, I really miss writing and I feel that when I don't write I am not in contact with you all. This blog thing has been an unbelievable way to feel connected to our old lives and our family and friends.....or atleast those of you who read it.

Before Chanukah Break we were invited to Yonatan's ulpan school for his Chanukah play and party. I wasn't sure what this would look like and was somewhat apprehensive. As you may or may not know, Yonatan has temporarily left his school in Efrat to study hebrew language more intensely at the Baka Teen Ulpan school. It was a very hard decision for us to make as it meant removing him from a torah environment with boys similar to him and putting him in a mixed school....I mean in every way...boys,girls, religious , non-religious, and from many, many different countries. Ultimately, I think we made the right decision for him and he is learning loads of hebrew and becoming more confident all the time. He was part of the decision and took the whole situation and change on in a very mature fashion. He has also demonstrated to us his strong identification with Yiddishkeit and his ability to do what he needs to do even when the environment isn't exactly tailor made. He has once again shone in the face of change and upheaval and we are so very proud of him. He left his new chevra in Efrat and once again walked into a new school not really knowing anyone and did not complain. We think Yoni knew that this is what he needed to succeed elsewhere and saw it as a necessary stepping stone. Yonatan goes to school in Baka most mornings with Alex Pomson, who brings Anna out to NeveD. to catch a ride to her school with Avital and gang, talk about basheret. Alex and Yonatan have struck up a nice friendship and I know Yonatan really enjoys his time with Alex. Yonatan davens at the Pomsons and heads down the street to school......thank you so much to the pomsons! Yonatan has had to learn to take a bus home from Derech Chevron, two stops and maybe a half hour later he is home in Neve Daniel. He is becoming so independant and I think feels quite good about it!

Back to the party. Why was I apprehensive? I wasn't sure how this party would look like and I was worried that my concerns about his environment would be actualized. The play was about to begin and I looked about the room. There were really all kinds it was quite interesting. I introduced myself to his teachers who seemed lovely and spoke nicely about him and his progress. The play started, Yonatan was in the opening act. He looked so tall standing up there..........he has actually grown quite a bit since we arrived. He took a step forward and in a beautiful hebrew with an Israeli accent, he said his lines, nice and loud. Of course, I was blinking back tears just to see him speak hebrew in public and to so willingly and enthusiastically participate in this play. There were 8 children , one for each night of chanukah, who introduced themselves and said which country they originated from...........some of them were Canada, Ethiopia, France, Russia, Romania, USA, and some spanish country (she wasn't loud enough to hear). It was so interesting. There were songs and the teachers were enthusiastically trying to get everyone to sing. Most of the teachers are secular but you could see their strong connection to Chanukah and the story. The children presented their plays each group at their own level and I watched the teachers as they watched the kids, they were so proud and sat at the edge of their seats when anyone struggled to get the hebrew out. There was a chidon at the end and Yonatan represented his class. The teachers made sure that each child in the chidon succeeded (of course my Yonatan didn't need much help)..........I was so impressed by the level of pride and concern the teachers showed for the students.

My conclusions at the end of the day......is this an environment I would want my child to be in on a permanent basis , No........but what I did conclude was that the bottom line to a positive learning experience for any child is a positive learning environment in which a child and his difficulties are understood and where the child is able to succeed and feel good about himself. Yonatan is progressing in his hebrew in leaps and bounds and while he is still not really comfortable speaking too much I see he understands a lot....enough that Darrell and I can no longer speak hebrew in front of him when we don't want him to understand. I believe we made the right decision for Yonatan and gd. willing he will continue to expand his hebrew language skills enough to return to Rav Shmuel and kita Vav in Efrat very soon.

Sara's Chanukah School Trip

2005-12-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

This week I headed out with Sara and her Gan for a chanukah tiyul to Bible lands museum. Sara and her Gan have been learning about the beit hamikdash and all the keilim (vessels) in the beit hamikdash. They have also been learning about the chanukah story of course, so her ganenet decided to go on a class trip to do some hands on beit hamikdash and chanukah learning. Here in Israel you can find a trip for every holiday and for other important subjects such as chumash, mishnah, gemarra etc. Actually, for chumash you just have to look out our window to derech avot and there is your trip. Here class trips aren't just for science, or geography but for our own personal history! Other class trips our kids have gone on include: kever rachel on rachel immeinu's yahrzeit, maayanot (springs) of gush etzion, and the caves of tekoa and Herodian.....no pioneer village yet.

We met at the museum and were introduced to our very sweet and dramatic guide ...Rivka. The kids were shown maps of where israel is and where the beit hamikdash was. We were taken to an open space and shown the model of the beit hamikdash. Rivka also spoke about kohen gadol and proceeded to dress up one little boy, actually Chagit Barnea's son (former Toronto shlichah at ulpana). The kids were then given special material which they decorated and put on. They were given crowns and a piece of paper. We then had to go through the museum and look for the keilim that were pictured on our piece of paper: the menorah, the shovel and oil container. We found all the vessels.....they were actual archeological finds. Then the kids were allowed to color in their papers and they were attached to their crowns. Following the whole expedition the kids sang a song and then were treated to a play in a little theatre starring our guide. It was fun and sweet. Sara totally enjoyed herself. At one point Chagit leaned over and asked if this was another one of those only in Israel moments. Of course it was, where else could you go to a museum and learn about the beit hamikdash and the story of chanukah.

CHODESH IRGUN

2005-12-15T04:55:00.000-08:00

What you ask is Chodesh Irgun? I too asked the very same question, only a short time ago when people began to warn me about this very curious chodesh we were about to enter. I didn't know about the jewish month of irgun but was soon about to discover its all encompassing grasp on the youth of Israel. "Get ready , you won't see your kids for the next month!", "put aside some painting clothes and tell them to paint only in those", "oh yes, I remember when my kids were busy with chodesh irgun" , so maybe it wasn't a new month I knew nothing about but rather was a person named Chodesh Irgun , who with they would be very busy! Yeah, that was it!

Then one night all the kids went up to the snif for some peulah, something about the opening peula for chodesh irgun. Our three oldest, made there way up to the top of the hill. Darrell and I put Sara to bed, when we began to hear beating drums, and singing, sounds like kids singing and this went on for hours, singing and drumming , drumming and singing. When the kids came home , one by one , youngest to oldest, they were hot, sweaty and very very happy. They had been singing and dancing up at their snif for hours and had a grand old time. David had been hoisted up on many an older boys shoulders. This was the beginning of chodesh irgun.

So what I have gathered and understood about chodesh irgun is as follows. This is a month in which the shevets, scrape and paint their rooms in the snif in relation to a theme given to bnei akiva throughout the country. They paint murals and decorate in this theme. The theme this year was Gush Katif and Unity. The shevets divide up into commities and begin a month of work. Painting is just part of it. Each shevet comes up with a play or presentation to put on at the end of the month on motzei shabbat of "shabbat irgun"(a new parsha which is added in the month of irgun). The kids got busier and busier as the weeks passed and in the last two weeks most of my three big kids were out and about practising and painting and all that stuff almost every night. Each shevet had to prepare something special for the whole snif to partake for instance Yonatan's shevet prepared tea on a fire. One night I answered the door to my son Yonatan, covered from head to toe in blue paint.....with the hugest , happiest smile. We would look up the hill from our house and see the migrash (the playing field) and we could hear the music and see the flags of Avital's shevet practising their daglanut number. The whole focus of the shabbat irgun was to inaugurate the new shevet, those kids in kita Daled (David's group) and to give the oldest shevet(Avital's group) their new name, that would be their shevet's name forever. Each of the younger shevets moved up one level taking on the name of the shevet before them and the oldest or graduating shevet was crowned their new name. There was of course lots of murmuring about what that name would be and everyone was guessing. Of course, my Yonatan, found out what the name would be the week before and was so excited when it turned out he was right.

By the end of the four weeks most parents were ready for the finale and just in time for shabbat irgun. Friday night the kids all davened up at the bnei akiva snif with their shevet and madrichim. There were visiting madrichim called shlichim from other parts of the country. Avital's shevet had a Friday night meal together. The other kids quickly disappeared after our meal and headed up to the snif. They had peulot and singing and dancing and came home exhausted. Shabbat morning after davening there was a kiddush for the whole yishuv for chodesh irgun, then the kids took their parents to the snif for a grand tour of their finished products. We went from room and were completely amazed.
See for yourselves.

The kids all ate with their shevets. One week before , each kid came home with a list of items they had to bring for their meal...Avital 25 plastic settings, Yonatan 6 chicken polkas, and David two drink bottles. This phenomena always amazes me in Israel......kids organizing kids and succeeding. Nothing fancy, everyone pitches in and it always works out beautifully and even when it doesn't it isn't a big deal. After shabbat the kids burst in the house, they had already had their havdalah chagigit and were getting ready to go for the big show. We (Darrell, Sara and I) headed to the migrash and found ourselves seats and watched as all the parents in the yishuv began to congregate on the migrash. Soon we heard drums and singing as the kids all marched down to the migrash to join the parents.

The Rav of our yishuv spoke to us all and especially to the youth. It was quite moving, he spoke about Gush Etzion and how it fell after 1948 and how its members had to leave their homes and then it was refounded after 1967. He said that hashem runs the world in his own way and we don't know what will be tomorrow and just have to move forward always doing our best. The kominarit spoke...what is a kominarit?...this is the bat sheirut girl who is in charge of all bnei akiva neve Daniel. I was amazed when i heard her speak, her maturity, the issues of which she spoke in such a deep manner. Then the youngest group did their dance and were welcomed into bnei akiva. David chose not to participate, I guess he felt shy or not yet comfortable. Then Avitals big daglanut debut was introduced. The music blared on the loudspeaker and my daughter and her friends ,her chevra, marched onto the field wearing their bnei akiva shirts and carrying their israeli flags and proceded to perform the most beautiful daglanut I ever saw. Well, you know how I always tell you how I blink rapidly to keep my tears at bay. There was no blinking happening because my eyes were experiencing a major flood happening. I was sobbing my eyes out and couldn't stop. Here I was out in the middle of the Judean hills, the lights of Efrat twinkling beyond the migrash, sitting with other parents of our israeli children and watching my daughter be a part of Israeli society at its root. There were no words, I held Darrell's hand and we watched our happy, settled, Israeli Daughter and were just awed by her and by all our childrens braveness over these last months. A mifkad was held and parents were invited down to join their shevets and Avital's shevet was given their new name.....Netzach...eternity. I watched Yonatan from a distance, and also with the zoom on my camcorder and saw him singing his kishkas out, smiling and having a great time. Thank you Gd. We all headed to the olam smachot (simcha hall) and grabbed chairs to watch the plays. I watched yonatan's group come on stage and I was amazed to see my son, yonatan , up on stage in front of all the yishuv, singing in hebrew and so obviously enjoying himself. We watched play after, play, each one different and meaningful. What was most amazing once again, is that the greater play and all its smaller components was put together and written by the kids themselves. No parental input here! And the finished product was thoughtful, meaningful and simply beautiful!

I know all the kids loved chodesh irgun and love bnei akiva, but this year was especially special for my kids and for us. What a blessing to sit in the hills of judea and watch our children as they integrate into a thoughtful, meaningful community. Thank you Bnei akiva, you have helped my children to feel part of something wonderful and to begin their integration into Israeli life here!!!

remember: you can click on the photos for a better view.

Noises in the Night

2005-12-01T04:14:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and hear strange, whiney voices in the distance? Do you sit up in bed and ask "what is that loud, whiney song outside my window?" It is usually then that I shake my head and pinch my arm and realize that we are not in "Kansas" anymore!! I actually like the sound of the Arabs calling to prayer..I just wish it wasn't in the middle of the night and another four times in the day. Somehow it has a middle eastern sound that reminds me of where we are and the uniqueness of this place we call home. Sometimes when we are walking on a Friday night in the yishuv, out of the darkness suddenly jumps these calls to prayer or music from their simchas. They play some kind of flute or wind instrument that has a unique arab sound to it. Sometimes we can even see fireworks ...supposedly this is customary at weddings.

Now you should know, that everyone in israel lives close to Arabs in some way, even those that don't want to think about it or acknowledge this fact. In Jerusalem, Jewish neighborhoods are directly next to Arab neighborhoods as in many other cities as well. Yesterday we met with a Tehilla Pilot Trip group (the same trip we were on last year at this time), Darrell and I were asked to address the group about our experiences and feelings about living in the Gush. One of the group asked me if I felt like I was living in a "military fortress"...i was astounded and afterwards I was astounded that I was astounded. First of all fyi, my answer was that I absolutely do not feel the military fortress feeling, in any way, when driving out to the gush. Yes I have to go through a machsom (checkpoint) and yes I do see Arabs along the road on foot , donkey or in cars/taxis etc. but that I know rationally that it is no different anywhere else atleast I am aware of what's around me and know what I am dealing with. I think it is a very comfortable illusion to think the security situation is any different to someone walking the streets of Jerusalem. In fact during the height of the intifada, there were more deaths and injuries in the cities of Jerusalem, Netanya, and Haifa than there were out here on our roads.

So why was I astounded that I was astounded about the military fortress question....I remember when we came two years ago for the summer with the family, I was nervous about security and I had rules about where we could go and where we shouldn't, how we should get there and how not etc. and as the summer progressed i readjusted my perspective and while I still held by some rules I let up on others. I came to the realization that "safety" and my control over it was really an illusion I created to make myself feel better. Really it is all out of my hands and under Gds. watchful eye and I would be better to pray to him than make a list of rules for all my family to obey. This said you still have to be responsible and not take crazy risks.

Darrell gave a good analogy to the group...when you come to Israel the first time you see soldiers all over, and you notice every gun and every chayal and after a short time it becomes part of the picture , just everyday life. In that summer we were here we drove out to visit friends in Efrat and I remember feeling nervous and uncomfortable on the first drive out but then as we came out more often it didn't bother me and now I drive that road back and forth on a regular basis and when I go through the machsom or see the soldiers I thank gd. that they are here to protect us and he should protect them. And I do feel protected by them, actually moreso out here than in the city! It is interesting, Darrell came to visit on his own for a family wedding and Natan Kandler took him for a drive around the Shomron in his car. Darrell describes speeding along highways in areas he wasn't so sure about...Natan stated he takes this road but makes sure todrive quickly. Then he points to another highway and says this one I don't drive on...it struck Darrell how everyone has their own comfort zone and you get use to different levels or you create your own relative illusion that works for you. The idea of a safe world or safer places in the world exploded for me with the Twin Towers on 9/11 and it was then that I realized I had grown up in a bubble and the last half a century since the shoah was an 'out of the ordinary' period in Jewish History rather than what was the norm or what would continue on.

It is interesting how the sounds of Arab prayer evoke many different kinds of feelings for all of us. Some of the women on the yishuv, talk about a time when they use to shop in Bethlehem and when it wasn't a problem to go into the neighborhood Kfars to buy different items. They sigh as if remembering the good old days and longing for them once again. Some feel anger, other sadness and others longing for a different situation....or all of the above depending on the day. And sometimes I just feel that they really should just adjust the volume on their speakers, that if I am hearing it so loud in my bedroom what about their own villagers, they will be a cranky bunch come the morning if someone doesn't TURN DOWN THE VOLUME!!!!!

Everything Old is New Again

2005-11-21T23:20:00.000-08:00

"Remember when I was a capable housewife, mother and working physiotherapist. I managed carpool, extracurriculars, grocery shopping, outfitting everyone etc, cleaning house , laundry and I most usually had real meals on the table not only on shabbat, I even managed to volunteer here and there at the schools." That is my new refrain, I say it often and remind myself that once I was a very capable person!
Now, as the song goes, everything old is new again. Slowly but surely I am relearning old skills but each with a new twist. Each time I do something the first time it is guaranteed to not go so smoothly but then the next time it will be a little easier. And so goes the process of relearning old skills. As we prepared for our aliyah I felt like a kallah, buying new sheets, dishes etc. to take with, it was like a new start similar to that of someone getting married. Well I remember when I first got married learning to make a proper shabbos and learning to bake and expanding my repetoire of recipes etc. I am sure there was a learning curve re. laundry and real housekeeping. Well here I am again, except this time there are four other people with us.

"Ema, remember when you use to bake for us" I always loved baking, a characteristic my children and yes my husband liked in me. A few weeks ago I ventured to make their favourite chocolate cake! First, it took a good month to gear up for this and more than a few trips to the super to get all ingredients. Did you all know that cocoa powder in Israel is on the shelf in the coffee section and not the baking section...who knew? not me! I made the cake, it looked fine, I was so happy, this is going to work...I put it in the oven and YES it began to rise, looks good ,looks good...guys come quick, we all gathered around the oven.....look in I tell them , Ema has made you a chocolate cake! Everyone is so excited because although Shiffon (our bakery) is great, they love homemade! YES, Ema is back! I take it out of the oven , okay, let it cool, hasn't flopped yet, I even turned it over on the cake plate in one whole piece...I am great! Then, I cut a piece and give it to one of the kids, he/she who shall remain nameless, they bite it, chew........uh, uh it's..it's....uh....different! What do you mean? I scream. I quickly cut myself a piece and bite in....yes, it is different but WHY?! Why, why, why? One of my children, who always knows the right thing to say when I so need it , told me he thought it was delicious and he would be happy to eat the whole thing for everyone else and that I was still the best chocolate cake maker ever! He is going to be an amazing husband, gd. willing, one day!....LIAR...maybe I was back a great chocolate cake maker in the old country but here I needed some work.

A couple of weeks ago Yonatan came to me...Ema my shoelace broke and I need a new one. WHAT? You need a new shoelace?!!!!.....My heart began to beat rapidly and I broke out in a sweat. I smiled at him and said in a calm voice...no problem I'll get you new shoelaces!! I turned around and went upstairs , behind closed doors I was in a panick. In Toronto, I would have run to the dollar store or run into payless shoes and picked up shoelaces....what was I going to do here? I asked Darrell where did he think I should buy shoelaces....anywhere he answered, this from the man who shops for nothing...big help! Where is the shoelace store And when I get to the shoelace store Where am I going to park? Will there be someone behind me in a car two inches from my bumper...will they be honking like maniacs when I try to parallel park? No, no I am not going to fight with drivers for a spot to buy shoelaces... I will go to the mall and park like a mensch and pick up shoelaces in one of the shoestores!! I am so proud of myself! I happen to have to go for something with Avital. Hang on sweetie I just want to hop in to that shoe store there and buy shoelaces for Yonatan. HOW DO YOU SAY SHOELACES IN HEBREW????? I figure I will just point to mine and they will know. Shalom, yesh lachem ha dvarim she um, um ...et eilu I point to my shoelaces, man I am wearing slipons, I point to her shoelaces. Lo,( actually she just tisks with her mouth and nods her head from side to side a somewhat "rude" in north american eyes signal for "no") and continues on blah blahablahblah blah...basically she has given me directions to the shoemaker down the hall at the end around the corner blah blah blah blah. We go off in search of said shoemaker and needless to say we don't find him. I finish up with Avital's shopping and try one more shoestore I am utterly exhausted, forget it I mutter let's just go home I need some tylenol. Of course, when we walk in my son Yonatan, who is a persistant little guy, asks immediately, so did you get me shoelaces? Well, no, I tried , couldn't find them, no one had them.....blahblah blah blah. Ema..it's shoelaces, regular old shoelaces. Darrell who happened to be right there perks up and says...did you go to the makolet, I think I saw shoelaces at the makolet!!! Why didn't you tell me that when I asked you before....you asked me before? sorry! I bought shoelaces at the makolet, just up the hill from my house and this week when I was in town near machaneh yehudah, I must have passed by 3 or 4 holes in the wall with shoelaces...lots and lots of shoelaces hanging in their door. Look, I cry ...shoelaces, lots and lots of beautiful shoelaces...short , long, white, black, dressy, plain, wow amazing....the shoemaker was looking at me in a very weird way!!

I use to drop my kids off to extra curriculars or chugim, sometimes I waited outside read a book, or did my needlepoint you know had a few minutes to myself. Here I not only take my kids to chugim I go to them myself. Last week I sat on a fludder board at the side of the pool and translated instructions on fludder kick for Sara. We came home and soon I set off with Yonatan for OUR drum lesson...for one hour I sat in the room with Yoni and his Russian/israeli teacher who speaks no english and you guessed it translated...Do any of you know how to say Rhythms, or beats in hebrew? Avital is okay on her own and can manage in hebrew , her piano teacher is South African but her math tutor is hebrew only..he told me he is learning math terms in english from her and was excited to know what a reciprocal was...woohoo! Sara had a little hebrew speaking friend over, we coloured played dolls (bubot) and house (bayit), they let me be the Ema (ema), imagine that. We had a good time and when she left I fell on the couch exhausted. Remember when Sara would have friends over and it was a break for me? That night, Darrell came home and asked what was for supper...SUPPER, SUPPER!!!....I have been very busy playing bayt and bubot, learning to swim, learning to play drums and translating it all and you think I even attempted to make any supper ...yesh, pita, yesh cottage...betayavon!!

And so it continues on. I am still looking for wheat germ..I think the health food store in Efrat will have it but I don't seem to get there at the right time...you know when they are OPEN! The boys now need running shoes, that should be a fun if not expensive venture. Stella Frankl finally figured out what sour cream is called here and what the package looks like..hooray! We new olim share all our great discoveries!! Darrell asked some lady in the grocery store which cheese to use in lasagna in place of dry cottage or ricotta cheese..she gave him two cheeses to mix together told him how and it turned out pretty good, the kids even liked it. Yeah, now I can make lasagna again...I am great much greater than I was when I made chocolate cake ( by the way I since learned that there is a special setting for baking on my over, I will try again this week and let you all know the result!) I am finally getting Talpiyot down , with Stella's help, and know which crowded busy street to turn down and I even get through the absolutely crazy traffic circles, but not without a few good honkings behind me..I have developed the ability to not hear said honkings, I now smile and wave when the angry driver, squeezes up beside me and I see his lips moving rapidly and his hands flailing every which way...Shalom, shalom I wave and smile, great to see you too....!!! They usually stop for one second, in shock, why is this crazy lady smiling and waving at me, I gave her my best honks ever!!? and they begin again and drive off, shalom l'hitraot nice seeing you, my fellow jew! So "leat, leat" (slowly, slowly) as they say here I am relearning the simplest of tasks, I have now got my grocery shop down to one hour and a bit from door to door (although I still go too frequently in a week)....I think that may be a world record or atleast an Israeli record. But next time my kids need a shoelace I know where to go and each task second time around gets easier, thank gd! By the time you all come Y"H, I will be able to guide you all in the tasks you once thought were simple and mindless!!! It will be my pleasure! And I promise B"N that when you ask me these questions I will not begin my answer with "Oh easy, you JUST have to do blah, blah, blah or JUST CALL yada yada and ask! No siree, not me I know that the words JUST or CALL AND FIND OUT do not exist in the language of the new oleh! There is no more JUST or ITS EASY.....not in the beginning anyways!

Our Narrow little Country

2005-11-16T06:57:00.000-08:00

Last week I took Sara to gan. It was an absolutely beautiful day out, sort of like a warm Toronto fall day in September. I dropped her off at gan which is at the top of the yishuv. I had to drop by the Frankls so I headed over the hill (on foot of course). When I came to the western edge of the top of the yishuv I looked out as I always do because no matter what there is always a beautiful view to see! My mouth dropped open, I was looking at the mediterranean sea. I looked a little north and there clear as a button I could see Tel Aviv, then Ashdod, then Ashkelon and even further south I could see Gaza city in the distance. Wow, I looked up and down the coast, it felt like I was looking at a map. This is it, this is what they all talk about "on a clear day you can see the sea" , well I could and it was unbelievable! I went to the Frankls and we looked out together.

I rushed home to see what was visible on the other side of the yishuv, looking towards the dead sea and Jordan. I came over the top and I was looking at the absolutely spectacular mountain ranges of Moav or present day Jordan. I could see everything so clearly. I could see where the elevation dipped down to the dead sea and I am sure that if I was up by the shul I would be able to see the dead sea. wow, wow , wow ! Darrell was in Tel Aviv and I wished he could see this.

You know when you are on a tiyul in israel and you are out in the middle of nowhere and it feels like space goes on forever and is so vast! Well, I think that is one of the many miracles of this place....that a space so small at times can feel so big. I stood in my yishuv and felt that if I closed my eyes and stretched my arms out on each side I could reach the med and Jordan simultaneously! I could see all the way to Gaza! Jews used to live there! How small can you cut up a pie and still have a pie?

p.s. I have put in pictures, but you should know that they don't do justice to the actual view....you will all just have to come and see yourselves. Try clicking on each picture to get a better view. In the first picture you can see houses being built, the first building left side is Shauna and Jerry Tepperman's house and the second building left side is our new home in the making! In that picture you are looking at Tel Aviv and in the second picture you are looking just a little more south at Ashdod/Ashkelon. The third picture is of the view to Jordan and you really cannot appreciate the actual view in this one but try anyways.

V'Shavu Banim Li'Gvulam (and your children will return to their own border)

2005-11-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

Today the 11th of Cheshvan is the Yahrzeit of our mother, Rachel. So I decided to visit there with thousands of other Jews. I hadn't visited there since we were in Israel on a family vacation in 2003.

The burial place of Rachel, one of the matriarchs of the Jewish people, is a lively place. Located at the entrance to Bethlehem, a short ten-minute drive from the center of Jerusalem, Rachel’s Tomb (Kever Rachel) has become a magnet for Jews connecting to their heritage in varied ways. Whether for religious, mystical, historic or political reasons, 21st century Jews are finding meaning in their connection to the resting place of Rachel.

During 1994 the government was drawing the map of areas which would be given to the Palestinian Authority. Apparently the drafters did not understand the spiritual importance of this place and did not include it in Area C which is the area of full Israeli control, despite the fact that it is only 500 meters from the muncipal boundary of Jerusalem. This decision would have meant it would have been impossible for Jews to continue visiting Mame Rochel. Member of Knesset decided to visit Rabin to try and convince him to change the map. On his way in to see Rabin, Porat saw MK Menachem Porush, who is a great lover of the holy places in Israel. The two MKs went in and described to Rabin the importance of Kever Rachel. Rabin was silent and did not seem to be ready to change the map. At this point, Porush began to cry and he took hold of Rabin's hands and said through his tears, "we can't leave our Mame Rochel." Rabin relented and agreed to include Kever Rachel in Area C.

Despite five years of a deadly war and the ravaging of several Jewish holy sites, the throngs returned to let mother Rachel know she is not forgotten.

Kever Rachel is not a place of military strategic importance. Its relevance is solely spiritual. Most Jews, regardless of their religious commitment, feel the depth of such a spiritual fountain; like the Western Wall in Jerusalem, it represents in a physical sense a basic tenet of Jewish faith. Rachel's Tomb has equal status with Machpelah (the Tombs of the Patriarchs) as the oldest place of prayer. Pilgrims stopped by her tomb on their way to and from Jerusalem on their way to Hebron and Egypt hundreds of years before King Solomon built the Temple. In fact, pilgrims came regularly from as far away as Damascus and the Euphrates valley to pour their hearts out to G-d at Rachel’s Tomb and the Machpelah.

In our day, the action of a few determined people ensured that Rachel’s Tomb would not be closed. Back in November 2000, after the few weeks of closure, a group of 30 women and their babies took things into their own hands and walked into Kever Rachel from the nearby Gilo Junction. Their intention was to stay until the yahrzeit to ensure that the site would remain open to all who wanted to mark the anniversary of Rachel’s death. They were forcibly evacuated that afternoon with the promise that bulletproof buses from the Junction would be allowed later that day.

To this day, those bulletproof buses are the only way Jews are allowed into Rachel's Tomb. Every morning, dozens of worshipers arrive by Egged bus at the site to spend a few moments with the spirit of one of the mothers of the Jewish people. Thanks to IDF protection, the strong stand of those women and the efforts of dedicated people like Evelyn Haies, the numbers of people visiting have risen dramatically and violence has eased lately.

On the occasion of the yahrzeit 2 years ago(November 2003), another example of Jewish action was consecrated at Kever Rachel. Mezzuzot were affixed to a property directly to the south of the Kever. The house was purchased and renovated, laying the groundwork for an eventual visitors’ center and Jewish neighborhood. The three-story building has been renovated and houses an army unit on one floor, and a self-contained apartment at the top. Bulletproof windows were installed and the house is physically linked to Kever Rachel by a cement block wall and roof.

Our guide for the day told us that due to all the activity at the site today, it would be unlikely that we would be able to visit this property even though it is owned by Jews. However as we approached the Kever, our guide noticed Member of Knesset Uri Ariel who was able to help us go to the front of the massive line of people waiting to get in to the Kever and also to go visit the property described above.

The contractor, a secular Sabra who worked on the renovation, tells the latest in a string of mystical stories about the site. He recounts how he opened the door for the first time from Rachel's Tomb into the area of the new property before he built the protective wall linking the two buildings. "I'll never forget the whoosh of the wind that blew into my face," he said. "I could feel the spirit of holiness blowing through..." It’s that spirit that apparently also appeals to adherents of Kabbalah. There is an ancient tradition -- a segulah (a charm) -- to tie a scarlet thread around one's wrist as a protection against all kinds of dangers, especially for pregnant women. Before the thread may be used, it is supposed to be wound around the Tomb of Rachel. This transforms the simple thread into a special segulah.

On the physical level, Kever Rachel has been a place of pilgrimage for Jews for more than 3,000 years. For women, the place holds obvious particular significance. According to Jewish tradition, Jacob chose to bury his wife where she died rather than in the family burial plot in the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. He foresaw that his descendants would pass her burial place on their way to Exile in Babylonia (423 CE) and that she would intercede with G-d on their behalf. The prophet Jeremiah portrays Rachel as a concerned mother weeping inconsolably until G-d assures her children’s well being:

"Rachel is weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted, because her children are not present. G-d says, don’t let your voice weep and your eyes fill with tears. For your work will be rewarded, G-d says, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for the future, and your children will return to their own border.". (Jeremiah 31:14-17) This final pasuk had special meaning for us this year - When I received my first aliyah on Shabbat upon our arrival to Neve Daniel, the whole congregation sang these words as they do for each new arrival to the yishuv. In addition our group sang this song as we walked from our bus to the entrance of the Kever.

The site is first mentioned in Bereshit (35:19-20) where we learn that Rachel was buried "on the road to Efrat, which is Bet Lehem." The famed 12th century Jewish traveler, Benjamin of Metudela described Kever Rachel in 1170, and until the 19th century nothing changed. Then the tomb was given a domed roof, and renovated by Sir Moses Montefiore in 1841. The only period in history when the tomb was not under Jewish control was for just 19 years of its existence, when it fell into Jordanian hands from 1948 until the Six Day War in 1967.

Tomorrow our boys go to visit Kever Rachel on a school trip. Just a little different from the school trips they were used to in Toronto.

Another Hachnassat Sefer Torah

2005-11-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

Last week we were once again priviledged to be a part of a beautiful hachnassat sefer torah. This time it was on our own yishuv. The Noibauer family (Miriam Bloch's sister's husbands family or Miriam's brother in laws family) dedicated a sefer torah in our beautiful new shul in memory of his mother. The ceremonies began in the Noibauer home around the corner from us. The torah was completed and out it came to be danced to its new home up the hill. There were children everywhere and as the sun set out came the torches, it was beautiful. It has begun to get cold here especially when the sun sets and it has even rained, that's what davening for rain on simchat torah will get you. It's interesting, today in ulpan we looked out the window and it was pouring, "look sara it is awful, rainy and wet" Sara looks outside...."Oh , baruch hashem, it is wonderful , smell the earth, just what we need!" It's all in the perspective!
Back to the sefer torah....we arrive closer to the shul and I notice that more people are joining in...all kinds...young, old,teenagers and people are really getting into it. The sefer torahs from the shul are brought out to great the new sefer torah and together we all head in to the shul. The dancing continues on and it was nice to watch. Around sukkot time a few of the newspapers put out these laminated inserts of pictures of gush katif and the synagogues to be hung up in your sukkah. There were pictures of the absolutely beautiful batei knesset some similar in design to ours. We have now been in this community for four months and have been lucky enough to have been a part of new beginnings and special celebrations. We are growing attached to our new community and its surroundings. Each new event that we are a part of connects us more to this place. I find myself looking around in admiration at the shuland at our new kehilla and my mind wandered to the poster. I am only here four months and I feel such strong feelings towards our new home. I cannot imagine what the residents of gush katif felt and feel now, especially those who had been there for years upon years and even those that were not there as long. How did they make that final turn from their shuls and walk away? We are also building our home here...we are making decisions about layout and finishes etc. It is a very exciting thing to build a home in Israel and put down roots in eretz hakodesh. Again, I cannot imagine turning and walking out...giving that mezzuza the final kiss and walking away. I look around and say a little prayer that hashem will bless this new sefer torah and keep it here in its new home with us! May the hachnassat sefer torah be a z'chut to the memory of Aharoni's mother, and may we merit to use it here on our yishuv for many , many days and years to come.

Simchat Torah and Beyond

2005-11-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

Well here I am back at the writing board. I haven't blogged since before simchat torah and only because most of us have been under the weather and I haven't been up to it. "Blogging" is now a proper verb in our home and each time something happens that is "blog worthy" Darrell and I look at each other and begin to lay claims to our right to blog it..."I'm blogging this one " " No way it's mine!"

I left off before simchat torah, after a great chol hamoed , with apprehension for the chag which oddly enough caused me to be homesick for Thornhill and the BAYT. When I mentioned to former Thornhillians that I loved Simchat Torah at the BAYT and was really going to miss it they commented on my lack of judgement and misplaced admiration of Simchat T. in Thornhill..."Don't you remember the excessive amounts of food that happened there....drinking and eating?" Well no, I never did any of that, I went to the kiddish after laining but that was it. "don't you remember the absolute bedlam that happened, you could lose your kids for hours and of course the men were of no help to find them!" No that didn't seem to bother me much, I was happy to relinquish my kid responsibilities for the day and be a observer for once. Darrell knew he had to keep tabs on the kids.....or......else...it was the end of the chagim and I WAS OFF!!!! I spoke to friends in Thornhill and they asked me if I had gone crazy, that they had stood and sat in the womens section and bemoaned the lack of spirituality they felt on the chag. After experiencing the chag here, I came to the realization that the isssue was not about where the chag was better. It was about the end of the chagim and that although I had done so well being on our own without our loved ones up to now , I would miss being amongst those I knew and loved, those with a shared history... some short, some longer, seeing all the kids of my friends and even those of people I didn't know so well, it was missing the only thing that I really miss about Thornhill and Canada, our friends and family!! When it came to kol hanaarim my heart was heavy, I saw my kids and smiled and waved but then I had to wipe some tears because I missed all of you so deeply and wished you could be here with us. I looked around and was unable to find too many familiar faces, no one who was enjoying seeing my kids with me or pointing out theirs to me....... I just missed you all!!!!! A LOT!!!!!

There were nice things about the chag in Neve Daniel that struck me and left an impression. What I soon noticed early on in the evening hakafot, was that the ruach..the singing,dancing and carrying on was clearly being led by the youth, the teenagers of the yishuv. Not only was it being led by them, they were pulling in the younger kids who quickly got into it because of the older kids. The kids up on shoulders were on other kids shoulders only a few years older than them. The adults went along , they danced, joined in and clearly enjoyed themselves but centre of it all was the youth, the adults were actually physically on the outside of the circles. It is much easier for younger kids to get into it wnen the older kids are such great leaders.....it was cool to dance with the torah, have fun and let loose. BAYT was leibedik , but it was definately driven by the adults in the group, the teens were not in the thick of it and were certainly not the driving forces. The other difference was the womens section, one women's section remained opened for those wanting to watch their children, but one remained closed. There behind the curtain I watched as the teenage girls danced and sang up a storm. The energy was amazing and I was astounded by the ruach these girls had. I cannot say I ever witnessed or was part of anything quite so leibedik behind any curtain at the BAYT.

So while I missed everyone and everything familiar, I felt priviledged to witness such a spectacular scene and to think that my children have the opportunity to be a part of a society where the youth lead the elders in "simchat torah" and where they will be a part of this amazing energy that I believe comes from living in a holy land and living lives much more physically connected to hashem and to the land which he gave us. Now chag was over, here or there I was relieved and ready to get back to routine and happy to be out of the kitchen a little bit....atleast for two days, shabbat was soon. When yom tov was over and then isru chag, 24 hours had passed since chagim ended..... I realized that everyone in Toronto was still in the middle of second day yom tov across the ocean, maybe they were sitting down to yet another meal , the fourth in two days! After having been through our first set of one day yom tovs....I highly recommend aliyah to you all for this reason if not for the many many others!

Shomer Yisrael Part 2

2005-11-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

Last night was my second installment of shmira. Instead of the "glory" of standing outside the shul and greeting everyone on their way into shul I received the glorious 2am to 4:30 shift.

Yarden (an oleh from the US who arrived the same day as us) picked me up in the security truck at 2am sharp and we began our explore. Yarden drove and I was riding shotgun - or I guess I was riding M16. This shift consists of driving around the yishuv looking for anyone out and about and looking for donut shops but they were all closed. Jordan and I are both the adventurous so we decided to go on some of the unpaved roads along the fence which surrounds the yishuv. It quickly became clear that most people don't do too much of this type of off-roading as I had to move small boulders out of our path so we wouldn't damage the truck. At one point we made a sharp left and starting driving up a very steep hill. After a bit the truck started going slower and slower until we came to a stop about halfway up the hill with no place to turn around. I thought we were going to have to back down the hill somehow but luckily Yarden realized the vehicle had a shifter to turn on the 4 wheel drive. Once we made the shift the truck made it up the rest of the hill without a problem.

Around 3:15 we stopped by the water tower and got out of the truck to enjoy the view. By this time I was driving the truck and I turned it off when we got off the vehicle. (Now don't go thinking I locked the keys in the truck - that would be dumb) After a few minutes we go back to the truck so I could drop off Yarden at 3:30 and pick up the next guy on duty. I put the key in the ignition and turn the key but the engine does not make any noise. Hey Chaim I bet this thing has an immobilizer. Sure enough I see the glowing key pad on the dashboard. Mild panic sets in as we don't know the code to push to unimmobilize the car. I ask Yarden to pass me the paperwork that gives all the rules and instructions for shmira thinking the code must be in there. Of course it is dark and everything is written in Hebrew and I'm worried that the other guy is going to wonder why we didn't pick him up yet. But I have Yarden to help me out, right? No I don't - He chooses this point in time to realize he doesn't know where his new hat is. So instead of helping me deal with this conundrum, he starts nattering about his lost hat and climbing all over the vehicle to look for the darn thing. Not panicing yet, but then , the car alarm starts blaring, but after a few seconds I push a button on the remote on the key chain and the alarm stops. Yarden finds his hat so I send him to walk the several hundred meters to get the reliever to come and help us. I have visions of the whole yishuv finding out that we had to leave the truck stranded by the water tower and my brave career ending in ignominy. But then a brainstorm hits- I look on the visor to see if the code is written there- sure enough I see some numbers typed there but it only says Visor #7584. Then another brainstorm- I check the key ring and sure enough it has a little piece of plastic with a paper insert with the code printed on it. I punch in the code as the clock ticks down to zero hour and the truck starts. I drop off Yarden and his hat and make my way over to pick up the next partner, Hillel.

Among other jobs, Hillel is our postmaster. He takes all the incoming mail and sorts it and puts it into the individual mailboxes, etc. Hillel made aliyah from Russia 17 years ago and has lived in Neve Daniel with his wife and 6 children for the last 14 years. We spend the hour talking in Hebrew and at 4:30 am he drops me off for a couple of hours of sleep before the next day begins. Thank God we all survived.

The Changing Landscapes of Israel, by our neighbour Laura Ben-David

2005-10-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

The Changing Landscapes of Israel
From: Laura Ben-David, Neve Daniel. E-mail: laura@lbwx2.com
The landscape of Gush Etzion has changed. Its Neve Daniel landmark,the huge grey structure on the mountaintop that appears to have aflying saucer parked on top of it, was actually the shell of itslong-unfinished synagogue. It is no longer just a shell. Slated to befinished "by Rosh Hashana" almost every year since we've been here, italmost came as a shock when, seemingly overnight, the grey cement wascovered in gleaming white, and shortly before Rosh Hashana, it wasactually completed enough to hold services. The Shabbat before RoshHashana marked the inaugural prayer service in the long-awaitedsanctuary. The usual five-separate Friday night services combined intoone for this special, momentous service.
And so, the Friday night before Rosh Hashana, I made my way to the topof the mountain that is Neve Daniel. I, along with my family, andevery other family in the neighborhood, more than 1000 people in all,joined together at our new, old landmark. Even knowing what to expect,I couldn't know what I was really about to experience. It was alreadygetting dark as we turned the corner that suddenly put the shul in ourview. We were stunned to see the familiar silhouette suddenly bathedin light- from the inside! Strategically placed windows that werehardly noticed before, cast a beautiful pearly glow on the wholestructure. It was truly a sight to behold!
As we neared the synagogue, strains of "Lecho Dodi", my favorite ofthe Friday night prayers, carried to our ears from within. Thebeautiful singing emanating from the sanctuary along with the lightfrom the windows made for a truly magical experience; and all thisbefore I even made it inside the doors.
Of course the timing of the completion of our beloved synagogue wasnot lost on anyone in our deeply Zionistic community. While most ofthe uprooted families from Gush Katif still linger in uncomfortabletemporary living arrangements, their destroyed synagogues lying indesecrated ruins, we were celebrating the bittersweet dedication ofours. Unfortunately this irony could become something much more. Itseems that the landscape of Gush Etzion is about to change again- thistime, much more drastically. The change may give us something incommon with the former fenced-in lives of our brothers and sisters whowere removed from Gush Katif.
The famous, much-debated "Security Fence" is suddenly to be built inGush Etzion. "Suddenly" because though we knew it was going to bebuilt, there was never a specific timetable given nor a specificroute. Shortly before Rosh Hashana we were told that "right afterSukkot" they will begin building and only then were we told the route.And what a terrible route it is. The fence will literally cut offparts of Gush Etzion from the rest, place an unsightly fence allaround, and protect us from exactly nothing.
In fact neither us, nor the Arabs around us have anything to gain fromthis fence in the short term. For all of us it will be cutting intoproperty, cutting us off from areas, and turning the places we live ininto ghettos.
Of course the route is not a fait accompli. Many lawsuits will almostguarantee at least a variation of the planned route. But whatvariation will actually improve the situation? Currently there areclose to a quarter of Gush Etzion neighborhoods that are on the "wrongside" of the fence. South of Gush Etzion finds Hebron, one of the fourholiest cities to Jews, containing the burial place of the Patriarchsand Matriarchs of Judaism, along with neighboring Kiryat Arba where mytwo daughters go to high school (and many thousands of Jews live)which will all be on the "wrong side" of the fence. Putting them allon the "right side" of the fence will be putting thousands of theArabs who they are trying to protect Tel Aviv from on the "right side"of the fence. Yes, Tel Aviv.
One may wonder why we are fighting a fence that is presumably beingbuilt to protect us, but that is not the purpose at all. It isdesigned to protect Tel Aviv by keeping the Palestinian Arabs behindthe fence. Because of this there are those who suggest that we avoidthe feeling of living in a Gaza-like compound and ask for the fence tobe built along the Green line which does not intersect the Gush atall. Serious objections to this are that once a fence is built it canbe used all-too-easily as a future border with Israel potentiallysacrificing anything on the other side - MY side. The more immediateconcern is that a fence is a psychological border, much more so thanthe "invisible" Green line, and, as such, people will neither visitnor invest in areas beyond the fence.
Other options being discussed are TWO fences- one on the Green line(to protect Tel Aviv...) and one around the Gush Etzion communities.The second fence, which is actually being considered as an alternativeeven without the Green line fence, would criss-cross Gush Etzion,making it a scary and unsightly place to live.
None of these options are appealing. In the meantime we are relying onthe leftist-Israelis who are sure to sue the courts in support of theArabs to move the fence in their favor. For whatever its worth, atleast it will delay the building of it.
As the High Holidays came to a close this year, there have been mixedfeelings along with great turmoil of emotions among the citizens ofGush Etzion. While praying in the relative safety and security of ourbeautiful new synagogue, many of us weren't even exactly sure what weshould be praying for. We can only hope and pray that the One we werepraying to will guide us to decisions that will bring safety, securityand prosperity for the entire land of Israel.
From: Laura Ben-David, Neve Daniel. E-mail: laura@lbwx2.com

Chol HaMoed - Part 2

2005-10-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

First of all, wow. We have been getting such a wonderful response about our blog.....for us it just feels wonderful to be in touch and that you can know what's going on with us without us having to repeat it over and over. This is a very exciting time in our lives and we are just so happy to share it with you all!
I forgot to write about the simchat Beit hashoeva here on our yishuv. It has been somewhat cold here, although I thought it would have been perfectly fine in the sukkah, it was moved indoors. It is very funny, when the weather turns the tiniest bit cool children are suddenly bundled up in winter jackets and parents can be heard all over begging their children to keep their warm clothes on. I see these bundled kids and sweat just looking at them. Anyways, there was the announcement on the PA system to make your way up to the simchat beit hashoeva, and so we did. There was a band playing as people arrived and dancing began. Here the women don't stand around watching and the dancing was quite leibedik and fun. There were familiar faces, and some new, some english speakers and some hebrew speakers. It was nice. I peeked into the mens section to see what was happening and was pleasantly surprised to see Yonatan into the dancing! I can't tell you what it does to me to see him into all this stuff. There were snacks and then there were introductions. All the new families were called up to the mike and had to introduce themselves and tell a little bit about their family...IN HEBREW!!!!...the first few families went...I looked at Darrell...you go Darrell I'm not going up , you're the man go, if you're not going I'm walking out and then you'll have to go up by yourself..(very mature of me don't you think)...Darrell just sat their shaking his head no. I soon realized that I was going to be going up to the Mike....Darrell if I talk would you atleast come up with me...no response...."MISHPACHAT SHERMAN!" I look at Darrell go please, go he nods his head no...then the crowd sensing my apprehension starts that fast clap supposedly encouraging thing that Israelis like to do...I have no choice...up I go and introduce myself, my wimpy husband Chaim and our children, I explain where I come from etc.etc.....everyone applauds. Yonatan was laughing at me, what , did I say something wrong....did I embarrass us all by changing one letter in one word to mean something completely different and mortifying...no, no they reassure me it was fine. The rest of the evening went well, it was nice to meet some of the hebrew speakers. If you keep going to these events, then you get to know the hebrew israelis, they are harder to meet and I see that we will have to make effort to befriend them...but they are all lovely and so supportive of us moving here.
Sunday afternoon we head out to meet up with a group from the Israel Centre (OU) to visit an army base for another simchat beit hashoeva. The base is located in the area of Binyamin, north of Jerusalem, not far from Beit El. We arrive and are ushered into the auditorium where an army band is playing. We are greeted by some of the leaders who welcome us and invite us to dance. This was a mixed group of soldiers, some dati (not many) some women, some men......it was clear that many did not know how to approach this dance thing. The men had it easier in that some of their fellow soldiers were dati and lead the way. It was interesting to watch, some of the secular soldiers got so into it and really hooped it up with their fellow dati soldiers. The women soldiers really didn't know what to do with themselves and in the beginning they just pulled up chairs to watch, there were no religious women soldiers as they mostly do sheirut leumi. The group from the Israel Centre was all dati so the women began dancing, no problem, with some encouragement some of the women soldiers joined in and within a few moments were also seemingly having a good time. I thought about some of the Israeli secular weddings we have been a part of and remembered how there was not one hebrew song let alone even a traditional hora. It was shocking to us as in chutz even the most secular weddings always had a hora and everyone got into it. It struck me how uncomfortable and out of place these men and women felt and how out of touch with even a basic hora they were. What also struck me was how quickly the music and dancing moved these guys and woman, and once they got into it how they enjoyed it. Yedidya Atlas was the leader of the event and spoke to us and to the soldiers about achdut and the purpose of lulav...it was nice, I'm just not sure how much of it they got. No matter this is the way to start, making connections and breaking down stereotypes. We head out to the sukkah and there is a whole spread waiting and we enjoyed with the soldiers. Yonatan tried Moroccan cigars (spicy food) and enjoyed. At one point one of the American men came into the sukkah announcing a great "PHOTO OP" outside, the soldiers were letting them sit in their jeep and take pictures. I thought this to be somewhat inappropriate and felt uncomfortable watching it, tourists taking pictures in army vehicles, there was a long line up..these kids had to use these jeeps for army business probably sometimes unpleasant business and it was suddenly a photo op. A young women soldier took Avital and I to the barracks to use the washroom. Well, that was an eye opener....I could not believe that the soldiers had to live in the conditions they do. It was upsetting to see although they did not seem bothered by it.
We head back to yerushalayim as the sun set we got in our car and begin our drive out of yerushalayim and over to Chashmonaim for our Toronto aliyah reunion. We all met at Nicky and Alan Halperts beautiful home , had a bbq and a great time. Their home is really nice and I was so happy to finally see it with all their stuff unpacked. Nicky and I went through so much of our preparing for aliyah together, so that I felt emotional seeing them settled in here. Who was there?...The Goldbergers, the Bienenstocks, the Brudners, us and the Halperts. It was nice to see everyone and hear all the adventures, trials and tribulations. Overall, everyone is doing well, all agreed that we would not be turning back and the only thing we really missed in Toronto was our family and friends! We sit in the sukkah, nice and warm and talk while the kids all ran around and played in the yard and on the street. It was nice to be among old friends again. Finally we all start to pack into our cars..the goldbergers head to Modiin, the Bienenstocks to Beit Shemesh, the Brudners to Yerushalayim and we of course to the Gush. It's amazing how we all live in different places but still managed to get together for an evening and get home, that is one advantage of the short distances here. Brian and Simmi call on our cell on the way home, it is amazing how the world is so small. It is great to speak to them, and their words are so encouraging full of warmth and love.....we miss everyone so much and are so thankful to be keeping in touch with such a great chevra! Thank you for not forgetting us!
Monday we spend just hanging around the yishuv. We have some grocery shopping and getting ready for chag. The kids are in and out of the house all day just hanging with their friends....sort of the way a Sunday in the old country might have been. Our Toronto line rings quite a lot today, it is wonderful to speak to you all, your encouragement is helpful and appreciated. Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah will all be one this year, yet another new thing to get use to. I'm not sure how I'm feeling about simchat torah here....I really loved this chag at the Bayt...standing in the balcony most usually with Shayna looking at our kids and everyone else's kids down below. It seems like a short time ago when I stood there (actually only last year) and realized that i would not be standing there with Shayna in the year to come. I would not be looking at all the familiar children and admiring how they each grew up this year! I would not be seeing the beautiful chuppot designed and painted by our own youth. I loved watching chattan torah and chattan bereishit and seeing our rav being danced to the torah. I loved watching the candies fly and the kids scramble and then the beautiful Hamalach. There was a sense of belonging and family in our shul on simchat torah....I will miss that! I'm sure the chag here will have it's own special moments but I will miss my old familiar ones..atleast for this year and then we'll see!Chag Sameach.

Chol Hamoed - Israel Style

2005-10-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

When Eitz Chaim changed its yearly calendar to be more in sync with the Jewish Calendar I was quite upset. Not that I disagreed with the thought and theory behind the change, I actually agreed that we should all live according to our own Jewish calendar and timeline. So we made aliyah! Now when my kids are off on Sukkot, Chanukah and pesach time and not over "winter break" time , we also will be and actually so will most of the country. I won't be grappling to find child care while I have to work and I won't be sitting home alone when I have time off in December and my kids are in school. We are now off as a family and will spend the chag together exploring and discovering our country.
Well I already described what first DAY was like and it was absolutely wonderful. Motzei Chag came and the phone was ringing and arrangements being made. Avital's tzevet was organizing a "mangal" , a bar-b-que. What was refreshing for me was the way it was put together. Her friends have what they call a phone chain, anytime they arrange to get together they start the chain. One calls the other and so on until everyone is in on the plans. So this week the kids were planning a mangal at someone's sukkah. Avital gets a phone call asking if she can bring one of four or five items to the mangal. I look in the freezer, yes we have meat, you can bring hot dogs. She crosses hot dogs off the list and calls the next person and asks if they can bring any of the next items. They all meet at the hosts sukkah and have a great time. Wow, I say again, no parental involvement, no planning and running and organizing just a quick call bring what you have, no big deal and NO PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT in the planning. I love the youth here, they really are a unique bunch!
Our first day of chol hamoed is spent going on a Yishuv Tiyul. We all meet at the gates of the yishuv in our personal vehichles and head out to the hills near Tekoa. i had not been to Tekoa yet, Darrell had gone with the kids to their outdoor pool. It was a beautiful drive out behind Efrat and through the many Arab villages. The little Arab kids on the side waved to us and were so thrilled when we waved back. It was a weird sensation looking at the people and wondering about their thoughts or even involvement in "activities". I thought it might be similar to when one would meet Germans or Poles of the "right age group" and wonder. Sara screams out that she needs to go to the bathroom "RIGHT NOW!!!!" Well sweetheart, we can't go right now, we are in the middle of an Arab village. OOOOOOH I need to go right now, right now, it is hurting me. Well you are going to have to wait. Finally, right outside the gates to Tekoa, we stop the car at the side of the road. I hold her and wait for her to go. Go Sara, we're in the middle of nowhere, at the side of the road. "GO, GO, GO , GO SARA!" the kids chant from inside the car. Stop it you guys it's too much pressure for her. GO ALREADY SARA! I yelp out as I hold her in mid-air. The Frankls pull up behind us...everything okay they call out....oh yeah, we're just waiting for ...SARA! Ema it won't come out, I don't need to go anymore, let's go! She hops in the car, Darrell and I look at each other, and off we go up the hill to Tekoa.
In Tekoa, we meet our guide, we are standing at the edge of a waadi we are about to hike down. He takes out a tanach and starts reading pesukim and explaining who walked here before us and what happened here. I look around at my fellow yishuvniks and I chuckle. I remember being amongst North American tour groups and we would see these Israeli groups come through with their tanachs, their hebrew guides and their many children......WE are now THEM. I am very proud to be a part of the Neve Daniel group! We hike down the wadi to enter and explore the caves. It is absolutely gorgeous and so wholesome and fun.....This sure beats the mall with the indoor playground. We see the cave where the two young boys were killed while wandering and exploring the beautiful surroundings. My heart aches, how could something so awful happen surrounded by a place of such beauty. And how could any human being kill two young, innocent boys so brutally , so close to their homes....I turn and walk on trying to move on to the tiyul at hand.
After the caves in Tekoa, we head off to Herodian, where we eat lunch in the sukkah at the bottom of the hill. We meet the Brauer family, who were on shlichut in Toronto many years ago. Their son has a scorpion he has trapped in a bottle....my boys are fascinated. His mother tells me how he knows every tree, plant and animal....it's amazing. We do the Herodian thing and head back home. It was an awesome day, and it just felt great being outdoors and enjoying eventhough it happened to be cold, windy and even rainy.....it was still yom tov in chutz! We head home and are getting set to go to Bet Shemesh for the evening music festival when we hear it is cancelled. Oh well.
The next day, I need to shop and cook for Shabbat but Darrell and the three younger kids head off on an organized tiyul from a shul in Efrat. They go to Neot kedumim (near modiin) where they get to see all kinds of interesting sukkot and learn about the halachas of sukka building. There is also an orchard where the arba minim are grown...and they saw "massive , huge etrogim!"There was a sukkah on a boat, a sukkah on a camel, and even a two storey sukkah. On the way back they stopped at shlomo carlebachs moshav and enjoyed some songs and stories. I think it was a good time. We met up in Efrat and enjoyed some Burgers Bar in the sukkah!
Friday, was a quieter day, cleaning up and getting ready for the sabbath. This was our first shabbat having two meals at home. Chaviva Mittleman came with Penina Cohen. It was a nice shabbat and we enjoyed having the girls. The Kodeshes (our future next door neighbour) came for lunch and we just relaxed and enjoyed. Shira Persoff (Shauna and Jerry's daughter) dropped by with her daughter EMuna (who my kids adore). oh yeah and of course.....Chaim was standing guard duty with his M16 Rifle today (see previous blog entry). I tried to imagine what I would feel when I saw him with his gun in front of the shul...would I laugh or cry? In the end I mostly felt proud of him...proud and grateful.... proud that he was protecting us, our community and our homes and grateful that hashem had brought us to this place where we are able to protect ourselves and not rely on foreign parties to do it for us. How many times in Jewish History were we persecuted and executed and we could not defend ourselves?
Last night Darrell and Yonatan went to a melava malka at tzomet gush, where three young lives were shot down. Today we are going to a Simchat Beit Hashoeva at an army base and tonight we head over to Chashmonaim for a reunion with a few of our fellow former Torontonians at the Halpert's. We'll update you on all that later!

Shomer Yisrael

2005-10-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the honour to have shmira (guard duty)on our Yishuv for the first time since our arrival. The closest I had come to such work was being an usher at the BAYT. Shushing ardent talkers in shul I think is ultimately more dangerous work than guarding against terrorist infiltrations.
Several weeks ago the head of security on our yishuv took the new residents to a shooting range on a nearby army base to receive training on the use of an M16. After learning all about the various parts of the gun we each shot 10 rounds at a target located about 15 meters away from us (5 from a standing position and 5 from a kneeling position). While shooting it was difficult to see if and where you hit the target as the main thing you saw was puffs of dust going in the air from the dirt piles located directly behind the target. However we finished I was able to see that somehow almost all my shots were in a tight circle around the centre ring on the target. Maybe it was beginners luck. After having some time to reflect I felt a mixture of dread and empowerment knowing I now had the ability of taking a human life if, God forbid, the need arose. I also thought about the participants in the last mission to Israel from our shul in Toronto who went to the same shooting range to shoot rifles. To them it was just a fun activity to do between their visits to communities in Yesha but for me it was vital training necessary to defend my fellow residents.
Shortly after my training I received the monthly notification of my shmira duties. My first shmira was to be on Shabbat Chol Hamoed from 8:30 to 11am. My friend Yarden (with a Y) had the shift prior to mine but he was going to Efrat for Shabbat so I agreed to do his shift as well from 6am to 8:30am. Shmira can consist of 3 different duties -
1. Standing in the Boodka (the booth) located at the gate to the Yishuv and checking the people entering the yishuv including Arab workers.
2. Patroling the Yishuv which includes the perimeter and all the streets of the yishuv in the security vehicle. This duty is only done during the night (including Shabbat and Yom Tov) and is done together with another person.
3. Finally on Shabbat and Yom Tov a foot patrol is done in the yishuv during the daylight hours. From 8am until davening finishes this shomer stands outside the shul. This type of shmira is often done throughout shuls in Israel regardless of their location.
Now before I continue I will digress to talk about my views on the security situation in Israel. I have always believed that a person's death is not a function of their physical location but rather occurs at a time when God decides, regardless of where they live. Of course, prudence in conduct is necessary and under current conditions I would not go to Ramallah unescorted or jump out of an airplane without a parachute. I often tell the story of my trip to Israel in March 2003 immediately prior to the US invasion of Iraq. In Israel, all residents were given new gas masks but they were not yet issuing them to tourists upon their arrival at the airport. If they desired they could go to distribution centres to pick them up but I didn't bother as I was only going to be in Israel for a few days. As we now know, the masks were not needed Thank God , however upon my return to Toronto I was met with the sight of many Torontonians walking in the streets with masks on - due to the SARS outbreak.
Without diminishing the terrible pain that terrorism has caused to too many people in Israel and elsewhere, one of the "achievements" of terrorism is to create fear in society that outweighs the actual danger the society faces. Although far more people die from other causes (56 people were killed in Israel by terrorism in the last year) we worry much more about terrorism than other bad things that can happen to us. So despite the many tragedies in Israel over the course of the current intifada, we do not live in a state of continuous fear. We deeply mourn the loss of life by murderous evildoers but, far more importantly we celebrate life. Last night, a melave malka was held at the Tzomet (junction) where 3 precious young Jews were murdered on Sunday. Yonatan and I stopped there for a few minutes on our way to a movie in Jerusalem. There were hundreds of young people (and older ones) dancing and singing with joie de vivre and simchat Yom Tov on their faces.
but I digress,
I awake at 5:30am on Shabbat and the security Jeep stops in front of our house at 6am. They hand me a walkie-talkie and an M16 rifle. Although visitors to Israel quickly get used to seeing soldiers walking around with guns in the streets, for me it took longer to get used to seeing my neighbours walking around on Shabbat with these weapons. The incongruity between the peace of Shabbat and the beauty of the voices singing in prayer with the sight of the weapons of war was quite jarring. And here I was carrying these devices both of which one is not normally allowed to move on Shabbat. Yet regarding our obligation to perform mitzvot , the Torah states " we should live by them" , hence the dispensation to carry guns on Shabbat - to ensure our safety. Thank God, no enemy has ever attempted to enter our community, perhaps in part to their knowledge that we are willing and able to defend ourselves.
I spend most of the time outside the shul, greeting friends and neighbours as they arrive for shul, playfully asking some for their identity cards and patting them down for any concealed weapons. Although the gun is not too heavy, it does become a burden after a few hours. I am glad when it is time to pass the radio and gun on to the next person.
The task was not difficult but I do have a sense of pride in making a small contribution to the safety of Jews in Israel and, by extension, to Jews worldwide.

Sukkot In Israel

2005-10-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I must say, all you have to do is spend one sukkot here and you know that we are really all suppose to be living here. I am not saying this in a preachy kind of way, more factual. Although, the day before sukkot was so heavy here the chag entered and life went on. We were invited to one of the ulpan teachers homes...Ilana. She lives near us and her son is friendly with Yonatan. They are a lovely family, very israeli really only our second invite to an Israeli home ( by the way there still has not been a shabbat without atleast one invite). They lent us their old sukkah, we did not want to invest in one until we are in our own home. Anyways, there sukkah was on their mirpeset and beautifully decorated with the art work of their seven children. Five of the seven were home. In the middle of the meal one of their sons begins singing and gets up and starts dancing around in the sukkah. He soon convinces his brother to join, then his father, then another brother and even Sara. It was really something else. The whole meal was in hebrew, Ilana tried to talk to the kids in English, but I can see that the boys are beginning to understand more and more.....not a lot but more. We had a lovely meal with lots of singing. You should see how these boys help their mother to serve and bring whatever is needed to the table! We definately see a difference in kids helping out here, hopefully it will rub off a little!
Around 8:00 the smaller kids quickly bentched and off they all went to the sukkah hop. We were getting ready to leave when Yarden showed up with a bottle of wine and his usual good humour. We sat back down, had some wine and laughed a lot , sang a little and headed home. Yarden and his kids would be sleeping over in our sukka tonight as they live at the top of the hill which is very, very exposed to the wind. We began walking home Chaim, myself, Sara, Yarden and his daughter Rifka. It was then that we heard the absolutely most beautiful singing you could imagine. What is that? We all froze to listen, is someone playing a CD?..impossible. We took a few more steps and heard it again...it wasn't coming from the Arab villages, sometimes we hear their weddings and music from their 'simchas'. We were walking closer to home and I pointed to a sukkah it's coming from in there. We were literally drawn into the sukkah, we happened to know the people who lived there but it would not have made any difference if we had not. We poked out heads in, Chag sameach...that is the most beautiful singing we have heard...chairs were brought in, come on in , I'm sorry to disturb you I say, but there was no resisting your singing. The Porath family has young adult and teenage children, they and their friends were sitting and singing. We stayed and listened to the melody and harmony, we sang along and sometimes just swayed to the beautiful songs. I looked around at these young adults and their parents and their parents friends....what a unique and special group of people. Two generations just hanging out together and singing! It was spectacular. Our younger girls were getting tired, we thanked everyone and were off again. We walked out of the sukkah and down the stairs in silence. When we hit the road Yarden said "This guys, is why we all moved to Israel". We looked around and saw the sukkots at every single house...some small, some big, some plastic, some cloth, some wood..it was a sight to behold.
We arrived home and got the mattresses and blankets into the sukkah. The singing continued as I tucked in Chaim, Yarden, Rivka and Sara. All the big kids were still out...I got ready for bed and climbed into bed, it was 11:00pm, I had no idea where Yonatan and David were and I was not in the least bit worried. It was bizarre, I really was not worried. They came in around 11:30 happy as could be. They had gone to some fun sukkot and collected some good junk. They went to the Rav's sukkah and of course the hirschorns and they listed off a few others....there are certain sukkot Ema that just everyone goes to. They climbed into the sukkah and quickly fell asleep. Wow, they never could have experienced it like this in Toronto. It was a wonderful chag and it was over in 24 hours or atleast the yom tov part of it. It felt right just being one day and while you are all in shul on second day , we will be out as a family (we don't work here on chol hamoed) on a tiyul with our yishuv. We will be going to some caves and to Herodian! we'll blog you about that later. Chag Sameach, moadim b'simcha

When the Inevitable Happens

2005-10-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

knew that I would one day have to sit down and write about "our first pigua", I just didn't think it would be this soon and this close to home. I had just gotten off the phone with Ottawa when our regular phone rang, it was our dear friend Stu in Yerushalayim....."where is everybody?" , "what happened" "there was a pigua near tzomet Gush"!! My mind was flying..Darrell is on his way home from either Beitar buying schach or from beit shemesh to Beitar, he should be okay. Avital is on her way home from Beit Shemesh with a teacher, I'm not sure which one, did she go through Alon Shvut, if she did she could have been in the area. Quickly I call Darrell's cell, it's the machine either the lines are flooded or his battery went. I'm not really scared and I feel that everyone is okay, maybe I can't think otherwise, but I just want to hear everyones voices and tell them how much I love them...later another woman on the yishuv tells me her family was nowhere near the tzomet and despite this she waits anxiously to hear everyones voices. Stu calls back, "were the victims in a car or standing at the tzomet?" I ask. Stu thinks they were pedestrians at the tzomet. I feel somewhat relieved, but I know that someone else's loved ones were standing at the tzomet and my heart is sick! I hear the sirens now and go to my living room window, I see the ambulances racing out to tzomet gush, one, two , three, four I stopped counting. I try Darrell again..nothing. Please Gd. just get everyone home! Some of the ambulances begin to head back to Yerushalayim, as each one passed in front of the yishuv I say a little prayer whoever is inside be allright. Avital walks in the door and I hug and kiss her very energetically! What's up with you Ema? I take her to the window and tell her what is going on. We stand at the window together and watch the flashing lights in the distance and the ambulances going up and down. Yonatan picks up that something is going on so I tell him, he joins us at the window. What is he thinking? I ask him, he says he's not sure..are you scared..yeah, a little , it was right there ema! What can I say?
We head to the computer to get whatever info we can. 2 killed , 4 injured, later turns into 3 killed...the initial reports don't give much info. I look at Darrell...now what?.. we just hope and pray and wait. Supper has to be made, laundry finished, it's chag tomorrow...I get started, but I feel numb and angry, very , very angry! How can people do this, these people were heading home from their jobs, school just leading their lives doing what we all do. Everyday, after ulpan, we drop our teacher Sara off at the same trampeada to catch a ride to her home in Kiryat Arba. Has Avital ever stood there to wait for a ride or a bus? I don't think so but many many children, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and grandparents do. Okay, let's finish the sukkah, the banging all around the yishuv continues, does everyone know ...but life continues on. Avital is very busy looking on the internet trying to find information...when will they release names ema, after the families are notified honey.....how long does that take....I think she's worried she may know someone.
We turn back to our tasks at hand, Darrell works on the succah I putter around cleaning etc. The boys get invited out for sleepovers and Avital is meeting her friends to say tehillim. I think we are just numb. The reports begin to emerge two cousins Kinneret Mandel z'l afe 21 and Matat Adler z"l 21 both from Carmel, one married only three months ago,and a boy all of 15 years old Oz Ben Meir z"l, one year older than Avital. I keep looking out our living room window. It all happened at tsomet gush, on the corner where you wait to go south to many other yishuvim. It was a driveby shooting, the palestinians opened fire with automatic weapons spraying the crowd with bullets. They fled and are somewhere in Bethlehem. It has only been a short time since the army removed checkpoints as a "gesture" to the palestinians. Why are we making gestures to a people that can do this? This is what our gestures get us! And what would have been the response had a carload of angry jewish "settlers" sprayed a arab bus stop with deadly bullets? Then I begin with the rationalizations, we never use that corner, Avital only takes lifts from inside the yishuvim not on highways...but it doesn't really make a difference, these people were doing nothing wrong, Avital should be able to stand wherever she wants to get a lift and these people were doing nothing wrong!! I feel guilty about my rationalizing, Stu reassures me that this is the normal reaction of many Israelis which gets them through these "events". You know, when I was in canada during the height of the intafada and this was happening all the time, we would also look on the internet and feel sad and angry......it is just not the same as now, I cannot describe the difference. Yes, acheinu kol beit yisrael, but there is a difference when you are here and this is really your home. It is weird, but somehow I understand Jewish History much better now, I feel connected to Jews of Days past who also lived in times of oppression and aggression. I thought jews in chutz l'aretz felt anti-semitism harder, but I now see that I feel it here in a way I never could there. Bottom line, this was an act of anti-semitism.
At 9:30 this morning, the morning after, there is an announcement on the yishuv's intercom, the funeral procession of the two young cousins will be passing the yishuv in one half hour. People begin to head down our hill, to pay their respects to the girls and their family and friends. We go down with Sara, who finds a little Israeli flag in our car leftover from the B'nei Akiva party. People are trickling down the hill, and congregating at the highway, there is an army jeep there and more and more people keep coming. Someone tells me how this custom of the yishuvim descending to the highways for victims of terror has given families much comfort. We wait on the side until the army signals us that the procession is nearing. We cross the highway forming two lines on each side and wait in silence. Then the procession arrives, I look at the faces in the cars, red eyed grief stricken faces of regular people, older, younger, really young, soldiers, mothers,fathers, cousins, friends ...some acknowledge us with a nod or a hand up...some seem to be overcome with emotion when seeing us...I am overcome with emotion on seeing them....three or four buses loaded with people from the victim's yishuv come through....I look in the buses, it seems as though everyone on the bus is staring straight forward, I imagine there is silence on those buses. I look at Darrell and down at little Sara standing with her flag held straight out for the cars to see. The procession takes a while to pass through, the crowd begins to cross back over the highway and we all head back up the hill, I don't know most people here , a few faces here and there, but somehow we are all connected, I feel connected to them after sharing these brief moments. People will go home now, resume their cooking, cleaning , sukkah preparations. There are families who will return home today to an only too short shiva, they will head out to their sukkahs and do what they have to do...really the thought is truly unbearable, so awful! May hashem comfort them amongst the mourners of Zion.....and may he guide our fellow citizens and government to make the right decisions to prevent this.....no other country in the world would put up with this!!!! Remember these souls and pray for them and their families!!!
Chag Sameach, Ruth

Wonderful Events in our Community

2005-10-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

We recently were privileged to be a part of some momentous occasions in our new community. Firstly, the week before Rosh Hashana, the whole yishuv was invited to join the b'nei akiva kids (which is all the children in Neve Daniel) in the opening of their new headquarters or "snif". The caravans had been sitting up at the top of the yishuv and we had watched over the last few weeks as they were covered up in Jerusalem stone and a central area was paved over for mifkad. The kids went on a parade with music, flags etc. all around the yishuv we joined them near our house and headed up to the new snif. The kids were singing and dancing with their respective groups. There was a mifkad in which the leaders spoke of the youth groups new homes and the history of b'nei akiva in Neve Daniel. They sang their b'nei akiva songs and then the Rav spoke. He talked about the history of the yishuv and youth in our yishuv and how momentous this time was that our youth had outgrown its previous accomodations. He also talked about at a time of recent destruction in Gush Katif the building of institutions and centres was so much more significant. I must say that our rav speaks beautifully and he has a special connection to the youth in the yishuv. He holds one day of "Shiur HaRav" in which kids of the different ages come together for one half hour per grade to meet with him and hear his shiur. He also comes to the ganim on Fridays and spends one half hour with each class doing parsha hashavua. He put up the mezuza as he said the bracha everyone, all these kids, answered amen in unison. It was so touching. There was a sign on the fence "shehechiyanu, vehigiyanu lazeman haze" which they lit with fire and we all watched and sang as it burned. Everyone headed to the ulam smachot for a big party and more words from the kids. One of the boys who spoke was overcome with emotion and his father had to finish his speech for him.

No sooner was the party over that men and boys of the yishuv headed back to help move our shul to its brand new headquarters. Darrell went along with Yoni and David. Neve Daniel had been in the process of building a beit knesset merkazi (central shul) for oh , about 9 years. It was really the issue of money that kept the process going. They would build until the money ran out and only begin building when more money came in. When you look at our yishuv from the highway or from Efrat you will see the tallest structure at the top of the hill which is now officially the highest shul in Israel. It looks like a juicer or some say a space ship, Sara thinks it sort of looks like a kippa. One day after the opening of B'nei Akiva our shul opened its doors for the first time to the kehilla. As we walked up to the shul light poured out of the many windows of the shul and produced a beautiful sight to behold. People were pouring in from all over the yishuv as all the other minyans were closed tonight to allow everyone to gather together in our new shul. I didn't even realize how diverse our community really was until I saw everyone at once. Many people commented on how there had not been a gathering of this size in a long time. Kabbalat Shabbat began and needless to say it was absolutely beautiful, so many voices singing together one of the most beautiful of the prayer services in my humble opinion. There were of course some technical difficulties such as acoustics and the fact that the women's balcony had not yet opened (it will open in a couple of months). For us it was incredible to be a part of such a momentous occasion and to be making history in Neve Daniel. We were beginning to realize that we were making our own history on the Yishuv, we were being a part of events in the building of the community. We could tell our grandchildren how we remembered the night the shul first opened or the bnei akiva moved to their new home etc. We also witnessed the excitement in the eyes of the vatikim , those who have been here for years and who had waited for this day to come. I also heard the words of the rav from the night before about the destruction in Gush Katif and I remembered the pictures and images of their beautiful synagogues, I prayed to hashem that he not let that happen again and that we would always be here in our beautiful shul!It just so happened that our good friends the Steinmans in Ottawa, were also celebrating Noam's aliyah barmitzvah this same shabbat. It's always hard to miss simchas of close friends back home so it helped me to link the two simchas together. When Noam comes for his barmitzvah in December we will show him the shul that opened on his barmitzvah parsha. Our shul will have its chanukat habayit in December (chanukah time) and we will update you then.

Last week we once again found ourselves in the midst of a most beautiful and momentous celebration. The boys school, Orot Etzion in Efrat, was celebrating 18 years with a hachnassat sefer Torah. For weeks, there was build up to the event, at parent meetings fathers and sons were asked to write a letter in the sefer torah. The day of the hachnassat sefer torah, all the boys were to wear blue pants and white shirts,and they were served a hot lunch (which of course my boys spoke about all week). We the parents were to meet up with the school in a central park in Efrat. Darrell, Sara and myself drove to Efrat and walked to the park. When we arrived we were greeted by a beautiful sight, a park full of young boys and girls (there is a boys branch and a girls branch of orot etzion) dressed in blue and white with music blaring , dancing and singing! Well needless to say we were overcome with emotion. We bumped in to our new friend and neighbour and fellow olah chadasha, Stella Frankl whose eyes were welled up with tears and could only keep saying "this is so incredible". I really couldn't say anything for fear of you know, losing it. There were speeches given by Rav Moti Alon and Rav Riskin, children performed and there was a very beautiful and moving video of the history of the school. At the end the music began blaring and kids cheering and singing , it was a song about shorashim and the rav behind the speaker was telling us to look around at our shorashim our beautiful children...it was really incredible! Then the walking or dancing of the sefer torah began from the park back to the boys school. There was a magen david Adom ambulance in the front , then the boys school , then the chupah and torah, then the torah crown mobile ( a van with a most tacky, lit up crown/torah and loud music blaring)then the girls school. The boys in the front were carrying torches and the effect was spectacular. I kept wondering to myself is this just regular, will I still appreciate an event like this in a few years or is this just olah euphoria. I bumped into Dennis Klein, also oleh from Toronto, who has been here about five years I think. This is unbelievable I say or sort of ask him, wondering if it really is so special. " Yup, you don't get events like this in TO, nope, this is amazing.....there are no highs like the highs in Israel he explains, then as an aside there also no lows like the lows here, but the highs get you through the lows!" We arrive at the school where the boys go down to the basketball field and the girls stay up in the higher yard and the band plays and the dancing really gets going. I am looking to see if the boys are participating. Oh , yes I find them in yonatan's classroom which is a mobile caravan wolfing down the treats and coke....boys. They head down to the basketball field and I watch as my son Yonatan is dancing away with his new buddies to "Ha'aretz hazot", he was having an amazing time and I was so happy to see him so happy, well liked among his new friends, dancing at a beautiful hachnassat sefer torah in the Judean hills ...our new home. wow, it was incredible. Darrell and David joined him on the dance floor and I could have watched all night. They escorted the sefer torah to its new home and the evening was over. Another event in our new history , and one which was so moving and so beautiful I will definately not forget.
In two short weeks, we witnessed three beautiful events which built up our new home and school communities. We pray that hashem grant us many more events in which to build and be a part of the development of the wonderful Gush Etzion communities.

Link to Arutz sheva broadcast of the Landing of Our Aliyah Flight from Toronto

2005-10-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

This is a broadcast of the landing of our flight - during the 3rd or 4th minute of the broadcast you will hear from some of our family. The microphone was in our faces only moments after stepping off of the stairs. You are hearing us at the peak of emotion, we were really just completely overwhelmed. Hearing this broadcast brought back strong memories of only a short time ago, it feels like a long time ago! I also think of all of you who were there and made our arrival extra special....you will always be a part of our aliyah memories.
www.israelnn.com/metafiles/asx/shows/IsraelNationalRadio/nefesh-3.asx

Rosh Hashana

2005-10-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

One week after the kids went to school, Chaim and I packed up our book bags with notebooks, pens, pencils and highlighters (Chaim didn't pack highlighters as that would be uncool), and off we went to school in Alon Shvut. We have a carpool with Yarden and Stella Frankl and Aleeza Stavsky. We all drop our little ones off to gan and meet in the middle of the yishuv between 8:00 - 8:15. We usually stop at Shiffon, the delicious bakery that has put Neve Daniel on the map. We load up with goodies and coffee and off we go. Yarden, Gd. bless him, usually starts warming up for ulpan with his hebrew only policy. He speaks in his New York accented, somewhat loud hebrew and if we are lucky he gets the sentence out before Alon Shvut. Don't worry Yarden, Chaim also has this thing about yelling when he speaks hebrew. Do you guys think we will understand better when you yell the broken hebrew?! The truth is both of the yeller's hebrew has improved because they keep plugging away and speak it NO MATTER WHAT!
Our teacher is Sara.. a very short, Yemenite, Apple doll sort of figure who happens to be a powerhouse. The first day she went on and on about what a Z'chut it was to teach olim and how special it was for her and the country that we joined them. She believes it is our job to fix what ails the country and bring seder to the holy land. She is a wonderful teacher, I must say that I have never learned as much hebrew in other ulpans. She has a systematic method that just works. I wasn't sure in the beginning if I was going to stay as I didn't think the level was high enough for me. Sara, pointed out that my hebrew was high but that it was missing some basic grammer and it might be worthwhile to stay and rebuild so to speak. Her dramatic teaching style and zest for the language convinced me to remain and I am glad I did. Sara is a very smart and wise woman and we have all learned much from her and not just about hebrew. Her stories about when her family came from Yemen and what happened to all her aunts, uncles and cousins upon their arrival are fascinating. She is passionate about Israel and Yahadut and I really admire her. She lives in Kiryat Arba, previously she lived in Chevron, so you can imagine where she lies politically, and she is not shy about sharing her viewpoint. We all chuckle when she makes up sentences to demonstrate usage of a verb form or to define a word...she's very, let's say....creative!
I was put in a class with ...you got it..Chaim!! Has anyone here ever gone to school with their spouse? Chaim and I share a desk and let's just say it has been an eye opener. First of all his notes drive me crazy.....some here some there a page here, a page there...wow! Then there is the shaking thing, leg shaking pens tapping...Just stay still Yonatan, I mean Chaim!!! Remember I told you chaim wouldn't take highlighters , you know to highlight and organize notes with ...well since we started binyanim, he borrows all my colours all the time!!!! Once Chaim was bothering me in class and I had to tell on him...Mora who mafrea li! She said she thinks it is time to separate us, but only at school she added. I told the kids and they thought this was absolutely hysterical. When it is my turn to read, speak or answer and I have any difficulty chaim tries to whisper the answer which is not only annoying but usually the answer is wrong! Have I told you about the homework, we get a lot of homework. Now this is in addition to the homework we have to do with the kids. The truth is the homework is to solidify what we learn in class and put the information words, verbs etc. at the front of our head and tongue so we can access them readily. There is just so little time to do it. I get home in time to collect Sara from Gan, do housework, lunch, supper and the kids are home before you know it, homework , clean up from supper, more homework and suddenly it is 10:00 and I still have to do lunches and then HOMEWORK. I don't get much done and it is a pity because I would learn more. Chaim got in trouble once for not doing homework. Chaim, efo ha avodah shelcha? uh, uh, Chaim, chaval, ata sarich leasot hashiurai bayit shelcha! Beseder Mora. I told the kids, they thought this was also hysterical.
We have a new student in our class. She's cute, sweet, bright and she happens to be our daughter! Yes, Avital has joined our ranks. She felt her school ulpan wasn't efficient, she saw what we were learning and asked to join our class. She got permission from her school and now there are three Shermans in our class...Avital is my classmate. She comes to ulpan the four mornings and we drive her to school afterwards...in Bet Shemesh! She sat with Chaim on the first day and kindly requested that it not happen again. She sits with me now and Chaim sits behind us. We still lend him our colours and when there is group work we let him be a part of ours. Avital and I like to see who writes nicer, neater and more organized notes...it's close!! It has been most interesting being in class with Avital and has given me a whole new perspective on her. I am very proud of her!! She pursued this class in order to progress her learning in school, she was not intimidated by being with us or other adults and really only wants to learn. I guess this is what happens with maturity. Israel and the challenges of aliyah have really brought out the best in her! Thank G.d.
Our ulpan is made up of mostly new olim, some are already here a few years and want to improve their hebrew, there are young folk like avital, and golden agers who couragously try to improve their language skills. We all share an "old country" from which we came and the "new country" in which we are trying to integrate. We have similar struggles, frustrations, triumphs and "only in Israel" wonderful moments. We have all left behind family and friends we miss desperately and at chagim we all have that spot in our eyes that says it all! Before Rosh Hashana we had a little ulpan party. We sang songs. Hashana Habaa was one of them, neshev al hamirpeset be nispor tziporim nodedot...Avinu malkeinu was another...I looked around the room at the students' faces and really I had to catch my breath....here we were sitting next to derech avoth , the path where Avraham and Yitzchak walked, singing about our all forgiving father , our king amongst people who had left perfectly wonderful lives for hopefully much better lives and really what is there to say. We sang about the coming year, and really there is so much up in the air here now, and it is OUR now, decisions and events are no longer there , they are here in our backyard and effect our everyday life! I had to stop singing and once again blink rapidly to prevent the downpour (I do that a lot here). I once again found myself thanking hashem for the z'chut he has given Chaim, myself and our children (I also do that a lot here)!

We Go to Ulpan

2005-10-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hockey Night in Neve Daniel

2005-09-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago Yonatan came home from school and told me that today there was going to be a hockey game. He had arranged to teach his Israeli or rather hebrew speaking Israeli friends (we're all Israeli now) how to play street hockey. That's great Yoni, kol hakavod! He runs upstairs to put on his Maple Leafs Hockey Jersey with SHERMAN on the back. He together with David and Max proceed to finish assembling one of the two nets we brought. As they work the kids begin to show up. They are holding the hockey sticks looking at them like foreign objects trying them in different hands which one is for left which for right..."ze yemini? o smali?" Then they start in on the goalie equipment..now the scene became very comical. The boys were putting on pads and blockers in ways I never even thought of. LO, Lothat's upside down, lo kacha......they were all laughing and having a great time. Yonatan, very serious was still working on the net determined to get this thing going. The boys tried walking with the goalie equipment on and nearly fell over, more peels of laughter and chatter. This is good , this is good I'm thinking! Finally the net is finished and the boys are ready to go up to the flat street above us, we live on a big hill..hockey would not work. First, the annoying mother must get a picture which you see here. They shlep the net up the street and the game begins. A few minutes after they leave Avital comes home from school..do you see what's going on up there? That is the funniest thing I have ever seen! She yelled to Yonatan...way to go , if you can't go to Canada, bring Canada to Neve Daniel!!! I head up to have a look at the goings on. Everyone had been instructed already how to use the sticks and the game is on. The kids were so happy english and hebrew speakers! Teams were split to have both on each team. At one point two of the hebrew speakers were fighting to get the ball, Yonatan yells out why are you fighting YOU'RE ON THE SAME TEAM!!!! OH, they stop! The boys played until it was time to go to B'nei Akiva. They all shlepped the stuff down, laughing and talking. Todah, Todah, nesachek paam acher! We'll play another time. Yonatan smiling says goodbye..lehit see you at the snif! He looks happy... for one of the first times with his new friends he was the teacher, the helper, the giver instead of the reverse. See ya later Ema , I'm going to b'nei akiva. He doesn't notice that once again I'm blinking rapidly to keep my tears at bay! This is a good moment!

Our Rav Packs a Pistol

2005-09-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

I never imagined I would write about my gun carrying rav. We were driving out of the yishuv when we came upon our rav throwing out the garbage, oh kids look there is the rav, wave hello. The rav leans over to throw out his refuse when we see the pistol on his waist. wow , ema the rav has a gun! Rabbi Taub never had a gun....of course dears Rav Taub never needed a gun (although it probably would have been useful at a board meeting now and then.....to shoot in the air of course...), Rav Matanya Ben Shachar needs a gun...no I don't mean he needs a gun I mean, he only wants to have a gun because..... we want the people around us to know we have guns to defend ourselves so he wants to have one also....its just for "show".......nothing to worry about, okay?.....they seem fine with the explanation and didn't look any for the worse, in fact I'm not sure they are even listening to me. okay i say, okay our rav packs a pistol no big deal!! no big deal! okay!

My Tunnel Road Conflict

2005-09-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

It seems like only a few months ago that my family stood before our friends on Purim and sang "tunnel road take me home" (to the tune of country road) as part of our purim shpiel. Well now tunnel road does take me home to the place where I belong, it also takes me to Jerusalem, the other place we belong and where we do most of our errands and shopping. There is nothing, nothing like driving through the judean hills, windows down, because the weather out here is so pleasant, music playing (sometimes kids fighting)!!! Just before the tunnels, there is an army checkpoint! Here you slow down , go over some bumpy road, the young handsome jewish soldier looks in your window and either waves you through or sends you over to the side. I always get waved through. I always watch the Palestinian license plates get pulled over, always , they of course have to get checked. I would also hate me if I were them, I think to myself. They can't just hop into Jerusalem like I can, they always get pulled over at the machsom( checkpoint). Then I look at the faces of the young soldiers doing the pulling over and checking and I get so angry......why do these young boys have to put themselves at risk to search these people and cars? Why, why, WHY? They pull those cars over because there is a risk that these cars, buses or someone in them may be heading somewhere to do harm. As you all know, and sometimes the world knows, there is a history of blowing oneself up in order to do harm or achieve....well I don't know what it or what they think it achieves....but the basis to search the cars and the people is not unfounded. So then, I get angry that the young soldiers really have no choice but to pull over the greater population of those who commit these murders, which then only makes the greater population feel more hatred toward us. Do they know, we have no choice?
In the meantime, every time I drive into town (when I drive into town, I drive into Jerusalem..wild!), I go through this major debate and back and forth inside my head. So much for a relaxing , carefree drive, there isn't too much you can do here that is really carefree...even a simple drive becomes a major introspection. I don't really come to any conclusions, right now I don't think there are any. I pass through the tunnels , turn my music louder and watch for Jerusalem to come into view. What a Z'chut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Yishuv has a new Playground

2005-09-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

We were driving down the road to the new neighbourhood in Neve Daniel. Wow, look at all that beautiful playground paraphanelia..I guess they are going to build a playground over here finally. Darrell looked at me and sighed ...it's from Gush Katif! Suddenly, the playground I thought was so great doesn't seem so great anymore! What will we think when we take our kids to this playground? Will we wonder about the children who played on it in its original home? Will we wonder where they are now and if they miss their playground?..their home?...their neighbours? What will we tell our kids when they see that sad look on our faces when we speak of their new playground? Maybe we will just tell them to think of the people, families and children who once used this playground and hope that they feel some comfort in that our children and families think of them and remember what was...their playground will help us to remember and not forget their sacrifice! The question is, and will be answered in time, was the sacrifice of their homes, synagogues, schools, businesses, and communities for something actual or all for naught?!
HAVE A LOOK AT THIS VIDEO OF THE BEAUTIFUL HOMES WHICH USED TO BEwww.zippyvideos.com/9279069171334486/beitiingushkatif2

Sde Boaz - an outpost adjacent to Neve Daniel by Zeev Orenstein

2005-09-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

(http://israelperspectives.blogspot.com/2005/09/reconnecting-with-land-of-israel.html)
Reconnecting with the Land of Israel (by Ze'ev Orenstein)Last night I had the distinct privilege of visiting some friends who live in Sde Boaz, a newly established Jewish community just outside of Neve Daniel in Gush Etzion.
I want to share some special things that I noticed about Sde Boaz:
* Sde Boaz is situated on one of the highest points in Israel, and as such, one can see for miles (kilometers) in every direction. There are likely few better places in Israel from where one can take in so much of the Land of Israel - and I believe that it is for this reason that this area was frequented by our forefathers.
* Sde Boaz is surrounded by beautiful hills and valleys full of nature. The air is crisp, cool and fresh. With every breath that one inhales, he is cleansing his body, both in a physical sense, as well as spiritually, as the very air seems to have a mystical quality to it.
I had the opportunity to visit the spring just outside of Sde Boaz (which has goldfish in it), and to eat figs right off the trees that surround Sde Boaz. This had an added signifigance, as figs are one of the 7 species special to the Land of Israel, and as such, I got to also make a Shehechiyanu blessing on the fruit (as I had not had one in quite some time), thanking G-d for having blessed me with the opportunity to partake of the fruit of His chosen land, the Land of Israel, as a proud Jew, who had returned home.
* Sde Boaz, home to about 25 people, is full of both religious and secular Jews, new immigrants and native Israelis, who live together with a shared love for the Jewish People and the Land of Israel and the desire to live in a Jewish State.
* Sde Boaz is not surrounded by any fences (that would otherwise restrict the natural growth of the community), and all work that is done in the community is done through Jewish labor.
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* Sde Boaz also happens to be, in the eyes of the world, and some in Israel, an illegal outpost which the State of Israel has committed itself to remove.
* Sde Boaz is considered to be an illegal outpost even though it is built on state owned land (via the Jewish National Fund) that was purchased through money that was collected by our gransparents, who stood on street corners holding the small, blue JNF tzedaka boxes, in order that Jews would be able to live anywhere in the Land of Israel.
Illegal outposts like Sde Boaz are communities full of some of the most wonderful Jews around, modern day pioneers who believe in working the land and in building new Jewish communities throughout the Land of Israel, Jews who do not apologize for believing in the right of the Jewish People to a Jewish State in the Land of Israel - and who are committed to this ideal not merely in word but in physical deed, Jews who are willing to live with less material comfort, but whose lives are full of a richness that money simply can't buy.
Even for one who lives in Israel like myself, it is easy, in the course of day-to-day living, to have one's physical connection to the Land of Israel become a bit removed. Thankfully, last night, I was able to recharge my batteries. There is just something special about walking through the hills and valleys of the Land of Israel, eating the fruits of the land right off the tree, and doing so with my fellow Jewish brothers and sisters who also have chosen to make Aliyah and build their lives in the Jewish homeland.

The Commute OR Me and My Mazda 5

2005-09-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

I started working in Tel Aviv two weeks ago and have been commuting there twice per week. The drive takes about 75 minutes and usually gives me time to ponder, relax and enjoy.... and to stew a bit when the traffic backs up in Tel Aviv.
Around 7:30 I hop in to my car. I stop at the front gate to see if anyone needs a liftimToday I gave a lift to a fellow who just made aliyah to Neve Daniel a couple of weeks ago (I think he is part of the 7th family that made aliyah to Neve Daniel this summer).
Then I glide down from the heights of Neve Daniel to the Hebron Jerusalem road and make a left turn towards Jerusalem. I spend the next 5 minutes enjoying the sun gleaming on the Judean Hills and sharing the road with many donkeys carrying Arabs. For some reason I enjoy calling out Donkey everytime we pass one and when with the kids we all guess how many donkeys we will pass on the 10 minute ride to Jerusalem (usually about 4 or 5)
Then I turn left before entering the Tunnels and drive towards Beitar, a city of approximately 10,000 Hareidim living just over the Green Line. Shortly after passing Beitar I go through a machsom (checkpoint) and wave good mornings to the young soldiers manning their posts.
And then starts the most fun and beautiful part of the drive - the long winding descent to Beit Shemesh. The beauty of this section of the drive is so enjoyable. The danger on the road lies not in the tight winding turns but rather the possibility of missing one of these turns while you are enjoying the beautiful tree covered hills. During these drives it often strikes me how lucky we are to have moved to this beautiful country of ours. Somehow just viewing the beauty of our land gives me a feeling of wholeness and wellbeing. I must admist that the fun is enhanced by the comfort and handling of our new Mazda 5 which feels more like a car than a minivan.
About 20 minutes later I arrive in Beit Shemesh and turn right towards the main Jerusalem Tel Aviv highway. This highway usually backs up fairly close to Tel Aviv but it doesn't take too long. I wind my way to the Shalom Tower (about 400 feet tall and the tallest building in Tel Aviv for decades but it is now dwarfed by the real office towers of Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan). I park in a parking lot near the office which is paid for by my employer.
The trip home is similar but the views are altered as I now enjoy the fading light of the days as sunset is close to 6:30 now. I also get to enjoy some of the talk radio on the way home. I am able to gauge the improvements in my Hebrew as I am able to follow the conversations more and more. I turn on the air conditioning when I get in the car to go home as the temperature has been in the low 30s in Tel Aviv. As I ascend from Beit Shemesh to Gush Etzion I put the windows down and watch as the temperature guage drops to the low to mid 20s as I climb the hills and the sun sets behind them.
Although the 10 minute drive to Richmond Hill was surely easier, the 75 minute drive to Tel Aviv has its compensating factors. I guess over time I may be less enamoured with the trip especially when doing it on a daily basis but it will always be special to some extent.

My Kids go to School in Israel

2005-09-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

written by: Ruth
It is really hard to believe, you make all these plans for a year maybe two, months and months of packing , arranging, buying etc. you gear up to leave, one two maybe three parties, lots of crying and sad goodbyes, you arrive...more crying, you unpack and arrange and arrange then when 6-8 weeks have passed by and you just begin to feel settled ....then your kids go to school, not school like we knew a few months ago back in the old country , but school in Israel. I am not sure who was more nervous on Sept 1 ..my four kids or Darrell(chaim) and I! We did the school supply thing, one of Avital's friends had to tell me what everything on the list was. We bought what books we needed and then the alarm rang (at 6:30 am I might add). By 7:15a.m. everyone was gone, and for the first time in 8 weeks Darrell and I were alone...it was very scary. That wasn't so bad we looked at each other in disbelief, no one cried (except me) and no one had said they weren't going to go...this is going to be okay , I looked at Darrell and he said" Today was the easy day it's tomorrow that they won't want to go back." Thanks Darrell!!Everyone came home and seemed happy, no they didn't understand anything but no one wanted to talk everyone grabbed a snack and ran out to friends. I waited all day wondering and worrying and they had run off to friends. I guess it was a good sign.
Each boy was in class with a good friend Yonatan was with Shimon his new israeli english speaking friend and David was with Max another boy on our yishuv who made aliyah the same day as us. Each child is sitting beside an english speaker who can help him have some idea of what is going on in class. Avital is in a school (noga - beit shemesh) with many olim and who have a special sensitivity to new olim. She is in class with a couple of english speaking friends from the yishuv and efrat. She says it is hard and she often doesn't understand what is going on but it doesn't seem to really bother her.....We are so impressed by her! Sara is in gan on the yishuv, she is a little cutie, hangs her tik up on the hook and goes into class, there are some english speakers in her class but the truth is they speak mostly hebrew amongst themselves, thank goodness for Rivka (max's sister). the gan is clean and set up so nicely, her gannenet is sweet and soft spoken....in hebrew. I have to stay with Sara for a few minutes each morning until she dismisses me , but other than that she seems to be fine. She is happy to go to gan and also happy to come home. I asked her if she wanted to stay for Saharon (afternoon program), she asked if it was in hebrew, when I said yes she said no thank you it's enough hebrew for me. She is picking up new words all the time and even says them with a cute little accent.
We are very pleased thus far with our school choices. The boys school is in Efrat, the principal made aliyah when he was 12 or 13 so is quite sympathetic to their situation. He let Yoni come home early last week one day, when Y. was complaining of various body ailments. He called that night to see how he was and not only spoke to us but asked to speak with Yonatan. This wasn't the first call just to see how they are doing! I keep wondering how the boys are going to learn hebrew but the principal keeps insisting they will , they just will....okay I say just explain to me one more time....HOW?!Homework time is fun and notes home, they are just a hoot. "What does that note say Abba?"......."How am I suppose to know , it's all in hebrew!"
Last week was curriculum night week which was a real shock to me. After so many years at netivot and eitz chaim curriculum nights it was surreal to be sitting in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar faces. What struck me , was the difference in opening addresses of the principals and also of the teachers...they spoke about the "events of the summer" and how the kids were dealing with it, and how the staff were helping the kids to deal with it. I really felt that we weren't in Kansas anymore and we had landed down smack in the middle of Jewish History in the making. we and our children were now going to be a part of this history in the making, for better or for worse. As scary as that can be at times it is also very "real" and very meaningful.
We have been told that having kids go off to school happy and coming home relatively happy is 75% of the battle so we feel very blessed. We hope and pray that they have a relatively easy klita and learn the language quickly. Once they have the language under their belt they can move forward in limud torah in eretz yisrael.

A very moving Photo Essay of the Disengagement

2005-09-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

Friends,
Something truly heartrending and beautiful. I highlyrecommend you watch this.
My thanks and my congratulations toTzvi Freeman for his touching photoessay and to Chabad.org for trying tobring the people of Israel together.
You can view it by visitinghttp://tinyurl.com/csn7k

Aliyah is Not Always a Breeze (or how to get an Israeli driver's license)

2005-09-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

Based on our previous posts you may be under the impression that aliyah is a breeze. Well, since these posts are intended to provide a realistic picture of the joys and challenges of aliyah, let me describe the procedure to obtain an Israeli driver's license (don't worry, i will eventually deal with the issue of earning a living).
The main impetus to obtaining a driver's license is that you need it in order to purchase a car with olim zehuyot (immigrant's rights). These zehuyout enable you to purchase a new car with a significant savings in the taxes one must pay on a new car. (tangent - although there have been many changes in the zehuyot over the years, they are still significant including the sal klita (cash payments of 60,000NIS (3.7 NIS (New israeli shekel) to each Cdn$) over 6 months including the first payment at the airport when you arrive), free ulpan, reduced municipal and income taxes for 3 years, rent subsidy and some other stuff).
OK, Lets begin. First you go to the local MEMSI (equivalent to CAA) to pick up the form. Then you have to go for a medical and eye exam. Well it is certainly easy to find the doctor. In Jerusalem, as you exit MEMSI, if you have a slightly bewildered look on your face, a russian with a ripped teacher will ask you if you need the doctor exam. "why, yes i do" "okay, friend , you see that hole in the wall across Ben Yehuda. go in there and they will help you out." So you cross the road and follow the signs until you find the office. 5 minutes and 35NIS later the fly by night exams are completed.
Next on to misrad harishui (ministry of permits). Take a number as you walk in. I note this improvement in many Israeli offices and businesses- many places have these numbers you take as you walk in so you don't have to worry anymore about the person showing up in line who you never saw before. And don;t worry if you have number 887 and the sign says 344 because somehow the numbers click off rapidly. The guy at the counter t akes a picture of your foreign drivers license and gives you the form back. These first few steps were achieved in less than an hour. Maybe it was beginners luck.
Now you have to find a driving instructor and take at least one lesson. ()My lesson could be a post on the blog by itself. It will suffice to say that my instructor was more critical of my driving than my wife. I thought she was just setting me up to tell me i would need 9 more lessons before i was ready to take the driving test but at the end of the lesson from hell she said i was ready to go.But first, stop at the post office and pay a 55NIS fee for something.
A few days later i had the test and after 5 minutes of driving the examiner said that is enough. I passed on manual transmission no less. In Israel, if you want to drive stickshift you must pass the test on a manual car. The next day i was able to go back to misrad harishui and pickup my temporary driver's license. then back to the post office to pay the annual license fee. (not sure why we keep trekking back to the post office to pay these fees, but we quickly learn not to ask why- it just makes you crazy)
Now you are ready to go to the car dealership with your teudat oleh (immigrant's certificate) canadian driver's license, israeli driver's license, canadian passportand money to order the car. 10 days later we became the proud owner of a beautiful bordeaux coloured Mazda 5. By the way, here you have to book an appointment to take a test drive as the demonstrators make the rounds among the various dealerships in the country.
So come on over, and we'll give you a ride up and down the Judean Hills. Alas, poor Ruth still has to get her license eventually

A Most Beautiful Chatuna

2005-09-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

We were privileged to attend the marriage of Jerry and Shauna Tepperman's son Ari to Rachel Bercowitz of Alon Shvut. I must start out by saying that it was the most beautiful wedding I have been to ...really! I was tired, a little overwhelmed arranging and leaving the kids so early but I was quickly re-energized after arriving. It took place on kibbutz Sora near betshemesh. The kabbalat panim was outside in a beautiful grassy area set within beautiful flowering bushes and trees. The backdrop was the hills and fields around betshemesh and the setting sun. IN the middle of the field sat the kalla on her chair , looking absolutely radiant. She was surrounded by her friends and family all sitting on big white pillows on the grass. One had a flute another bongos and all were singing , including the kallah, they were all clearly "into it". I greeted Shauna who also was radiant, she told me to go over and say hi to Rachel. I started but stopped because I felt I did not want to interrupt the beautiful singing which she was so clearly enjoying. Soon they danced in the chattan, who was beaming himself. I was a little afraid that the beams of joy radiating from each of their faces were going to intersect and cause some kind of explosion mid-air, luckily this did not occur and the wedding continued. Ari sang solo accompanied by a violin..bo-e kalla to his kalla. Once he finished, everyone continued singing to the couple , it felt as though it went from song to song without missing a beat and although everyone was singing it was as if it was one voice. I mentioned the beaming chattan and kallah, but I must also mention that Jerry and Shauna were also beaming and I really felt that I could not look at their faces for any sustained period of time because it was too much emotion to see at one moment. I certainly was relating to them as parents marrying off their son and wondered if one day Darrell and I would be standing in their places at a wedding similar to this one. As I described earlier, the setting of this event was really naturally beautiful,the grass , trees, flowers , hills the sunset and the simple but stunning chuppa set off to the side (it was white covered in simple delicate greenery and it had coloured glass bulbs hanging under ) but it wasn't the setting that made this event so special...it was the unbelievable ruach and togetherness some sort of really special feeling which was taking over the place. Soon after the veil was lowered , the fathers brachot the beaming chattan was escorted by his beaming parents and all his friends, it was one unit sort of taking him to the chuppah. Soon after , the beaming kallah and her beaming parents and all their family/friends also moved toward the chuppah together or so it seemed, all singing. The ceremony proceeded, most stood up beside the chuppah it appeared as though everyone was a part of this chuppah. I realized what made this ceremony so special was that it was not a spectator event rather it was participatory. I looked around at the young friends who were right up front watching in quiet and then spontaneously singing together at times throughout the ceremony. I looked at the beautiful young women , beautifully dressed but not overly dressed, I watched the young guys all in white shirts, there were chayalim with their guns, khakis, boots and who had changed into clean white t-shirts. It was a good thing I was wearing my sunglasses because I really was overcome by emotion. As I related to the parents at the bodekin, I was looking at these kids and picturing my kids in number of years. They too will be in the army, they too will have grown up in Israel, they too will be attending their friends weddings and their own weddings ....is this what they will look like? I certainly hope so!!! After many hard weeks of pakcing, arriving, adjusting, organizing and doing and unpacking and moving etc. etc. this is exactly what I needed to see, this brief glimpse at the youth of Israel gave me chizuk , it reminded me why we were doing this and that it would be all worth it. To see these young spiritual, thoughtful, joyful, united, kids celebrating in a way that transformed a "wedding" into a beautiful religious marriage ceremony was overwhelming to say the least. Do these kids appreciate or celebrate more deeply because of how they grow up or the circumstances around them? Do they feel the spirituality more deeply because they have developed as people in the land of Israel? I don't know, but these are a different group of youngsters than I have seen elsewhere. I hope and pray that one day my kids will feel what they feel and will develop in a way that is unique to those that grew up in this "holy land". Okay back to the chuppah, there is more spontaneous singing and the chuppah is complete. the couple is danced away and I stay standing where I was. I find myself besides Darrell(Chaim now) and all I could say is...wow! It is all going to be worth it Gd. willing. I tell him that this was the most beautiful chuppah I have ever seen, He asks even nicer than ours...oh yeah , way nicer (and ours was beautiful)! Soon the dancing began and really it was incredible. Darrell saw me part way through and mentioned that he did not know where all these guys had springs inserted into the bottom of their shoes. Alex pomson told him that the "older guys'" springs had worn out and parts were no longer available. The absolute joy and simcha that was happening on each side of the chuppa was awesome. At times I just stood by and watched. Those of you who know me , are aware that it is a rare occurance for me to opt out of the dancing to observe but I just wanted to take the whole scene in. Many of the guys were clearly Ari's army buddies, and you could really see the warmth, comraderie and love that they all had for the chattan and for each other. You could see how your army friends are of a different calibre and are the friends many have for life. They donned their berrets and sang a song to Ari and Rachel, they danced but REALLY danced their hearts out. Some had taken off their heavy boots I guess so that they could spring higher, and obviously their guns were away. Maybe one day my boys will get a few hours off to go mesameach their army buddy, they will put on a clean white tshirt, lock their gun, take off their boots and dance with a real deep simcha which I saw that night. The evening came to an end, and I reluctantly got ready to leave. I can't really remember what I ate, it was good I'm sure, were there flowers on the table...I can't recall..there was no colour scheme, no greeting lineups, or processions to the chuppah, no chair covers, I cannot even remember what colour the tablecloths were...but that was the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to. My wish for the chattan and kallah is that all their days together continue to move forward and that they feel the joy and happiness that everyone but especially they felt on their wedding day. It was just what the new olim needed to be a part of!!

Our new home (under construction)

2005-08-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

We are living in Neve Daniel, a yishuv of 250 families located a mere 10 minute drive of Jerusalem. The yishuv is 23 years old and the original neighbourhood is on the east side of the mountain on which the yishuv is situated. We are currently renting a home in the original neighbourhood which faces Efrat which is right across the highway from us. This highway is the main route from Jerusalem to Hevron.
We are also building a home in the new neighbourhood (the west side) which faces west towards Beitar and Tzur Haddasah. We are also lucky that we have a view in a southern direction as well. The picture in this post is the view towards the west from our living room. The pictures gives some sense of the beauty of the area we are living in but it does not capture how beautiful it really is. When you add to this the fact that when you look out the windows you are literally seeing the land that our Patriarchs and Matriarchs walked on- it truly becomes overwhelming sometimes. In fact, I have been running with two other men from the Yishuv each erev Shabbat on the Derech Avot (Path of the Patriarchs)which was the route taken by pilgrims to Jerusalem and later used by the Romans. On this route their our mikvaot (ritual baths) as well as mile markers placed by the Romans. The history and beauty of the area are among the reasons we chose to live in Neve Daniel and we look forward to showing our family and friends the surroundings when they visit. Our home is supposed to be completed next summer and, believe it or not, it seems it may actually be completed on time. (Don't worry, we have contingency plans if it isn't ready by then)

Welcome to our Blog

2005-08-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Well many friends and family are interested in the details of our lives here so in order to avoid rewriting details and to have a good record of our progress in building and being built in the Land we have decided to create a weblog. We will try to post at least something on a daily basis.
It has been several weeks since our arrival in Israel on July 13 and there is so much too tell. Our landing was among the most emotional and happy moments of our lives - too finally fulfill our dream of living in Israel was extremly moving. We looked out the windows of the plane to see crowds of people around the plane from New York which arrived moments before ours. And then the plane door opened and we saw hundreds of cheering people including the Newman and Lewis families and Marcia Shumacher and Yvette Shumacher. The only slightly jarring moment was seeing a big CBC sign at the bottom of the stairs and having to deal with Ardrienne Arsenault asking me questions at a time like this (at least it wasn't Neil Macdonald). We had a big family hug and then were greeted by the hordes. It all seems like such a blur now. I remember seeing the co-founders of Nefesh bNefesh, Tony Gelbart and Rabbi Yehoshua Fass and thanking each of them for their help. Rabbi Fass who I only met briefly once before grabbed me and hugged and kissed me. I noticed a woman hugging Ruth and welcoming her. I assumed it was someone she knew but when I asked her , she said she had no idea who that woman was.
Michael Shumacher pulled some strings and arranged for our family to have our picture taken with Prime Minister Sharon. However, when we arrived at the front Sharon wasn't there so instead we had to settle for Shimon Peres. He was warm and spoke to each family member. He didn't ask but I volunteered that we were moving to Gush Etzion which didn't elicit a response. He asked Sara if he could pick her up and she just shouted "No" He told him he was a nice man but she just shouted "No, I am shy". We noted that the newspapers the next day carried a picture of Peres carrying a docile small baby.