Going Home--Making the Dream Come True

A Final Word to My Faithful Readers

2010-11-17T10:23:00.000+02:00

I think that since I began to write this blog a year and a half ago, I have never gone this long without posting. Even on days that were somewhat slow, I found something to write about and share with the readership.
However, over the past few weeks, life has gotten SO busy (B"H) that it made my posting an almost impossible task. Nearly every day, I said to myself that I MUST sit down and write as I have so much to write about! But now that the Chagim are WEEKS behind us and Chanuka is nearly upon us, I feel a sense of emptiness in not having posted for so long. At the same time, it feels wrong to try and recapture all of the events and feelings of the past two months.
So, realizing that writing on occasion is not in concert with keeping up a blog, I have decided (regrettably) to end this forum...at least for now. I do hope one day to pick it up again, but for the foreseeable future, I need to "officially" put this on the back burner.

Which brings me to a somewhat sobering thought...Since the day I began this blog until today, there have been over 20,000 hits on the blog (including the blogspot and Facebook). It is a number I NEVER could have foreseen nor did I ever think so many would follow up tale of Aliya. But, at the same time, I am so gratified by the amount of people who took the time to comment, both on line and in person, about what they were reading here.

The tale began in April 2, 2009 and today is November 17, 2010. I have tried to give you, the reader a sense of a few issues: What it is like to go through the process of making Aliya--the good, the bad and the ugly--along with the feelings of what it is like to actually LIVE in Israel. You have shared with me as we packed and packed and as we lived through BL and AL (Before Lift and After Lift). We have shared very scary moments together, such as my father (he should live and be well!) being gravely ill only days before our Aliya. We have shared the utter elation of our becoming Israeli citizens and realizing a lifelong dream. We have shared the frustration of dealing with a few situations and the pleasant surprise of not having too many of those! We have shared our "LAST" of many things in Chicago and our "FIRST" of many in Israel. All along, the response I received was overwhelmingly positive.

But now the time has come to put the blog aside and to continue to deal with day-to-day life here in Israel. I honestly hope that I have been able to give some encouragement to those of you who are thinking about making this monumental move...because it can indeed be done. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this blog and, as I say, do hope I will return to it one day.

A few thank you's are in order: First and foremost to Hashem for enabling and allowing us to make the move of our lives. We feel His presence in our lives on a daily basis and could not be more grateful for what He has bestowed upon us. We are truly blessed!

To my wife, Andy, and our three beautiful daughters, Daniella, Ayelet and Eliana...thank you for putting up with me talking incessantly about Aliya (including pulling out the map of Israel EVERY Friday night!) and then deciding to join me on this adventure. You have ALL bli ayin hara done so well and I am thrilled to look at the growth of our family in Israel!

To my parents, siblings, nieces, nephews (grand-nephew!) and all my family whom we left behind, thank you for your love, support and joining us in making the effort to stay in touch and to remain the loving family that we have always been.
Thank you to the Chicago community in general and the members of KJBS in particular for their continued long-distance support and staying in touch over time. While we indeed live 7000 miles away, the distance does not diminish the feelings I have for the community that I was a part of for nearly 50 years.

And finally, to you, my faithful readers, I want to thank you again for joining me on this journey. I have SO enjoyed taking you with me and invite you to stay in touch via email, phone or personal visits in Israel. Hopefully, one day, those of you reading this outside of Israel will be able to identify in some small measure with what WE went through, as you, too, make that life-changing decision to make Aliya.

May Hashem shower His blessings upon all of you and may we ALL join in Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh to welcome the coming of Mashiach and the ultimate redemption in our times, AMEN!

Rabbi Zev M Shandalov
Maale Adumim
ISRAEL

So Much has been happening...

2010-09-12T11:05:00.000+02:00

...and every time I decide I am going to sit down and write, life gets in the way and prevents me from writing. I have had a number of people ask me if I have decided to stop writing this blog since I seem to post infrequently now. The short answer is NO, I am not stopping, but the frequency is the issue now. So, instead if belaboring the point, I will just mention a few short points about the past few weeks (as it is a few WEEKS since I last wrote!).

Probably the most significant thought to share at the moment is the STARK change in the air as the Yamim Noraim were approaching and getting closer. While I did not notice (sadly) a public attempt to better one's self in the Bein Adam LaMakom department (witness standing in "line" to get on a bus ...why do they call it a "line" anyways?), the general feel of a hurried pace, the massive amounts of shopping to hunker down for a three-day Chag (and yes, four of the next five years have this calendrical oddity!), the signs on the buses, the sales in the papers, the greetings offered in the street...all added up to the REAL feel that all around you a country and its people were preparing for the 10 holiest days of the year. It is an incredible feeling to be a part of the MAJORITY and know that there are millions of people out there (each on his/her own level) who were preparing for these days.

I had the zechut of being the Chazan for the first night of Rosh Hashana and the Ba'al Shacharit on the first day in the early minyan. What I truly enjoyed about the early minyan is that it was early and timed for saying Shemona Esray at HaNetz (sunrise). This meant that tefilla began at 5:40am (not a typo) but did not rush...we did not finish until 10:30am.
Weather still dominates the news and talk around here. Two aspects are topics of conversation: heat and water. On the "heat" front...while the horrific and oppressive heat of a couple weeks back seems to have dissipated, it is by no means over yet completely. Today is September 12th and here in Maale Adumim it is supposed to be in the 90's. Not complaining...just unusual to feel 90's in mid-September.

But on the "water" front...this is a more distressing thought...meteorologists have predicted this upcoming rainy season to be a VERY dry season...this means a lot of water conservation and dangerously low levels of water in the Kinneret. While the meteorologists can prognosticate all they want, we still know that our tefillot and our actions will be that which will decide what kind of rainfall we will get. So, keep davening and doing Mitzvot...we NEED the water!
As I mentioned a couple of posts back, life is about to get pretty hectic with me acting as co-ordinator of two youth programs coming to Israel. I do hope I will continue to write and more frequently. I also want to use this forum to ask Mechilla from anyone whom I may have slighted or hurt during this past year. May we ALL merit a wonderful healthy, prosperous, PEACEFUL 5771.

A Sad Reminder of Why Mashiach has not yet Arrived

2010-08-24T13:54:00.000+03:00

While I have read many stories over the past year plus about various Charedi violence breaking out for various reasons, a couple of days ago, I saw something with my own eyes that made me sick.

I had occassion to be in Mea Shearim, a neighborhood I really like going to. I had to purchase some sefarim and went to Manny's (now called Or Hachaim / Manny's). They have moved about a block further down Rehov Mea Shearim and into a beautiful location. I walk in there and want to buy every sefer on every shelf!

In any case, as I approached the store, I noticed a small crowd gathered outside and then saw what all the fuss was about. Someone had thrown tar (or a tar-like substance) all over the front of the store! The windows, the awnings, the door, the ground...all were covered in a very sticky and dirty black tar. As I stood there mouth agape at this vandalism, I came to learn that there were some members of the local community who were not too pleased with some of the sefarim he has on the shelf in the store. (Lest you think he has heretical items, I further learned that some of the sefarim obejected to were by Rav Aviner and Rav Kook). In addition, last week, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger was in the store and some of the locals were not too happy about that either and came in yelling "Sheigetz...get out of our neighborhood!"

So, it is surmised that this vandalism, which happened within 24 hours of the Rabbi Metzger incident, was perpetrated by some of the locals. There is a security camera outside the building but more than likely these righteous individuals wore masks per the police.

And you wonder why the Mashiach has not yet arrived? And no, I am not bashing all Charedim. What I am bashing (once again) is the belief that if you do not follow my way of Torah you are an Am Ha'aretz and I have an obligation to violate every rule in the Shulchan Aruch to prove my point. The ideas in the Gemara about damage to personal property were probably meant as theoretical anyways.

This is an example of pure, unadulterated SIN'AT CHINAM. It is the holier than thou attitude that does not allow for the idea of שבעים פנים לתורה , that as long as you are living within the framework of Halacha, there are 70 facets to Torah.

And here we are in Chodesh Elul. We begin (in the Ashkenazi tradition) Selichot in just a few days.We will turn to Hashem and ask for forgiveness for what we have and have not done. Before thinking about our Bein Adam La'Makom issues (those issues that are between man and G-d), maybe we should spend a little MORE time on our Bein Adam L'Chaveiro.

Sin'at chinam is NOT free...it has a huge price tag in that it delays (chas v'shalom) the coming of Mashiach. May we all see the light a little clearer...may we all learn to tolerate each other when living in the framework of Halacha and may we TRULY merit the coming of Mashiach...at the rate we are going right now, it certainly does not seem like this will occur anytime soon.

We ALL have our work cut out for us.

The Near Term Future

2010-08-23T20:53:00.001+03:00

A couple of months back, I was involved with a program out of Chicago called Netivot. This program brought 18 of the (then) 10th graders from Ida Crown to Israel for a combination of Limudei Kodesh, Limudei Chol and tiyulim. It was a LOT of work, but I truly enjoyed running the program (through Tlalim, the company for whom I work).

Recently, I was contacted by World Bnei Akiva to run two of THEIR incoming programs that are very similar. One, called KFAR, is a group of 34 students (10th grade) coming from S. Africa and the other group will be coming from Australia. The S Africa group arrives in three weeks and Australia group in mid-October. Each group will be here for about three months. So, for the near term future, I expect to be plenty busy being involved in helping to run these programs. (The official role I play is called a "rakaz" --coordinator.) No doubt it will keep me hopping! But, I love doing these kinds of things!

Masks...and it is Not Even Purim!

2010-08-21T21:02:00.000+03:00

On Friday morning, the doorbell rang and a representative of the Post Office was at the door. He was carrying five items that I had ordered but honestly did not think they would show up...five gas masks.

As of a few months ago, the government has been distributing these free of charge (a nominal 25 NIS fee for delivery) to all citizens of Israel. The idea, of course, is to always be prepared in case of (chas v'shalom) an attack with unconventional weapons. While I am in no way an alarmist, I, too, always feel that one needs to be cognizant of WHERE in the world we are located. Today, according to local reports, the madman of Iran has succeeded in putting the Bushehr nuclear plant into business. Up North, things continue to heat up...various attacks at our borders are becoming more frequent and rockets fall on occasion in the South. Welcome to the Middle East.

I was reading the other day a human interest story in an on-line newspaper about automobiles (why I came across is is immaterial). One of the people was asked what is his greatest concern on a day-to-day basis. His response was that he had to make sure every day not to park under a tree so birds do not leave their "presents" on the hood of his car. Hmmmmm....and we just had gas masks delivered. I guess we have different concerns in life.

So, the boxes we got (five in all) sit in our sealed room (which is our spare bedroom, office, etc) and we will pray that those boxes will never need to be opened. But, if they do, G-d forbid, ever need to be opened, we will have something that our enemies will not have...EMUNA in Hashem. The true unadulterated belief that Hashem is watching over us no matter what madman is in power in Iran, or Syria, or Saudi Arabia, or....

Egged

2010-08-16T19:42:00.000+03:00

...as in the BUS service Egged, not what happens to your windows when you do not give candy to kids looking for it at the end of October...והמבין יבין

Over the past couple of weeks, I have found myself on an inordinate number of buses for various reasons. Sometimes it was merely a ride to the local mall (15 minutes from home) or into Yerushalayim (30 minutes..sometimes) and other times it was to go out to Or Yehuda where the offices of Tlalim are. In some cases, I was in Yerushalyim and found myself on as many as EIGHT buses in one day...not unusual at all. One very positive thing is the card known as the חופשי חודשי which is a monthly bus pass. This particular pass entitles the bearer to travel between Yerushalayim and Maale Adumim, in Maale Adumim, all over Yerushalayim and some surrounding areas--all for the one flat monthly rate. If you do a lot of bus riding it is really worth it and you get your money's worth.
So, having spent so much time on so many buses lately, I have witnessed the best and the worst in people lately. One caveat: it has been on average about 2 million degrees Centigrade (no exaggeration!) and I am sure that much of the negative actions I have been witness to have been exacerbated by the heat. However, I am not trying to make excuses but merely pointing it out.

Some miscellaneous vignettes, courtesy of Egged Bus Lines:

* You see all the time where an individual rises from his/her seat to give it to an elderly individual, a pregnant woman, etc. Usually, the exchange is followed by a simple "thank you." On a recent trip, when I noticed someone get up for another person, a very different exchange took place: Before sitting in his new-found seat, the individual placed his hands on the head of the one who just gave up his seat and gave him a bracha! And then, the one sitting in the next seat, after witnessing this, asked this gentleman for a bracha as well!

* When you get on a local bus in Yerushalayim, you are given a ticket (or must ask for one if you are using a bus card) that has a time stamped on the ticket. Ever since January 2010, a new policy--a very good policy--went into affect on Egged. Within the hour and ten minutes after boarding the bus, you may use this ticket as many times as you want on as many bus rides as you wish...as long as you are ON the bus by the designated time stamped on the ticket. Not too long ago, I was sitting at a bus stop and heard two women speaking. They were VERY aware of the fact that their tickets were over an hour "past due" but felt that they would try to use them anyways. (Yes, that IS stealing from Egged if they did so). They got on the bus and the comedy show began...instead of telling them the tickets were unusable, the driver said," There is the garbage can. Please throw your tickets in there!" He said it in a most rude and condescending way (not unusual, but it struck a nerve with this woman.) She let him have it. "WE ARE NOT RESIDENTS OF JERUSALEM! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT WE CAN NOT USE THESE TICKETS?!?!?" He yells back at her that one need not be a resident to be able to read a ticket and understand its validity or lack thereof. She screams at him, he screams back at her, and this continues for 10 minutes more. She DOES pay the fare but not before complaining to anyone within 5 meters who will listen to her. Recall, of course, that she was well aware BEFORE she got on the bus that she was about to try to scam the driver.

* As I mentioned, it is hot. I do not mean warm, I mean unbearbly hot at some points of the day. It is not humid for the most part where I tend to be, but DRY heat is just heat that is dry and you do not get around the idea that it is HOT! (Did I mention it has been hot!?!?) All buses have air-conditioning...in the theoretical sense. Meaning, there is a motor that blows a fan with a modicum of cold air that goes through the vents that is supposed to make one's journey on a bus, well, enjoyable. Today, I had a last minute need to run to Yerushalayim. I boarded the bus, unstuck myself from my clothes and sat down. Hmmm...a bit strange, I know it's hot outside but kind of seems like the A/C is not up to dealing with this heat. No problem, he just left the terminal 5 minutes ago, so it will cool off soon...oh you naive person! At every stop, as we took on more and more passengers, the heat on the bus became stiflingly unbearable. Imagine opening up an oven to check on something cooking and feeling that blow-back from the heat...that is what we were feeling on the bus. By the time I got off, I was physically drained and looking for a shower and oxygen. Not a pleasant journey to say the least.

* Saw something you don't see too often on the bus. While you DO see people help others off the bus all the time (carry down their groceries, a stroller, etc) you do not see the driver himself do this. (Not a slam on drivers...just that there are always people around to help). The other day, I saw the driver pull over, stop, put the bus in PARK and assist a woman down the stairs with many packages. It was so sweet to see and made up for many other drivers who could probably benefit from a Dale Carnegie course.

So, these are merely a few of the hundreds of things one can witness on a daily basis when riding on the buses here in Israel. It brings out the best and worst in people...and it is always interesting to observe!

Searching the Screen...

2010-08-03T11:23:00.000+03:00

As I write this, I am sitting and watching hundreds of Olim landing and coming into Ben Gurion. It is a dream come true for hundreds of people and I know exactly what they are going through. It seems like years ago, but it was only 13 months ago that we made that journey. So much has happened in the meantime...Baruch Hashem.

But as I am watching I am struck by a thought that I can not get out of my head. Since we know a few people on this particular flight, I kept searching faces to see if I saw them disembarking or in the welcoming ceremonies or any glimpse of their smiling, tear-streaked faces. And then I froze for a moment as a memory came back to me. You see, as a child I recall hearing stories about how families in the United States would watch newsreels on TV during and after World War II to see if they could get a glimpse of their loved one to see if they had survived the war. Relatives describe their having watched with extreme intensity holding on to any shred of hope.

And I thought about that as I looked intensely at the screen to see if I could find Peter and Bobbie and Cara and Stuart and all the others whom I was watching for. And it hit me between the eyes, that in both cases, post-WWII and now that people were watching a screen for loved ones and friends...but in the 1940's they were looking for SIGNS of life, and we were watching for the BEGINNING of a NEW life!
And I recalled the Pasuk said by Yosef as he sought out his brothers:
וַיֹּאמֶר אֶת־אַחַי אָֽנֹכִי מְבַקֵּשׁ
("I seek my brothers...") This is exactly what I felt at this moment, too. I was seeking out my brothers and sisters. And I continue on a daily basis as we live here to hope and yearn to see more and more Jews living here and coming off those Nefesh B'Nefesh flights...Yes, וַיֹּאמֶר אֶת־אַחַי אָֽנֹכִי מְבַקֵּשׁ and I will continue to seek them out at all times and pray for their return HOME to the Land of Israel.

WELCOME HOME NEW OLIM...THE ADVENTURE IS JUST BEGINNING!

Completing the Circle

2010-07-29T16:46:00.000+03:00

When we arrived last year, we all PHYSICALLY came to Israel but only four of the five of us officially made Aliya. The reason for this was my middle daughter, Ayelet, was within a few months of her 18th birthday so by waiting to declare her status as an Olah, she would get her own "Sal klitah" (basket of rights). The one hitch to this is that based on the rules from the Misrad Haklitah (Ministry of Absorption) her Aliya must take place more than one year after our's.
So, for the last year, Ayelet has not been a citizen of Israel but has been here on a tourist visa.
That all came to an end today! Using the Nefesh B'Nefesh Guided Aliya program (where they help people residing in Israel make Aliya), I accompanied her down to the NBN offices for an official meeting with Misrad Hapnim (Interior Ministry) for her to become a citizen. (NO, it was not THAT easy...we still had to fill out all the paperwork, provide plenty of documentation, etc. But it was indeed easier doing from HERE than from THERE.)
I sat there in the very same room where I had sat 13 months before to receive my Teduat Zehut (identity card) and had flashbacks (good ones!) to that time a seemingly-long-time-ago. It was a true feeling of deja vu all over again! And this time, I was sitting there with Ayelet to finally close the circle that we began last year in July so that our ENTIRE family would become Olim.
While she still has to go back to get her official Teduat Zehut next week, BE"H, it is hard to believe that FINALLY she is an Israeli citizen! Another citizen to join the thousands arriving this year...another citizen entitled to become a PART of the story of the State of Israel...and another citizen who will have a short trip to the Bet HaMikdash to greet the Mashiach tomorrow! (Although Mashiach ben David may first need to stop in the Nefesh B'Nefesh offices to get HIS Teduat Zehut...but hopefully they won't make him wait in line!)

Mazal Tov, Ayelet...WELCOME HOME!!!!!!

Reaching Out...

2010-07-22T11:26:00.000+03:00

I am reading a wonderful book entitled Six Pixels of Separation that I have really been enjoying. I usually do not have all that much time to read but the title and concept intrigued me, so I opened it up and read. Among many of the theses of the book, he took the concept of how we are all connected in to each other in "real world"within six degrees of separation and transferred that idea to cyberspace as well. Through Facebook, Twitter (still haven't crossed THAT bridge yet), LinkedIn, Blogs, etc we are all indeed connected and like never before in history. Another one of his ideas is that we can always reach out to our on-line "community" for help, suggestions, etc when trying to accomplish something related to business (or actually any other area, as well).

SO...taking a page from his book (almost literally), I now and reaching out to you for your input. As many of you are aware, I work for The Tlalim Group, a tour operator with over thirty years of experience. My position is in marketing and is to locate shuls, schools, families looking to celebrate a simcha in Israel, etc, etc and make the connection between those people/institutions and our company. While our expertise is in educational tours, we also provide bus transportation, guides, lodging arrangements and (of course) full blown tours.

I have approached dozens (hundreds?) of schools, synagogues, etc and am now looking to you, those who read this blog, for additional ideas: DO YOU KNOW OF ANYONE LOOKING TO MAKE A SIMCHA IN ISRAEL/ HOW ABOUT A FAMILY GROUP THINKING OF COMING? / A SHUL THINKING OF MAKING A TRIP? / A SCHOOL CLASS TRIP? OTHER IDEAS? I welcome any and all input on this and I appreciate any replies I get!

While I have indeed had some who have made their touring arrangements with us, I am always looking to bring more people.

Thanks in advance for you help!

COMMENTS?

Tisha B'Av in Ir David

2010-07-19T23:52:00.001+03:00

(Photo by: J Buzelan
Me in Ir David on 9 Av 5770)

A short time ago, I returned from Ir David in Yerushalayim. I went there with some of my neighbors for Maariv and the reading of Eicha, as I have done for many years on the night of Tisha B'av. But tonight, this year, was very different!

Ir David, the city which David HaMelech built and where the Jews lived in the time that the Bet HaMikdash stood...I now sat there listening to the words of the prophet Yirmiyahu: Megillat Eicha. So many thoughts went through my head as I sat on a low wooden bench. On the one hand, I was sitting in the very place where David HaMelech had his palace and Jews thrived under the reign of his son, Shlomo. How exciting it must have been to be alive at that time and witness the opening of the Bet HaMikdash...how thrilling and how engaging to be a witness to Jewish History in the making.
And at the same time, I thought about the horrible feelings and terrible tragedy of the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash. The death, enslavement and famine alone were terrible. But even the anxiety that led up to that terrible day of 9 Av (TWICE!) had to have been excruciatingly difficult.
And I was reminded of that very same set of polar-opposite-feelings during the reading of Eicha for another reason: Almost as if on cue, about one minute after we began, the Moslem muezzin (call to prayer) sounded very loudly and almost drowned out the one reading Eicha. A minute later, I heard the sounds of helicopter blades hovering above our heads as the police and IDF had a very strong show of presence on this evening that brought tens of thousands of Jews to one area.
And again, I saw that duality...the joy of having the protection of our own Jewish military and police and at the same time hearing the wail of the muezzin cut through me like a knife. From one extreme to another...just like what I was thinking about from ancient times.

When we finished, we walked over to the Kotel plaza. Tens of thousands of people everywhere you looked! People telling the story of the destruction of the bet HaMikdash...people saying tehillim...people merely standing around talking...people sitting on the ground in silent contemplation. But, while the moment was a sad moment, considering WHY everyone was there, it was also a moment of a feeling of triumph. Because even though we STILL do not have the Mashiach, we have OUR country and we have OUR government. We are not under Moslem rule, nor Turkish rule, nor a British Mandate, etc etc...it is OUR's. And that thought gave me a true sense of pride...on the darkest day of the Jewish year...a ray of light in all of this darkness.

When Tragedy Strikes...

2010-07-14T20:39:00.000+03:00

Tragedy strikes the Chicago and Israel communities...catastrophic...tragic...horrific. All of these descriptors have been used to describe the terrible news of the death of Moshe Menora and three of his granddaughters (Sara and Rickie, age 17, and Racheli, age 15) in a plane accident yesterday in Michigan. (The only bright spot is that a fourth grandchild, Netanel, was spared and is in a Michigan hospital in critical condition--may Hashem send him a refuah shlema.)

In the blink of an eye, the Menora, Klein and Schreiber families' lives have been completely sent into turmoil. Day has turned into night and light into a devastating darkness. Yet...it is not only their tragedy...It is important for them to know that all of us--those who knew the family and those who never met them--are all in a state of mourning at this moment. Granted, we have NO IDEA of the searing pain they are feeling. Yet, I must tell you that after looking at dozens of Jewish news services and speaking to countless people, their tragedy is felt deeply in so many hearts of the Jewish people. At the moment I am writing this, there is still much confusion and chaos as to what will be relative to the funeral(s); the sitting of shiva; the medical condition of Netanel, etc. But one thing is certain: KLAL YISRAEL MOURNS THIS TRAGEDY alongside the family. How often have we seen news reports of light plane crashes with multiple family members killed and thought to ourselves, "how very sad..." and then gone on with our daily lives. After all, nothing like that happens to people WE know. And yet...and yet, this time, it did.
I love the written word and as I sit here, I find myself struggling for the right words to say...but there are none. No words could sum up what we all feel for the Menora, Klein and Schrieber families. I look at the words in Sefer Iyov (Job) and I look at the words of Kinnot that we will say (hopefully not!) on Tisha B'Av and even THEIR words of pain and suffering seem to shed tears over THIS tragedy.

May Hashem send a Nechama to all the family and a refuah shlema to Netanel Yosef ben Simcha Sima.

HAMAKOM YENACHEM ETCHEM B'TOCH SH'AR AVELEI TZION VI'ROOSHALAYIM!

The Antidote

2010-07-13T15:33:00.000+03:00

Yesterday was Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av 5770. Once again, we find ourselves in the final stages of The Three Weeks culminating next week, with the darkest date on the Jewish calendar: Tisha B'Av. It is axiomatic, as it is recorded in the Talmud that both Batei Mikdash (Temples) were destroyed on this day. Each one was destroyed, says the Talmud, for a different reason. The first was destroyed due to the fact that the Jews were transgressing the three major sins. The second was destroyed due to שנאת חנם (or baseless hatred). For many years, I have heard speech after speech exhorting us to counter the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash Number 2 with acts of אהבת חנם or acts of selfless love. By doing so, the speakers would always say, we were providing the antidote to the destruction and we would help lead the way to the ultimate rebuilding of the Bet HaMikdash.

While it could very well be a true statement, I think that we need to look a little deeper and farther back in history in order to find the true antidote. What is the reason that both Batei Mikdash "just happened" to be destroyed on the same day? The Talmud records that when the "spies" came back from spying out the Land of Canaan, they gave a poor, slanted report. As a result, the Torah tells us that וַתִּשָּׂא֙ כָּל־הָ֣עֵדָ֔ה וַֽיִּתְּנ֖וּ אֶת־קוֹלָ֑ם וַיִּבְכּ֥וּ הָעָ֖ם בַּלַּ֥יְלָה הַהֽוּא ("The entire congregation raised its voice and cried on that night). IN light of this, the Gemara tells us that . ליל תשעה באב היה, אמר להן הקדוש ברוך הוא לישראל: אתם בכיתם בכיה של חנם ־ ואני אקבע לכם בכיה לדורות. (That night was the 9th of Av. G-d said to them, you have cried a useless, pointless cry, I will establish this night as a night of crying for future generations.) In other words, your baseless, false claims about the Land of Israel and the crying that ensued due to this are the root cause of this day (the 9th of Av) becoming a day of tragedy after tragedy for the Jewish people.

If indeed that is the case, then the antidote to the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash is not only Ahavat Chinam...it goes much deeper than that! The antidote is also speaking positively about the Land of Israel...being an advocate for her citizens...it means VISITING the land to see and extol its beauty...and it means living in the Land as well. All of these actions--each and every one of them relative to the Land of Israel--can indeed act as the antidote we all need in order to change the world and lead to the rebuilding of the bet HaMikdash בב''א !

Chofesh HaGadol

2010-07-12T22:10:00.000+03:00

Literally, the title means "The Large Vacation." What it refers to is this time of year in Israel when seemingly everyone is on vacation at some point...especially the little kids who are out of school and whose parents are looking for ways to fill their time. It is a time that finds Israelis criss-crossing the country on Tiyulim, camping, sending their kids to short-term day camps or some overnight camps and other fun activities. We are not yet sure what--if anything--we will be doing this summer as far as the Chofesh HaGadol, but we will talk about it in the near future.
But there was one observation I wanted to make about this Chofesh. The other day, as I was walking out of Shul in the morning, I saw a stack of small booklets with a little Pushka (tzedaka can) next to it. I just assumed that it was for people to donate money to a charity and receive some random book for their couple of shekalim. Then, I took a closer look at the booklet. It was arranged that during the Chofesh HaGadol, those who were students would have a guide to what to learn every day...a smattering of Torah, Mishne, Halacha, etc. As I stood there holding one of the books in my hand, I had a broad smile on my face, and someone (who thought I needed professional help, I imagine) asked what I was smiling at. I just told him that I truly love this country...and left it at that. But what did I mean? Here we are poised for this weeks'-long vacation season and students are not only encouraged to continue their Torah education over the summer, they are given the tools with which to do so. And I think that that is just amazing. What a country!

And speaking of Torah...I began to teach a Ladies Tefilla class on Sunday nights (4 weeks ago), and I absolutely love being back into adult education once again! I missed it and am very happy to be doing it once again. I know that MY tefilla is affected by this class as well...

The One Year Party

2010-06-29T11:30:00.000+03:00

The other night, most of those who have made Aliya in the past couple of years gathered at the shul in the social hall for a nice evening of celebration. The majority present were celebrating their one year anniversary (like us) but there were those from previous years as well.

The evening was punctuated with a couple of speeches, I gave a brief dvar Torah, there was a live musical presentation, a comedian (who truly captured the essence of living in Israel) and a slide show of pictures taken during this past year (put together by Eric Solat). All in all, the evening was very enjoyable and--as the saying goes--a good time was had by all.

But, a couple of observations are in order. I was looking around the room and thought of two things: First, I knew almost every single person in the room and secondly, I knew almost none of them a little over a year ago. Why do I mention this? Because as I looked around the room, and I thought of how CLOSE so many of us have become, I was a bit overwhelmed. And then I thought of the "feeling" aspect as well. It FEELS like I have known so many of these families for my entire life. It feels like I know my neighbors and new-found friends for my entire life and it is strange to pause and realize that this is just not the case. I have known them for much LESS than my entire life.

And yet...there is a bond...there is a closeness that is hard to put into words. The feeling of going through so much TOGETHER...so many of the same experiences of being an immigrant to a country that until not long ago was just a distant dream. But by living the dream together and by experiencing many of the same events together...many have built a bond that is incredibly strong. While I have a LITTLE bit of family here (with whom I am indeed close), I do not have a LOT of family here. So, it is with great pride that I look at the members of our community and especially those with whom we have become so close and realize...they ARE a part of my family now and we are a part of their's.

Today is Shiva Asar B'Tammuz...a fast day in which we commemorate the breach in the walls of Jerusalem that led to the eventual destruction of the Bet HaMikdash. Since we arrived two days before Shiva Asar B'Tammuz last year, this is the second time we are now here for it. And as I look around my house and the neighborhood and the community, I see with my own eyes how much we have grown and how much we have accomplished in one year. Baruch Hashem...it has been a good year and B'ezrat Hashem, we look forward to many more years to come in this amazing community.

Our One Year Anniversary of Aliya--15 Tammuz

2010-06-25T14:26:00.001+03:00

This Sunday, the 15th of Tammuz corresponding to the 27th of June, will mark our one year anniversary of our Aliya.

One year…in the blink of an eye, a year has now passed since we stepped off the Nefesh B’Nefesh / El Al flight last summer. We boarded the plane as citizens of the United States on Monday and landed on Tuesday as citizens of the State of Israel. Just like that…our lifelong dream became a reality. Well, it wasn’t exactly “just like that.” But, as I sit here and reflect on “the year that was, “I am filled with awe, gratitude, admiration and joy. And if I think back to the first few days we lived here, it seems like a lifetime ago because I feel like we have lived here for twenty years!

Allow me to preface this with a disclaimer: I know that while we did indeed have some ups and downs along the way, our experience of our Aliya and Klita was not the norm. Our journey until this point has been very little in the way of problems, issues and crises and lots in the way of things going RIGHT most of the time. Only one way to explain that: Hashem has been incredibly wonderful to us…a fact that we do NOT take for granted.

What seemed in the beginning like a snake path that only the initiated would be permitted to know, we finally figured out our way from the entrance to Maale Adumim to our home in Mitzpe Nevo. Very quickly, and truthfully not long after we moved, when I thought of the word “home” I thought of Maale Adumim and not Chicago. I had actually wondered how long it would take me to stop thinking of the house in Chicago as “home.” It actually happened very fast.

Boxes…boxes…boxes! Everywhere I looked after the delivery of our lift I saw boxes and other packing materials. How in the world were we EVER going to get everything unpacked and set up shop?! Would we have enough room for everything we had brought? How would we know where to buy certain supplies and groceries etc etc etc?!?

In step our new-found friends who were there at every turn with advice, a good word and helping hands. I can not imagine having gone through the first few months here without the support and help of SO many people in Mitzpe Nevo! How would we ever be able to repay them all? When I said this to one of our friends, he suggested that the best way to “repay” THEM was to do in kind for the new Olim that will come this summer. Great idea and one that I will act upon, Bezrat Hashem!

Work…find a job…parnassa…Yes, earning a living would indeed be something I would call a priority and BH, I was able to find work very fast doing something I truly enjoy…working in the tourism industry bringing people to Israel. My daughters and my wife all have adjusted so well here and SO love this country and our community. We could not have ordered a better group of neighbors with whom to share our building and we could not have picked a better neighborhood!

A year later, I reflect back and I am filled with awe at all our family was able to accomplish in such a short time. I no longer feel like an outsider looking in at Jewish History in the making. I feel like a part of the process and like someone who can make a difference merely by living out my dream.

Chicago…home for me for nearly 50 years…home to ALL of my immediate family and home to SO many friends of mine/our’s. I will always have special feelings for Chicago. It is a magnificent city with wonderful people. (I REALLY like Mayor Daley and Chicago politics!) I miss my family but am heartened by the knowledge that they are so happy for us. Thanks to modern technology, we see each other often on Skype—an ISRAELI invention) and talk on the phone nearly every single day. Yet, in spite of all of these good feelings I have and truly close feelings I have to the community in Chicago, I wouldn’t trade my life HERE for anywhere else…not for a million dollars (roughly 3, 810,000 shekel at today’s exchange rate!)

With one year now behind us and B’ezrat Hashem many years ahead of us, I can only hope and pray that we will continue to live a life filled with joy and happiness and health. While it is NOT realistic to expect everything to be good and to never have any setbacks and to never know sorrow and pain…I CAN daven that these things will be few and far between.

I am eternally grateful to Hashem and to my family for enabling me to realize my lifelong dream of hearing the call from Hashem to live in HIS land. Those of you reading this who may be thinking, “I wish that was ME,” can do more than just “wish.” You can take steps to make that dream come true…I am living proof of this.

May Hashem watch over us and all of the other Olim who are coming up on their one year anniversary as well. We ALL have a long road ahead of us, but with the help of Hashem, one day, we will become fully integrated members of society, here in Eretz Yisrael.

Rear View Mirror

2010-06-21T09:53:00.002+03:00

As we approach our one year anniversary of Aliya (!), I sat and re-read some of the posts I wrote exactly a year ago on this blog. All I can say is "wow!" When you are going through it and things are happening like they were back then, it is hard to realize the frenetic pace and craziness of all that is going on. But, as I look in the rear view mirror and sit (quietly, calmly) in my home here in Israel and look back at those postings, I almost feel exhausted. The "funny" thing is that when I was writing about all the things left to do and the events left to attend, little did I know that one BIG event that would occur prior to Aliya was waiting for us in the wings...my dad getting very sick very suddenly. It also means that it will be a year since his BARUCH HASHEM complete recovery bli ayin hara and one that we are grateful for each and every day. I hope to make a Seudat Hoda'a (thanksgiving meal...little "T") for this event. As far as our Aliya anniversary (this Sunday, 15 Tammuz on the Hebrew calendar), there will be a gathering of Olim here in Maale Adumim which we will attend. SO DIFFICULT to believe it is almost one year, BH.

More on that later this week...

Let There Be Light

2010-06-17T10:21:00.004+03:00

Last night, I joined tens of thousands of people to walk through the Old City to view a marvelous exhibit. For the past two weeks, there has been a public "Light and Sound" show happening in the Old City. It literally drew thousands of people to see various displays and movies. In addition to the lights that were displayed all over the area in a wide range of colors (colours for my Canadian friends!), you were greeted at Sha'ar Yaffo (Jaffa Gate) by a robot about 3 meters tall made of foam and light. Inside, and projected on the outer wall of the Hurva (newly rebuilt) synagogue, a movie was played showing the history of the building, its destruction, rebuilding, destruction and yet again its rebuilding. (Sad that for the most part the visiting to the Hurva has been hijacked by a small group of individuals. Yet another example of taking something beautiful and making it into a symbol of the fiefdom of a few). One of the most impressive things though had to be the lights that were set up on Har HaZeitim (Mt of Olives) facing inwards towards the Old City as you look towards the Kotel. Massive lights alternating in various patterns shone brightly in the nighttime sky. Why do I say that this was the most impressive? Because as I looked at those lights on the right side of my field of vision and then looked at Har haBayit on the left side of my field of vision, I could only imagine in my mind's eye the light that emanated from the Temple Mount in the times that the Bet HaMikdash stood and the light of the Menorah shone into the houses of Jerusalem. I was comforted by the feeling that this light--the OR CHADASH--will once again shine on Jerusalem in the near future B'ezrat Hashem. However, it is necessary for us to realize that this won't happen ONLY B'ezrat (with the help of) Hashem. It requires our input and action as well. But, looking around lately at how Jews have been acting towards each other (no, not a new story!) here in this country lately and the crazy, out of control actions of one sect trying to hijack normative Judaism and claim it as its own...these actions delay the Or Chadash...the New Light that we all pray for. I can only pray that these people will "see the light" sooner rather than later and help to replace the "artificial" lights on Har HaZetim with the light of the Menorah on Har HaBayit, bimhera b'yamenu!

Checkpoints

2010-06-14T13:12:00.002+03:00

A few moments ago the news was received that three police officers had been shot in the Southern Hevron Hills area and that one of them just died. In additon, there have been a few other terrible incidents the past few days. All of these have been as a direct result of the closing down of some of the checkpoints on the roads and allowing the Arabs to travel freely. This then enables these terrorist animals (sorry to insult the Animal Kingdom) to roam freely for their next victim. Once again, Israel gives up something and in return receives violence and murder. We give away Gaza (and by doing so hurt the lives of 8000 Jews!) and we get Hamas and murder. We once again have the same scenario in the area that checkpoints are closed down.
And what concessions and "gestures" do the Arabs give/make? Do we have Gilad Shalit? Do we have a recognition of the country as ISRAEL? Do we have less preaching of hate and muder and death to the Jews? Do we have any less TV shows aimed at little kids to glorify jihad? One simple answer to all these questions: NO. NONE of this happens because we do not demand it enough and the world does not care. If the world truly "cared" there would be more of an outcry about Darfur, the Congo and the list goes on and on. The same old refrain for centuries..and most clearly nowadays...demonize and marginalize the Jew and his country. If you do that the world will nary make a peep.
I need to go read the news now to read all the world condemnation that will pour in due to the outrage of the murder of the JEWISH, ISRAELI police officer. I am sure that the UN will have their inquiry and commission get right on that...The UN...HAH! That's a joke. The UN is truly the UNITED Nations...united against Israel.

Car-less and Korach

2010-06-10T08:24:00.007+03:00

Now that the Netivot 2010 program has ended and the kids have safely (BH) returned home, it is time for me to turn my attention back to many items that have been on hold for weeks. But, since the program IS over, I had to return the car that was on loan to me during the duration. I was asked by a few people if I miss having the car...the truth: NO! This is not a matter of sour grapes. Having a car here in Israel is not like in the States. When driving in Yerushalayim, and I did plenty of that, is like driving in the Indy 500 while blindfolded and driving backwards with directions being given by a blind man who is unable to speak. I had two small fender benders along the way (neither my fault thankfully) and the pressure sometimes got to me while driving. In between cities, the driving was nice and often relaxing. it WAS nice t be able to do shopping by car and not bus, for sure, but in the long run there was much more (and IS much more) that I accomplish on a bus: I can learn, I can rest, I can shmooze, I can relax and not worry about traffic.
So...while I truly appreciated having the car, it is just fine to be without one for now. Once I have another group like this, it will be back in my hands, but till then I will indeed leave the driving to Egged.

It only occured to me last night that this week marks a double anniversary for me. It is THIS week's parsha (Korach) on which I announced our upcoming Aliya and it is this week's parsha also on which I made my "goodbye" speech. I sit here and think back to those two events and I amazed at all that has transpired in those years and especially the past year. However, I will save the reminiscing to a later date once we are here the full year BE"H.

I am re-printing below the speech I gave when we "announced" on Korach 5767 that we were making Aliya. I do this more for ME than for the readers, as I found that moment most liberating to be public and I enjoy re-living that moment.
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Parshat Korach
5767
Public Announcement of Our Aliya Plans
June 16, 2007

Every year, when we read the Parsha of Korach, the same thought runs through my head. It is not a thought that I tend to share with others but today, I think it is appropriate.

As you recall, Korach challenges Moshe and Aharon in their capacity as leaders. Not only that, but we see an amazing Pasuk that absolutely boggles the mind:

וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח מֹשֶׁ֔ה לִקְרֹ֛א לְדָתָ֥ן וְלַֽאֲבִירָ֖ם בְּנֵ֣י אֱלִיאָ֑ב וַיֹּֽאמְר֖וּ לֹ֥א נַֽעֲלֶֽה:

Moshe sends messengers to have them appear before Moshe. Not only do they refuse, but they make what had to be the most Mechutzefdike statement ever made to Moshe:

הַֽמְעַ֗ט כִּ֤י הֶֽעֱלִיתָ֨נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֨רֶץ זָבַ֤ת חָלָב֙ וּדְבַ֔שׁ לַֽהֲמִיתֵ֖נוּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר כִּֽי־תִשְׂתָּרֵ֥ר עָלֵ֖ינוּ גַּם־הִשְׂתָּרֵֽר

I can not even fathom how Moshe Rabbeinu must have felt on that day and at that moment. The man who had spent his entire adult life serving Hashem to near-perfection had just been (as they say in modern vernacular) DISSED in a big way. He had been dis-respected to the nth degree.
Moshe, being Moshe Rabbenu, reacts in a proactive manner to show them that in fact Hashem is not happy with them, nor with their power grab.

We all know the end of this narrative in that Korach and his followers are swallowed up and never heard from again.

And what is it that I think about each time we read this Parsha? How fortunate we are here at KJBS. This idea, that the person leading his congregants and being maligned, taunted, derided and mocked by his so-to-speak congregants is an all too familiar one in the American Synagogue. How often do we hear of shuls that are in fights with their rabbi and who break off from their shuls (only to put the name of SHOLOM or AHAVA in the name of the NEW Shul). How commonplace it is to see people speak with chutpza to the Rav of a shul or in many cases, behind his back.

However, I must acknowledge here this morning, that it is with complete gratitude to HKB"H that this has NEVER been the case in my 8 years plus while serving as your Rav. NEVER have I been in such a position. This does not mean that I have not been questioned or gotten into heated debates at times as part of normal human interaction.

But, how fortunate I have been to serve this shul and NOT ever, not even once been in a position that Moshe Rabbenu and hundreds of rabbis after him have been in...publicly being humiliated by those he is entrusted to care for. Yes, I feel blessed to be in such a situation.

And this year, like in all of these past years, I think of this, on Parshat Korach. And that thought today makes me a little sad. Because it makes what I want to say to you today even more difficult than I thought it would be to say.

If you had looked in the sky the past few weeks you would have seen a few things flying: birds, planes, helicopters.....and rumors. These rumors had to do with my future here at KJBS as your Rav. So, today, allow me to clarify many of these rumors and put speculation to bed, once and for all.

As you have noticed over the past eight years that I have served as your Rabbi, I have exhibited a passion in one area that transcends our shul. The area I speak of is the Land of Israel. My passion....my FAMILY'S passion is one that can truly be called a שלהבת a fiery passion for Israel. It has been our dream, since Andy and I were married nearly 26 years ago, to make our permanent home in Israel by making Aliya.

I stand before you today to announce publicly that we are in the process of making this dream of our's become a reality. It is our family's goal to make Aliya iy"h in June 2009, two years from now.

While it is still two years away, I felt it necessary after speaking to the administration to go public sooner rather than later so that the rumors and speculation can end and facts can be discussed and we can move forward.

While I am very aware that this announcement may come as a surprise to many of you, I want you to understand that it is not by any means an easy decision for a variety of reasons. First and foremost our familial ties to the city of Chicago. Secondly, my very close ties to our Shul family and third, our close ties to the extended family of the community of Chicago.

However, if I am to be honest with myself and true to who I am, I must realize that our desire to live in our HOMELAND and be מקיים the Mitzva of ישוב ארץ ישראל will supercede all of these obstacles. We have been inculcated with the idea of Aliya since we were growing up. I have personally spoken about Aliya for many years. I can think of no greater example to set for our community than to make this ultimate move and go live in Israel.

I want to make a few pledges today before we begin Mussaf. First, until the day I leave for Israel, I will continue to act in the capacity as your Rav. The future plans of Aliya will not impede my work for the Klal. It is, as they say, "business, as usual."

Secondly, over the course of the next two years, anyone who has even a glimmer of a desire to make Aliya and is interested in speaking with me about this track, please feel free to do so. It is the שלהבת that burns in me that wants to assist others. BUT, I do not intend on becoming a "poster boy" for Aliya and making "stump-speeches" and go RAH RAH RAH ALIYAH. I think that you know me better than that. I hope to lead by example.
Third, after we are already living in Israel, and in particular in Maale Adumim, I will continue to be in contact with as many of you as possible. Either in the capacity of Rav, if so desired or in the capacity of "former Chicagoan." With the communication available today, I will be an email or phone call away.

Finally, when the time comes many months from now that the shul begins the process of looking for a new Rav, I stand willing to help in any capacity in which I am able to assist in that process, if it is desired by the shul.

I ask for your blessing and support on this journey. It will be a much easier journey knowing I have the support of the shul I so love. It will make the road less bumpy and ultimately, I pray it will lead some of YOU to join US along the way, as well.

I am certain that this announcement leaves more questions than it does answers, but we have a long time together still IYH and I hope, over the course of the next two years to answer as many of those questions as possible.

Shabbat Shalom!
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Hard to believe...three years since I gave this speech...

It has been forever since I last posted!

2010-06-06T17:49:00.001+03:00

And once again, the reason for that is the incredible amount of time that the Netivot program has taken. But, BH, it has been an outstanding run and below is my last posting regarding the group. I plan to return to regular postings in the next day or two. I can not believe that pretty soon, I will be writing about our one year anniversary in Israel!

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As I write this last posting for Netivot-Chicago 2010, the students are moments away from landing in Chicago. I can not believe that the program has come to an end! it seems like yesterday we all went to the airport to greet the plane. *sigh*

Here are some final highlights and thoughts as we bring this program to a close.

This last week was a hectic one and an emotional one, as well. After bidding goodbye to the schools and their fellow students, we all headed on a tour of soem sights in Tel Aviv including the location of the founding of the State of Israel, Heichal Ha'Atzmaut. We had a chance to be in the Mediterranean and do some shopping in the flea market in Old Jaffa.

The next morning, we went to visit Yad Vashem. There really is not much that one can write about this, but suffice it to say that it was an overwhelmingly intense morning. After lunch, we went to the Rabin Youth Hostel where we heard once again from Michelle with Stand With Us, a "hasbara" organization. She was magnificent in explaining to the students the issues with the Gaza boat incident and answered many unasked questions.

We were all treated to a dinner in the city by the Aarons who were in town and this was followed by an evening known as the "Preida" or the (beginning of) saying goodbye. A few short speeches were then followed by the kids putting on skits, and as the saying goes, a good time was had by all.

The next morning, Friday, our day began at Har Herzl. The most poignant moments were our standing in front of the graves of Michael Levin and two others whom our guide (Miriam) knew before they were killed by Arab terrorists. I recited a Kel Maley for them and then a general one for all those who fell in Israel in battle or terror attacks.

We were then off to the Old City to do some last minute shopping and walking around. Finally, from there we went to Mahana Yehuda and some to Ben Yehuda.

Then, we were off to prepare for our last Shabbat together...a bittersweet moment indeed.

Friday night, we davened at the Kotel. While that alone was beautiful, a most amazing thing happened after Tefilla...a group of about 100-150 soldiers were in the plaza singing and dancing and our guys joined right in in an amazing show of love for our soldiers and our people! The boys had a fabulous experience in that circle!

Dinner and a walk back to the hostel for our last night together...

On Shabbat day, we all could feel that nervous tension building as the clocked ticked down towards the end of Shabbat. After tefilla in the morning, we gathered together as I made a Siyum to commemorate the first Yahrzeit of Mrs. Amy Kahan. We learned in her memory and some former ICJA students who had been in the same hostel joined us for this as well.

In the late afternoon, we all sat around and spoke about what the trip meant to all and what they would miss, what they liked and how they had changed. It was amazing to hear some of the comments that were made!

And then the moment came...the bus would be heading to the airport for the journey back to Chicago. Even upon arrival at the airport, it was written all over the faces of the students: I do not want to leave! Tears flowed as goodbyes were made. Finally, at about midnight, all us (the madrichim and me) sat down to have a bite to eat and breathe a little bit and to think about the awesome experience we all just had shared over the past 7 weeks.

And now that it is over, a few thank you's are in order:

To Shmarya, Yael and Yocheved...I can not tell you how happy I am that i got to know you through this project and I can not thank you enough for all of your hard work!

To Roni (the director of Tlalim) and to Tami (his assistant) I am so happy to have had all of your assistance, help and guidance throughout the program and even before the kids arrived in Israel.

To ICJA for allowing and even encouraging the kids to come here. You are to be applauded for the forward-thinking in educating our kids in a different fashion!

To ALL of the wonderful teachers both Limudei Kodesh and Limudei Chol...your efforts were so appreciated and the students learned SO much from you!

To you, my dear students, thank you for allowing me to become a part of your lives and for all the trust you placed in me. You are a special group that have this memory to share forever!

To the parents: Thanks for sharing your wonderful children with me and with Israel...we tried our best to make you proud!

To Dani Yemini, Ilan Osrin (Oz), Zev Schwartz and all of our friends at Bnei Akiva, thank you for your help and your involvement in the program!

And finally but of course really first: A thank you to Hashem for all of the assistance in this entire endeavor. We, none of us, would be anywhere without the help of Hashem in everything we do!

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IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS PROGRAM. ASSUMING YOU (THE STUDENTS) ENJOYED, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO BE AMBASSADORS FOR FUTURE NETIVOT PROGRAMS.

I WISH ALL OF YOU A PLEASANT SUMMER AND I LOOK FORWARD TO GREETING ALL OF YOU BACK IN ISRAEL IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

Rabbi Zev M Shandalov
TLALIM EDUCATIONAL TOURS
Director
Netivot-Chicago 2010

The Last "First"

2010-05-18T08:16:00.004+03:00

It is now Erev Shavuot 5770, May 18, 2010. Tonight and tomorrow, we will celebrate Shavuot with Jews around the world. While I plan to stay up all night and learn--as is the custom--daven at sunrise and then go to sleep, this year, Shavuot takes on a slightly new meaning.
Ever since our Aliya--a little less than a year ago--every chag, every holiday, be it minor or major was a "first" of sorts. It was our first Chanuka in Israel...our first Yom Kippur...our first Yom yerushalayim and on and on. As with other holidays, tonight marks the first Shavuot for us in Israel as Israeli citizens. But, it occurred to me last night that this is the "last first" as far as the Jewish calendar is concerned! We arrived 2 days prior to the Fast of 17 Tammuz last year. The next significant date after Shavuot is (no, not my sister's birthday!) the Fast of 17 Tammuz. So that means that once we celebrate Shavuot tonight/tomorrow, we will have gone through the entire Jewish calendar year.

It is so hard to believe that this is the case since on the one hand it feels like we just got here a couple of months ago and on the other, it seems like we have lived here forever! Shavuot is a time to rededicate one's self to Torah, both in terms of learning and in terms of practice. This year, it represents that and a whole lot more to me, personally. As we approach our one year Aliya anniversary (BE"H on Sunday, June 27, 2010--15 Tammuz), we have decided to mark the date in terms of the JEWISH calendar. So, instead of July 7th being the significant date, 15 Tammuz is "our" date. It is getting closer...and the feelings, emotions and anticipation are SO radically different THIS year than last year!

So, I best get ready for this "last first" before I run out of time. One last item, though...today is my great-nephew's brit milah. And while we can not be there in person, techonology is great that it will enable us to "particpate" long distance by the computer. Exciting day...!

A "GREAT" Yom Yerushalayim

2010-05-12T08:20:00.003+03:00

As I write this, we are in the midst of celebrating Yom Yerushalayim, the day on which after nearly 2000 years, the COMPLETE city of Jerusalem was in our hands as of June 67. It is my first as an Israeli citizen and I am looking forward to many aspects of the day.
Last night, I attended a wedding of the son of the man I work for. It was held on Kibbutz Bet Guvrin (yes, the same location as the "dig") outdoors under a beautiful sky with perfect weather. The meal, dancing, etc were all outdoors and it could not have been more gorgeous! BUT, in the middle of the chuppa, my cell phone rang, and I saw it was a call from my parents. I ran to the side to answer the phone and was given the good news: my niece and nephew, Mindy and Yaakov Samberg had a baby boy!!! Mazal tov...this meant I was GREAT uncle for the very first time...how exciting this was! It was a particularly emotional moment, as I also realized it is the first (of MANY, BE"H) smachot I will miss in Chicago. (But we do hope to skype in for the Brit next week!).
And if that was not emotional enough, the chuppa came to a conclusion with the singing of "Im Eshkachaych Yerushalayim"...on the NIGHT of Yom Yerushalayim...it meant SO much at that moment. It was followed by Tefilla Chagigit for Maariv in honor of the special day!

This afternoon, we are all going in to Yerushalayim to take part in the RIKUDGALIM, a flag dance with 75,000 of my closest friends. We will all dance in the streets of Yerushalayim to further accomplish that which it says in the Navi Zecharya:
עוד ישבו זקנים וזקנות ברחובות ירושלם
Yes, the time HAS indeed come that Rabbi Akiva referred to at the end of Masechet Makkot. We do see the streets of Jerusalem filled with young and old...dancing, singing and living as FREE Jews under JEWISH leadership (flawed, but Jewish!). We have been zoche to also say:
עקיבא, ניחמתנוִ עקיבא, ניחמתנו
(Akiva you have comforted us--with your vision of Yerushalayim).

Yes, we are indeed comforted that Jerusalem is our's. Yes, we are comforted that Jerusalem will BE"H NEVER be in the hands of an oppressor again. And yes, we are indeed comforted that people can live as free Jews in the Land of Israel. No, we do not have a Bet HaMikdash and no, the government of Israel is not Mashiach ruling over the Jews. No, it is not perfect! But...JERUSALEM IS OUR'S FOREVER, no matter what any administration of any other country may claim!

The worst part of the day? The sad fact that there are still Jews around the world who do not recognize that today, YOM YERUSHALAYIM, is a cause for celebration. That instead of Hallel, they are reciting Tachanun. It is also sad that such a significant percentage of people do not recognize the NISSIM GLUYIM (revealed miracles) of the Six Day War and are not "makir tov" (do not show gratitude) to Hashem for what He has done for us. If only R' Akiva could stand near Har HaBayit now and declare that he sees that vision of Zecharya come true with his own eyes...then we could ALL say: AKIVA NICHAMTANU, AKIVA NICHAMTANU!

Yom Yerushalayim Sameach to ALL Jews, no matter what they choose to say/not say in Tefilla. Next time you are in Israel, make sure to stop by the Old City of Jerusalem. You will recognize it by the white dome of the Churva Synagogue which has been re-built...just like Jerusalem itself!

אִֽם־אֶשְׁכָּחֵךְ יְֽרוּשָׁלָם תִּשְׁכַּח יְמִינִֽי

With Greetings from Hashem's Home Town...

Israel's newest Great Uncle

A Trip Up North

2010-05-10T15:54:00.001+03:00

As my time has been spent mostly on working with the Netivot program lately, my blog has been fairly silent. Most of my posting has beenon Facebook for the Netivot-2010 page. Below is my latest entry and I am including here on my blog as it is a record of the past few days.

As I write this, I am on the bus on the way back home from Tzfat after an amazing few days up North! Our trip began on Thursday morning with our first stop at Tzipori, an ancient village in the Galil. We learned about the assimilation of the Jews into the Roman way of life, art, culture, etc and how the Jews had internal debates as to how to deal with the threat to the Jewish people. This threat was both in terms of physical and spiritual attacks. We saw the “Mona Lisa of the Galil,” a beautiful mosaic on the floor of an ancient shul.
From there we travelled back some 2000 years to the time when our ancestors lived a very different life. We experienced this in Kedem (in Hoshaya). Here we spoke about why the students are here in Israel to study…we davened Mincha…ate a lunch similar to that of our ancient ancestors and then dressed in costume for our tour of the area…ON DONKEYS! As the saying goes: A good time was had by all!
Our last stop of the day was to take a hike down Mt Arbel. It began with a lookout over the region from the top of the mountain and was then followed by a climb down the mountain-side. (I have a severe fear of heights, but I figured, I would try it too. But we got to one point and the vision of my wife and three daughters flashed before my eyes and I turned back…not because it was unsafe but because I just couldn’t handle the heights!)
Everyone (else!) enjoyed the hike as we met them all at the bottom of the mountain, tired but happy. Then it was off to the hotel for some much needed rest!
The next day (Friday) we spent some time on top of Har Bental in the Golan Heights overlooking a large area of the Golan and also saw the Har Hermon (snow covered) in the distance. What a magnificent view! From there we went to eat lunch (a BBQ). For some reason, the local gnats felt that they were invited to the party as well! After filling up on good BBQ food, it was off to the Jordan River for kayaking. It was not a super hot day but being in the water and kayaking did bring welcome relief from the heat of the day!
And then, it was time for preparing for the best day of the week: SHABBAT! But not just any old Shabbat,,,a Shabbat in Tzfat. After candle lighting, we davened Kabbalat Shabbat in the Ar”I Shul. The significance of this is that it was the Ar”I HaKadosh who instituted Kabbalat Shabbat in Tzfat…we had the opportunity to back to the roots of this Tefilla! We opted out of the Carelbach davening nearby (two hours long…a bit much!) and were back in the hotel for our Shabbat Seudah. The meal, dvar torah and benching concluded, and it was sleep time…for SOME of us! The next morning, we were back at the same shul for tefilla followed by Kiddush and Seudat Shabbat. Before we all broke up for the afternoon, we had a group discussion revolving around making use of the special time available and the wonderful opportunity they all have being in Israel for these few weeks. Then, most decided to take a loooooong rest and some of us decided to sit around and enjoy the beautiful day. It was nice to share this Shabbat with the girls and staff of Midreshet Moriah, who also were there for Shabbat. Our girls will be in their school soon, so it was nice to see all of them as well.
Shabbat late in the late afternoon, a few of us took a walking tour of Tzfat led by Shmarya and me as we walked around and discussed some of what we were seeing. Shamrya then took us to a very high area on a mountain top where there is a memorial to fallen IDF soldiers from Tzfat and the view from up there was INCREDIBLE! We saw the Kineret, Tveria, a large area of Tzfat and the surrounding cities.
Mincha, Maariv and Havadala and a beautiful Shabbat came to a close. As we travel back to the schools and I travel back home, we look forward to yet another great week in which we will all celebrate Yom Yerushalayim and do other special things as well.
It is hard to believe that this program is already 3 ½ weeks old! It has been intense, fun, uplifting, challenging and thought provoking. I pray that it will continue to get better and better and I look forward to the next 4 weeks together.
Shavua tov from somewhere in the Galil, en route home!

Lag Ba'Omer

2010-05-01T23:18:00.002+03:00

Fire, fire, fire...everywhere I look tonight I see fires burning! I had the opportunity right after Shabbat to go into Yerushalayim. On the way, and especially once I entered the city, I saw fires EVERYWHERE I looked in celebration of Lag Ba'Omer.
Leading up to tonight, you could see kids collecting ANYTHING that would burn, for the past few weeks. Tree trunks, panelling that had been tossed out, wood, sticks, you name it...if it burned, it was being collected for tonight's bonfires all over.
But, then the weathermen used the dreaded word: RAIN...not only was it supposed to rain...it was supposed to pour! All of the dreams of staying up all night around bonfires were about to (pardon the pun) go up in smoke!
HA...they were wrong! It is a gorgeous night and the fires are a-burning! In Mitzpe Nevo there is a huge bonfire with a concert going on as I write this. So, instead of WRITING about it, I am going out right now to EXPERIENCE it!

Happy Lag Ba'Omer...or as I heard someone tell me tonight: LAG SAMEACH!!!

Yom Ha'atzmaut--Better Late than Never!

2010-04-22T20:17:00.004+03:00

Life got pretty busy and complicated the past couple of days, so I am just now getting to the write up about Yom Haatzmaut.

While I have been very proud to be an Israeli since 15 Tammuz, 5769 (July 7, 2009), I was MOST proud this week on Yom Haatzmaut. For the first time in my life, when I celebrated this momentous day, I truly FELT it! Whether the tefilla, the flags, the celebratory feeling, the greetings from strangers, the food, the music, etc...all made me FEEL the day as an INSIDER.
A large part of the day was spent in Neot Kedumim (not far from the airport) with about 2500 of my closest friends. There was a reunion of all of the Camp Moshava programs across the USA. I took my kids from the Netivot-Chicago program there and we all had such a nice time. I had the chance to re-connect with some people I have not seen since we made Aliya! Then, irony of ironies, we went to my uncle for a BBQ (Yom Haatzmaut tradition in Israel) and I could not anything!!
Remember when I said life had gotten busy? Well, I suddenly developed an infection in a tooth which decided to hurt the most on Y.H. and made it impossible for me to eat. Since we had yet to choose a dentist, I needed a referral FAST! I had two people recommend the same person and I called him up and was given an appointment for the next day. I wasn't in the chair 10 minutes before he had to begin a root canal. Thank G-d he did it...I felt so much better!!!

(BTW, on the list of things that are cheaper in Israel vs. outside of Israel...add root canal to the list...about 1/3 the cost!)

Shortly after I began feeling better, I ran to Kfar Saba to be with one of the Netivot girls who had to be taken to the hospital (thank G-d doing better). Got home two in the morning, but glad that I went there altogether.

This Shabbat is a double special Shabbat! My parents, who are in from Chicago will be staying with us and the 7 boys from Netivot will also be in Maale Adumim for Shabbat (coincidence? I think not!)

Kids, Flags and Another Siren

2010-04-19T08:51:00.002+03:00

One of the reasons my blog has "gone silent" for days has been my involvement in the Netivot Chicago program that I am doing. As referred to in previous posts, there are 18 kids who have now arrived from Chicago to finish off their 10th grade studies here in Israel with classes and tiyulim. While their plane was delayed by almost two hours upon arrival in Israel, at least they made it here! NO volcanic ash disrupted their travel, BH. We hit the ground running and have not stopped! If you wish to follow our adventures, please check out NETIVOT 2010 on Facebook for a journal and pictures of the group!

As I write this it is Yom HaZikaron...another first for me: First time I am in Israel for Remembrance Day. The day began with a siren last night at 8pm to mark the beginning of the day. TV and radio show interviews with families who have lost loved ones in battle and in terror attacks. The country has a somber feel today as people greet each other with a little less enthusiasm. Estimates are that tens of thousands will visit 43 cemeteries around the country during this period of national remembrance. In about 2 hours, there will be another 2-minute siren, at which point the country will once again come to a complete standstill to honor its fallen soldiers and its terror victims. I can not but help thinking of all those whom I have personally known that we will remember today. And then, the mood will shift tonight with the beginning of Yom HaAtzmaut...a national day of celebration. A day on which the country joins together to celebrate its birth in May 1948/ Iyar 5708. I have watched this transition in Chicago for years, but the significance obviously HERE will be much different. There are celebrations planned for all over the country tonight and tomorrow. I plan to be at the one here in Maale Adumim. I am sure it will be a wonderful day, B'ezrat Hashem!

In honor of the coming of Yom HaAtzmaut, there are flags literally EVERYWHERE you look! People hawking them on the street, hanging in windows, from balconies, on cars, etc etc etc. It is a beautiful sea of blue and white. I am reminded of the words of the Rov (R Yosef Dov HaLevi Soloveichik) who said that he sees three colors on the flag of Israel: Blue, White and RED. The red being the blood on which this country was built...the blood of its fallen soldiers. How appropriate to think about today, on Yom HaZikaron.

How Far We Have Come...How Far We Have to Go

2010-04-12T10:13:00.003+03:00

Today is Yom HaShoah...Holocaust Remembrance Day...around the world. Unlike any other community in the world (to the best of my knowledge), only in Israel is a siren blown for two minutes during which time the entire country comes to a standstill.

I had never been here for this siren and I wanted to be fully aware BEFORE it began in order to "prepare" myself. At first, I thought I would go to the local mall and observe as a large crowd of people came to a standstill. As I thought about it more, I felt that solitude would be a better approach but not solitude without some meaning. I left my house 10 minutes before the siren and went around to the other side of the mountain...the side that faces Yerushalayim. I felt it would be symbolic to stand and look at the mountains of the holy Yerushalayim during this moment. I would stand there thinking about those murdered during the Holocaust while looking at a vista that millions could only have dreamed of. What would have been, had there indeed BEEN a State of Israel at that time of history...that is a question left to be pondered as the siren was about to begin.

At exactly 10am, the siren began and I was completely caught off guard for what happened to me emotionally. Tears began to flow almost the second I heard the beginning of the sound. I thought about those who lined up to go to their deaths thinking that they were going to a shower; of those who hid in the forests to save their lives and of those who put up a battle in the Warsaw ghetto.

As I looked at Yerushalayim and thought of these people, I also began to think of how far we have come in such a short time!

Instead of speaking of Six Million in terms of how many were murdered , we can also speak about the six million plus (kein yirboo!) of the Jews now living in Israel. Instead of underground fighters or partisans in a forest, we have the IDF, a military might the envy of all modern nations. We have a country in which we are free to openly be Jewish and express that Jewishness any way we feel appropriate. We have control (to a degree) of Har HaBayit and ALL of Jerusalem. Since 1948, Israel is ruled for the first time in almost 200o years BY JEWS. Yes, there is always a haven for Jews here in Israel.

And yet...we have so far to go! Open today's newspapers and see that Anti-Semitic acts in 2009 DOUBLED world-wide; we have a monster in Iran who publicly declares death to Israel with most of the world not caring; we have country after country calling for divestment, uprising, destruction, etc etc of this beloved country of our's.

Yes, we HAVE come very far in 62 years...but we still have so far to go...

Chol HaMoed

2010-04-04T08:37:00.003+03:00

One of the hallmarks of Chol HaMoed (the intermediate days of the holiday--between the first and last day) in Israel is the "tiyul." Loosely translated this means the hike/trek/journey. What it refers to is packing in to a car or bus with many of one's worldly possessions that have to do with food prep and/or hiking paraphernalia and heading out to various locales around the country. The roads are JAMMED with people traveling to and fro in search of "just the right spot" to make a BBQ, or to hike some cliff that beckons, to walk a winding trail or just to sit along a beach and soak up the Vitamin-D.

In the past, for me, Chol HaMoed meant a pretty much regular day, a day trip to Gurnee Mills (shopping mall outside Chicago) and many hours spent thinking about what we should do during this quieter time. However, here, we were determined to be Israeli and join the (literally) thousands of people for one or more Chol HaMoed outings.

On the first day of Chol HaMoed, we made our way to Tel Aviv where we met up with my in-laws spending Chag there in a hotel. After a nice lunch together, the girls went one way and Andy and I spent a wonderfully relaxing time walking on the boardwalk next to the Mediterranean. It was AMAZING to see the range of people there! Sefardim, Ashkenazim, secular...all out doing various forms of relaxation and vacationing...we saw kite flying (with payos-clad chasidim on the other end of the string); fishing, BBQ'ing, skateboarding, singing with musical instruments and many other activities. We were just content to sit there and enjoy the gorgeous weather.

The next day, we all headed to the area of Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea. When I say "all" I actually mean ALL of Israel...at least it seemed that way! According to the paper, apparently, 6800 other people did the same thing we did! I guess that is why I noticed a 6-10 KM back-up on the road heading South as we returned heading North! We sat a distance from the Dead Sea and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings, as we did by the other body of water! The heat was NOT too intense and the time we spent there was just right...not too short and not too long.

This was followed by a magnificent Shabbat with guests at our table and a special Motz"ash (Motza'ei Shabbat): We went into Yerushalayim to see some of my cousins that were in celebrating the Chag. As an added bonus, we were invited to go to the Old City on a particular roof-top for a small "concert" by Chaim Dovid (see here for who he is if you are not familiar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8CNTZ_Wb2s&feature=youtube_gdata)

The location was a few hundred meters from Har HaBayit, the night breeze was cool and intoxicating, the music was gorgeous and the ambiance was just perfect.

What a wonderful Chol HaMoed this has been! Hard to believe that tonight is the last night of Pesach already! There is something in our Shul tonight that (to me) is quite unusual and unique. I imagine it is done in many places, but I just never did this: There is a public reading of Shirat HaYam (Az Yashir) in honor of the 7th day of Pesach followed by Divrei Torah on the subject...just hope I can stay awake for it!

Chag Sameach!

Seder...ONE Seder

2010-03-31T09:17:00.002+03:00

After many years of anticipating Pesach in Israel, it has finally arrived. For those who know me well, you already know that I have always had a difficult time with the Second Seder, as it was always the most "in-your-face-golus" moment of the year to me. I did all that was required, of course, but deep down, it was always difficult. This year was the beginning of a new period of life in that regard. We joined together with our (wonderful) upstairs neighbors and had a magnificent Seder! It was made all that much more special knowing it was the ONLY one we would make this year. We sang, read the Haggada, ate, enjoyed and then, Seder 5770 was a memory!

On the day of Chag, I woke up early and davened at the early Minyan like usual (6:30am) and had the morning to sit in the beautiful weather to learn and relax. We were out for Seduat Chag and then a nice leisurely walk home for a quiet afternoon.

Before you knew it, the first day of Chag was over and we were making Havdala to begin Chol HaMoed. While I did indeed miss the family in Chicago and all of the usual family traditions, we were "comforted" by the fact that we began a new series of traditions right here in Israel.

This week, we will go to visit my in-laws who are spending Chag on a program in Tel Aviv, I will go to the Kotel for Birkat Kohanim and see what little side trips we may make...

Best wishes of Moadim L'Simcha to all!

Burn, Baby, Burn!

2010-03-29T13:07:00.003+03:00

It is now Erev Pesach, 5770. It is our very first Pesach in Israel, as Israeli citizens and a moment that I have personally dreamt about for years. Last year, when we sang L'Shana Ha'Ba'a BiRooshalayim, it had a very different meaning back then. Now, as we prepare to welcome Pesach 5770, I walk around Mitzpe Nevo and I look toward Yerushalayim! (By the way, I look at a GROWING Jerusalem, no matter WHAT the president of the USA says!)

After Bedikat Hametz last night, I put the hamtez in a bag to burn this morning. I was told that there usually is a public burning in the area. Well, surprise...no special area (seemingly) was set aside for this as in years past. One of the reasons I am told is that many of those old locations are now either filled with grass, houses or other things that prevent making a fire in those locations.

So, I joined a neighbor, hametz in hand, and drove around to find some other wayward souls looking to burn their treasure. We came across a couple of young guys attempting to build a small fire in a VERY windy area. We got out of the car and joined them to build the fire down a small hill surrounded by a rock wall. We gathered some small sticks, placed the hametz in the pile and threw in some matches. The wind kicked up and before long the hametz was burning strongly! I kept thinking that instead of smelling the fire from THIS, I looked forward to NEXT year when we would smell the Korban Pesach burning on the 14th of Nissan, B'ezrat Hashem!

Having now made the Haroset and helped out in the house, we are all getting closer and closer to the Seder. We will be sharing the Seder with our upstairs neighbors, the Zion family, who also made Aliya (a couple of years ago). Truth is that we ALWAYS had Seder (sedarim!) at my parents' home, so while we are ALL looking forward to this Seder, it will definitely be strange to not be with our family in Chicago.

As this will be the last post before Pesach, I will wish EVERYONE a Chag Pesach Kasher V'Sameach!!! May this be the last one without the Korban Pesach and may we all share in each other's Korban NEXT year!!!!!

Pesach is Upon Us...Almost!

2010-03-26T10:42:00.004+03:00

(Kashering Utensils for Pesach--Mitzpe Nevo 5770)

Pesach indeed is CLOSE! it is evidenced by all 5 senses:

I walk down the streets in Mitzpe Nevo and hear vacuum cleaners going all over the place. I see items being thrown out for cleaning purposes; cars being dismantled for cleaning; people shlepping dozens of bags of groceries; kashering of utensils (see pictures) for Pesach use. I smell so much of the Pesach cooking going on in the neighborhood. I feel the feeling of dust on my hands as we continue our (brief) Pesach cleaning. I taste Pesach, as I have had the opportunity to taste some Pesach items already and await more!

Music

2010-03-23T16:17:00.004+02:00

When I was a kid, you had three choices to listen to music: someone played an instrument, you listened to the radio or you listened to an LP (Note to those under the age of 40...please consult an encylopedia as to what an LP is. Actually, consult Google to find out what an encyclopedia is and THEN find out what an LP is!). Other than that, there were not that many other choices.

I witnessed the birth of 8-Track tapes, cassette tapes, CD's, Sony Walkman, iPods, iTunes, etc., etc., etc. It is as if every day there is a new method to bring music to the world. I must say that this is a VERY positive advance over the years. Why? Because music is a very powerful tool. Besides the obvious, music has a POWER to transport you to another time and place. For example, you may recall where you were the first time you heard any number of famous songs. Some songs bring a smile to your face as it helps you recall a happy or winsome moment in your life. Other songs may make you sad, as the song may remind you of someone or someplace associated with a sad memory. Yes, music is very powerful.

And why do I mention this today? We are, along with the rest of Jews around the world, in the throes of PESACH CLEANING. While it is somewhat easier this year, it still is Pesach Cleaning. While I work, I like to listen to music. I don't listen to music all that often and certainly not for sustained periods of time. But over the past few days, I have listened to a lot of music both on CD and iPods (not mine...daughter 1, 2 or 3!). And I find myself listening to the same songs I listened to over and over last year in April, May and June...as we packed up and prepared for our journey home to Israel.

And as I work, and I listen to this same music from that time-period, I find I keep pausing to think back to those days. Days of anxiety, days of excitement and days of "what-would-be?" It seems like so long ago, yet when I pause listening to that music, I FEEL inside, and I mean DEEP inside, the same feelings I had back then, almost a YEAR ago.

It was a magical if not scary time...one that I will never forget...and if this year is any indication, I will re-live those memories every year via music for many years to come, B'ezrat Hashem.

Now, back to cleaning...after one more song!

Of Licenses, Motorcycles and a Tiyul

2010-03-19T08:19:00.005+02:00

1. Licenses: As in a DRIVER'S license. As those of you who have been following this blog know, Andy and I made the decision after 8 months (already 8 months!?) of being here to bite the bullet and work on getting our driver's licenses. In the States, you learn the Rules of the Road, take a driving test, take a road test, go to the DMV, get insulted by some city workers and then get your license. Here, it is slightly different. First of all, if you are getting a license for the first time, it is MUCH more difficult. You take over 25 driving lessons (that cost a little less than a small car), followed by a test and a few other steps (see below). You learn the Rule of the Road....not the "rules" but just the "rule." And that rule is DRIVE DEFENSIVELY! Always assume the other guy wants to be in front of you and will do anything to accomplish this.

In any case, as we were technically just converting our licenses from USA to Israeli ones, the process is a little less confusing. But, it is still a multi-part process which we began this week. Step One: Go to a participating optometrist where you have an eye exam and have your picture taken. The picture is stored in the computer (to be used by the License Authority for the actual license). You also have a copy of this picture imprinted on the Tofes Yarok (the document that follows your path with you until receipt of the license...guess what color the document is...). STEP 2: You then take this Tofes Yarok to a doctor who must then say you are physically fit to drive. Ok, that was accomplished with no problem as well. Step 3: Go to Misrad HaRishui (the License Authority) where they inspect the documents to ensure that you may go to the next step. Ok, that's done, as well and on to the next step. That next step is to schedule a driving lesson. (You also pay a small fortune to take this lesson as you are paying for the instuctor's time and usage of the car and insurance so that you may drive his car) Yes, after driving for 35 years, I need to take an official lesson. It is this man who determines your future! If he feels you need more lessons, you need more lessons and will spend a fortune on them! If you are ok in the driving lesson, you move to the next step...the driving test. But first, you go to the Post Office, get another document to show you have paid for this step, take that to the instructor, take your test and then (if you pass) you get your temporary license. Once you pay for the final one, you get the official permanent license. Oh, and at the test, the instructor does not tell you if you passed or not yet. Why is that? One time, an instructor told a person taking his test that he had not passed. Reacting to this news, the driver decided to shoot the instructor...not TOO aggressive! As a result, they made a rule that the instructor calls the driver later to inform him.
After Pesach, we hope to finish this arduous process and I will keep you informed. In the meantime, try not to let the suspense of whether or not we succeed keep you awake at night!

2. Motorcycles: As long as we are on the subject of driving, an observation about motorcycles here in Israel. There are thousands on the road here and you can not miss them. There seems to be a set of unwritten Rules of the Road for motorcycles...not only must you be first, you must also weave in and out of traffic, cut off buses, speed to the front of a line up at a red light and drive recklessly, all with a helmet on....the kind of driving that must make a mom proud!
In any case, I thought I had seen all the various permutations of how motorcyclists make the roads more unsafe...that is, until yesterday! I was in traffic (last day of the car usage) in a two lane road, ie, one lane in each direction. In between the lanes was a concrete island medium that was raised from the ground a few centimeters. As I sat there in traffic, carefree yet alert, I heard a noise coming up on my left side. In my rear view mirror and getting closer and closer was some hot dog driving on the median! The width of this median was about 1 mm wider than his tires. One small misstep and he would not be riding much longer. As I sat there somewhat in disbelief, I smiled to myself and thought, ah, yes...the motorcyclist's goals are being met: get there first, get there dangerously and do it with all the speed and flair you can muster.
IF ONLY ISRAEL WERE AS AGGRESSIVE IN ITS PR/HASBARA TO THE WORLD AS THESE MOTORCYCLISTS...WE WOULD BE IN GREAT SHAPE!

3. Tiyul: As we have nothing else to do a week before Pesach (LOL!), Andy and I decided to join our fellow Olim in Maale Adumim for a Nature Tiyul in our area. We walked through a valley/wadi observing the various flora, fauna and wildlife. To cap off the evening, we made a small, roasted marshmallows and baked fresh pita! We were guided by a local Nature Guide who has lived in Maale Adumim for over 20 years. We not only learned a lot, but truly enjoyed ourselves. As we were winding down, rain suddenly began to pour down on us and we all ran for cover and then back to our warm homes. It was a very special tiyul and we are grateful to have had this opporunity. We plan that during Pesach break to B'ezrat Hashem, take more tiyulim and enjoy this magnificent country.

Driving

2010-03-11T10:39:00.004+02:00

Because I have gotten involved (as a part of my job) overseeing the Netivot program of students coming to Israel to finish their 10th grade studies here, I have had to do a LOT of running around: meetings at the host schools, meeting with the teachers, setting up schedules, meeting the counselors, etc. I have had the opportunity to have a car for a few days. This was to enable me to do this and get to all the meetings (spread all over the place!) in an easier fashion. So, for the first time I am really driving around parts of the country. Some observations: it is easier than I anticipated with the HUGE exception of driving in Yerushalayim. For example, parking in Yerushalayim. Now that is somewhat of an oxymoron. It is akin to saying Cubs and World Series in the same sentence or Chametz and Pesach or, well....you get the idea! I am sure that the government pays people to take up all the parking spots in the city so that anyone who has no experience in FINDING a spot will be able to do so. In addition, you also can not get "there" from "here" in many cases. Ooops...this is the BUS LANE you fool...get out of this lane. Phew, at least I am in the turning lane awaiting the green..so why is everyone honking? Poor individual that they are all honking at. Wait...they are honking at me! Turn...turn!!!!

Other than a couple of minor issues like this, it was very gratifying and simplifying to have this opportunity. I need to return the car today...but in Or Yehuda by the airport...where they DO indeed have parking places.

All this action has led Andy and me to FINALLY take the steps to get our driver's licenses. THAT is not an easy task considering the 103, 894 steps that are involved. More on that at a later date!

I hear through the grapevine that Pesach is on the way. It has been SO different this year for me as I am not in the throes of the prep I would have done in my role as rabbi. It is not "better" or "worse." It is just different....

Busy...

2010-03-07T22:35:00.003+02:00

While the trip to the States of a week and a half ago, is very recent, I have been so busy since returning that it seems like I never even went away! I returned on a Wednesday, the next day was Taanit Esther, when I found myself in Jerusalem for a meeting already. Friday, we were very busy in the house getting it all ready to host a crew of some of my former students (which was a wonderful experience!). After Shabbat was Purim (see previous posts)...Monday we were in Jerusalem again (see previous posts)...and Tuesday, I hit the ground running working on the Netivot program that our company has taken over. This meant finding teachers for TWO locations (boys and girls); finding counselors, closing the deal with the host schools and on and on. This is going to be a HUGE project for me personally (overseeing the program and teaching in it as well), but it has the potential for being magnificent as well. I am very much looking forward to this. (Over the next three days, I have many follow up meetings, cirricula to finish building, people to speak to, etc etc). All of this is happening as I also work to stay in touch with those people with whom I met in the States. Oh, yeah, and PESACH is coming!

SO...time to get some sleep so I can face tomorrow's challenges all over again: BARUCH HASHEM! Life is truly grand....

Purim--Part II

2010-03-01T21:13:00.003+02:00

The rest of OUR Purim (ie, the 14th of Adar) was outstanding. I spent the (rainy) morning and early afternoon, delivering a few Mishloach Manot and participating in two great "events." The first event was just outside the Bet Knesset...two HUGE speakers were set up and there was LITERALLY dancing in the streets for Purim. The sun came out just at the point we were dancing! As cars came by, their drivers either got out and joined in the dancing or had to wait a while to be able to pass. One Egged bus had trouble getting through as a throng of kids from Bnei Akiva were dancing around the bus; the driver did not seem to mind at all...he was smiling the entire time.

Then, came time for Mincha...silly me...I expected a regular Mincha. Silly Oleh Chadash! The nusach of Mincha went back and forth between tunes for Rosh Hashana, the Chagim, Rosh Chodesh and weekdays. (A Kaddish to the tune of "GESHEM" was also wonderful)...but during the Chazzan's repetition of Shemona Esray, we sang and danced to various parts, especially for the Bracha of "Boneh Yerushalayim" and for "Modim." It was a wild Mincha...one that I will remember for a long time.

Then, mid-afternoon, we joined three other families for Seudat Purim. We had a magnificent time! Great food, divrei Torah, a fun game played by the adults and the kids all added up to a wonderful end to a great day. Our first Purim in Israel DEFINITELY did not disappoint!

Today (Monday, the 15th of Adar and Shushan Purim), we went into Yerushalayim to go to my in-laws for THEIR Seudat Purim. Going on the buses, standing in the streets, listening to the sounds of the neighborhoods...it was Purim EVERYWHERE you looked!! All I can say is: "WOW!" It truly was a memorable Purim...next stop...PESACH and ONE seder. More on that at a later time...

:)

Purim!

2010-02-28T08:42:00.003+02:00

Everywhere I look, I see Purim! Last night, as I walked to shul to daven Maariv and hear the Megillah, it struck me that (like Shabbat), everyone around me is celebrating Purim! I do not need to fear ridicule walking down the street in my (strange) costume (except the ridicule from my kids, maybe!). Someone mentioned to me that you go on a public bus today (or tomorrow in Yerushalayim) dressed all crazy and no one even looks twice at you...since they too are dressed strangely!

The atmosphere of JOY and HAPPINESS is palpable...people driving down the street honking and waving; firecrackers; costumed children and adults; ability to give Matanot La'Evyonim; Mishloach Manot and on and on and on!

At the Megilla reading last night, something happened and I literally burst out laughing. They have a pre-determined list of 18 places where people make noise for the name of Haman (yemach shemo). Someone holds up a pony-on-a-stick for 15-20 seconds and then after that the noise dies down. After the 18th Haman and the cacophonous rendition of sounds, I sat awaiting the last few sentences of the megillah. Suddenly, there was one more (seemingly) impromptu clanging and noise-making. Yet, what in the world caused this noise? There were no more occurrences of the name of Haman?!? Then, I realized, the people were making this noise for an additional word: מס--"MAS" or "taxes." I found it quite funny to have 300 people "hocking" for Haman and "hocking" for taxes! Only in Israel!! :)

I look forward to delivering the Mishloach Manot this year as we have about 20 to deliver and not the usual 120 (no joke!). While the weather has been VERY wet here (BH), today is a mix of clouds and sun...hopefully we can get through the day with the rain LATE and the festivities un-marred.

Chag Purim Sameach!

Back at Home!

2010-02-25T19:27:00.002+02:00

After being away from home for 10 days, it was great to get back home. Actually, before I even left NY, I had a very funny thing happen to me. I had left my 2 suitcases at a home in Lawrence (while I went to Chicago). So, when I returned to NY, I had to get to the house, get my stuff, re-pack and head back to JFK for the trip home. I took a taxi to this home and the driver was a foreigner (I know, you are shocked). In any event, we got to talking, and in the middle of the conversation, he asked me where I was from. I told him that I live in Israel, to which he replied, "You speak English very well!" While stifling a laugh at this (and at HIS remarkable command of the English language), I explained that I grew up in the USA for over 50 years. Just had to be there...

So, here I am sitting back in my little home-made office pecking away at the computer, trying to stay awake and get some work done before going to sleep (is 7:00pm too early to head off to bed??!!) I actually went into Yerushalayim today for a meeting...it was incredible to be back there. Seeing PURIM everywhere I turned and feeling that I was back in the Holy City made me feel wonderful.

Finally, at Mincha today (Ta'anit Esther), I discovered that the man who works in the local Makolet (grocery store) is a sort-of relative! He is a first cousin to a guy who is married to a first cousin of mine in Toronto. What a tiny little Jewish world we have....and I am thrilled to be back in the home of the Jews!

Now, getting ready for Shabbat (we are hosting a few of my former students for Shabbat) and then on to Purim...how great!

"I Don't Think We're in Kansas Any More!"

2010-02-16T02:46:00.012+02:00

My silence of the past many days is due to the fact that I travelled to the States for 10 days and did not want to post that fact in such a public way until I returned...never know who may be reading these postings!

In any event, let me begin from the beginning about the trip and share with you some of my thoughts, impressions and some stories along the way. (Full disclosure: I am actually writing this in real time but saving my work to post when I return. Otherwise, I would never write all of this out of shear laziness!)

I planned on this trip for several factors...all work related. There was a conference in NY of the Young Israel rabbis, which was my original impetus to go in to the USA. It would be at that conference, that I could have a booth and perhaps be able to approach many rabbis at one location to discuss group travel to Israel. As long as I was going to go in, it would have been futile to make this my only stop, so I went through a process of finding various schools and synagogues in the NY and NJ area who would be willing to listen me as well. I wanted to make these personal visits besides just a phone contact from Israel. Again, my main goal is/was to find groups wishing to go to Israel to do their arrangements through Tlalim/Authentic Israel. After I had made the arrangements, a bonus of sorts occurred. Our company will be handling a certain student program (NETIVOT) that runs out of Chicago AND a couple of synagogues in Chicago expressed interest in doing a group trip. SOOOOO...I had to add 2 days on to the trip so as to go to Chicago as well. (Since I am writing this in real time, as I said earlier) I have not yet been there, but I am indeed excited to see the family again!

And now for some thoughts/impressions about the trip:

Honestly, I was very reticent about making this trip. The reason? I would be leaving Israel. After being in Israel for 7 months, I really did not yet feel "ready" to leave, albeit for a short stint. Nevertheless, I consoled myself with the thought that the PURPOSE of the visit was to encourage others to come and visit Israel. Once I got past that, I was ok...for the time being.

I got in line at Ben Gurion to check in through security and (for the first time) used my Teudat Ma'avar (Israeli passport-equivalent for the first year after Aliya). I mentioned this to the one checking me in (and I was SO excited to be checking in as an Israeli), and his reply was something along the lines of, "Oh...did you pack this suitcase yourself?" See!? Even HE was excited for me (self-delusion goes a long way in mental health). I tried my enthusiasm for using my Israeli passport on the ticket agent. She, too, was so happy for me! I could tell because when I told her this was my first time flying as an ISRAELI, she asked me how many bags I would be checking...WOW! Such love and joy she showed at that moment; I will not soon forget it!

The flight was uneventful and soon (if you call 12 hours 13 minutes soon) I found myself on American soil. You will forgive me if I did not bend down to kiss the ground as I had on 07/07/10 (aliya-day) in Israel. I am not into kissing the FROZEN-AS-SOLID-AS-ROCK-BECAUSE-THERE-WAS-SNOW-ON-THE-GROUND kind of ground! In any event, I made my way to the hotel and spent my first day in NY just decompressing in advance of the business at hand.

Some thoughts that were running through my head at this first foray out of Israel since Aliya.

* Planes, trains and automobiles: While the airport remain a bastion of security both in Israel and in the USA, I was thrown for a loop at the COMPLETE lack of security in certain respects...walking completely unimpeded into stores...being able to enter all of the various mass transport systems with virtually NO screening (I know there are cops everywhere...it still would not prevent--G-d forbid) a person from...well, let's just say, it would not be a pretty picture.

* I was VERY aware of the fact that in many places, I was the only Jew present...at least the only identifiable Jew present. I was CONSCIOUSLY aware of my kippah...being on a train and needing to recite an "Al HaMichya" after eating a mezonot item...I was conscious of not being able to recite it without thinking someone was "watching" me.

* On the other end of the spectrum...there are SO many Jews in NY! I kept thinking how wonderful it would be if only 10% of them would make Aliya! Can you imagine the impact? I would LOVE for major rabbanim to stand up and tell their followers and those who turn to them for life advice that the time has come to relocate to Israel. What would happen??

* Due to the proximity of all the places I need to go to, I am staying in Brooklyn. I noticed that in Boro Park (where I am writing this at 4am unable to sleep still on my 3rd day!) I was virtually the only one walking down the street and davning (at Shomrei Shabbos) in a kippah seruga and the only one (seemingly) not pushing a baby stroller (read:carriage). And while this did not bother me, I did indeed long to be back in Mitzpe Nevo! At the same time it is BEAUTIFUL to see the Jewish people continuing to grow by leaps and bounds bli ayin hara!!

* To ride the public transportation here, you use a Metro card. It gets slid in a slot to allow access to the trains and buses. Doing this to get on the train I found to be no problem. Doing this upon entering a bus...well, I was a very confused person! There are only four possible ways to insert the card into the reader. As the driver on the bus (in TWO instances) watched with utter contempt, I managed to insert the card three wrong ways before the driver literally grabbed it from my hand to insert it himself. (As I boarded the bus, I had the car in my hand to "flash" to the driver like my Chofshi Chodshi--monthly bus pass--in Israel thinking I could gain entry like that...poor soul that I was!

* The train system in NY is incredible! Not only that, there are updated cars with computerized systems that show all of the next stops, the transfer points and other viatl info that make it VERY hard to mess up!

* I found the population in NY that I had to deal with VERY friendly and helpful.

On this trip, I had the opportunity to visit in a couple of communities that I have only been to once in the past: Teaneck and Riverdale. (While I also visited places in Manhattan and Brooklyn, I had been there many times before this). I was very impressed with the schools and the shuls I saw and their love of Israel and desire to get people there AT LEAST for a visit!

As I write these words, I am sitting in the library at YU (Yeshiva University)...also my first time here. I will have the opportunity to see my many nieces and nephews living here in NY as my school/shul visits in NY have now concluded. I found this trip be very rewarding in that it looks like we will get some business from the visits. But, at the same time, I found myself being VERY homesick for Israel (and NOT just because the weather here was so awful!).

After Shabbat in Lawrence, I will be heading to Chicago for the last leg of this visit. Meetings straight through most of the two days I am there but I MAY just squeeze in a few minutes with family! I assume I will be davening at KJBS along the way...I think it will feel a little strange, but it WAS my second (first sometimes??) home for so many years...it will be nice to see the people!

One thing significant that I forgot to mention the other day needs to be mentioned. I was sitting in my room about 8am a couple of days ago getting my things ready to leave. I heard 3-4 ambulances go by, but in this area that is nothing unusual, so I paid it no mind. Then, in the car, I turned on the radio to find out that around the corner from my hotel a 5 year old boy slipped on the ice on his way to the school bus and the bus struck and killed him (R"L). I froze in my tracks to know I was right there and to think of the deep, searing pain this family is now faced with. I was truly affected but this and thought about the boy and his family all day long. This morning (Friday as I write this), I went to the home to be menachem avel. I arrived to find them still in the middle of davening Shacharit. I plan to head back there again in a few minutes. No, I do not know them. But as a fellow Jew and being literally around the corner, I am somehow drawn to be there with them, even for a brief moment. May Hashem give the family comfort they will struggle for for many years to come.

Now, a few hours later, I have just returned from the Shiva home. I entered with great trepidation but knowing I HAD to be there. When I entered, I was taken aback by the vision of such a young father sitting shiva for his son (I saw the mother only moments before I left the home). In addition, seeing their two other sons sitting with their father for the loss of their baby brother...it was heart-wrenching. While the father conversed, mostly in Yiddish, with those around him, his eyes kept making their way back to me. I could see him wondering who in the world I was. As I rose to recite the Hamakom phrase, he asked me to sit down...he wanted to know who I was. I explained that I live in Israel, was in town on business and was staying around the corner. I told him that I felt I HAD to come to the home. He was most touched as was I as we spoke for 10 minutes...I do NOT write these words to say "Look at what I did..." I write these words to continue to encourage ALL Jews to show love for each other, no matter their background or Hashkafa. Here I was sitting with a Kippah Seruga in a room FILLED with black hats, bekeshas, long payot, all speaking in Yiddish and without a doubt seeing this as a world completely foreign to me. Yet, at the same time, I was at home...home with fellow Jews and trying to share in their pain. We should NEVER need to express our love for our fellow Jew in this manner, but never, ever hesitate to reach out and be "nosei b'ol im chavero." (Loosley translated, we are required to feel another person's pain). May the Altman family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim!

I am now off to Lawrence for Shabbat and then on Sunday, I will be in Chicago for the first time in 7 months. Shabbat Shalom...

It is now Tuesday morning. I am sitting at O'Hare (ORD) airport awaiting my (delayed) flight to NY. It is the perfect time for reflection on this last leg of the trip.

Chicago...I arrived with both anticipation and a little bit of anxiety. The anticipation of seeing family and some friends for the first time in 7 months was something I had eagerly awaited. But, oddly enough, there was some anxiety involved as well knowing I would be in the "ol neighborhood", attned KJBS, see some people on the streets...would it feel wierd? Would I feel out of place or would it feel natural like I was just there?

The answer to all of those questions became apparent very quickly. On the one hand, it seemed like I left only two days ago. But, honestly, on the other hand it seemed like I had been away for a very long time. It was kind of a strange feeling coming in to daven at KJBS for the first time in over 10 years not in the role of the Rav. But, everyone was SO welcoming and it really was SO nice to see everyone there. While I was here for a VERY short time, a few people did drop by or call and it was indeed great to see them and/or talk with them. I simply did not have the time to run around and see the many people whom I would have like to have seen, but being here such a short time and on of the 2 days being FILLED from beginning to end with meetings...well, it just was not possible to really get around. It was VERY strange driving by my old house but one thing funny did happen. On Monday night at about 9:00pm, I finished my penultimate meeting and headed back (supposedly) to my parents home. Except the car was on auto-pilot and before I knew it, I was pulling up in front of my old house on Lawndale! After smiling to myself and having a good laugh at my
own expense, I headed back to the right place.

While here I met with two shul rabbis about trips they are looking to put together and also went to the Academy (ICJA) to speak to the teachers, parents and students about the Netivot (10th grade program in Israel) program. It was VERY special beig literally bombarded in the halls of the school by students asking how I was doing.

So, it is now the end of the trip. Whether or not it will be considered succesful will be seen over the next few weeks. I am grateful to all those who made the time to see me about the business (Authentic Israel/ Tlalim) and will be trying to put together a group. It's hopefully going to get very busy!

Time to go home..I am READY TO GO HOME!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2010-02-13T23:01:00.002+02:00

A couple of days ago, I went to yet another grammar school here in Maale Adumim. This time it was Maale HaTorah for Girls. I was going to tutor a student there but arrived faster than I had anticipated, so I had some time on my hands. I decided to wander the halls and check out the place. On the one hand, it was VERY similar to most day schools I had seen/attended in the States. There were the required art projects relating to the Parasha; various pithy statements posted on the walls and the occassional child running giddily down the hall. But one thing I saw stopped me in my tracks and really made me think. On the wall, I observed the graduating class pictures of the past few years. Having such pictures on the walls of grammar school is a very common occurence. However, what struck me between the eyes was the make up of the class. I was looking at an amazing mix of Ashkenazi, Sefaradi, Anglo and Ethiopian girls in the various classes. I looked at the names...I looked at the faces..I looked at the teachers...and I said (probably out loud for others to hear!) "V'kabtzenu Me'arba kanfot ha'aretz" ("...and gather us in from the four corners of the world.") It is a phrase we say daily in our Shemona Esray. And here I was staring Kibbutz Galuyot in the face. How fortunate are these children to grow up in such an environment that within the one class they had such a beautiful mix of young Jewish girls. And while (sadly) many of these girls would witness one form or other of prejudice as they grow up, for now, their faces smiling back at me in the picture merely showed how far we as a country and we as a People truly have come. Baruch Hashem...may we continue to see more and more Jewish children from all over the world share a classroom here in Israel!

A Chumash Presentation

2010-02-09T22:04:00.003+02:00

I had an amazing opportunity tonight to have an insight into some aspect of eduation here in Israel that I normally do not have. My daughters are all out of grammar school (with my YOUNGEST in 9th grade), so it has been a long time since I sat in on a program in grammar school when kids get their first Chumash. In the past, I have indeed attended numerous programs of this nature, all of which were very sweet and meaningful.

A couple of days ago, I was approached by my neighbor, a boy in first grade at the local school (Maale HaTorah for Boys) asking if I would attend his Chumash presentation. I was SO touched at the request as his father was unable to attend due to being out of town and he was asking ME if I could be there with him. Would I!?!? Of course!

The auditorium was filled to capacity with the children all in various costumes and the parents with digital cameras and videos of all shapes and sizes. As I sat there reminiscing about the times my daughters went through this rite of passage and the times I saw other students do this in the schools I had taught in, I wondered how tonight's experience would differ.

Indeed it was quite different: The entire program had various aspects of Kabbalat HaTorah re-enacted; there was dancing on floor with the boys and their dads (or their stand-ins); their was a re-enactment of standing at Har Sinai to get the Torah; there was a re-enactment of Hashem offering the Torah to the other nations of the world after which the Bnei Yisrael accepted it;the boys all stood under Talitot while singing "HaMalach HaGo'el.."; they all read the first few Psukim from Breisheet together when they got their first Chumash; the Chief Rabbi of Maale Adumim (Rav Katz) spoke beautifully to the children and the excitement of the kids was truly palpable.

I am truly honored to have been a part of this evening. Benny: Thank you so much for including me! I will never forget it...

Weather, Family and Iran

2010-02-07T08:13:00.003+02:00

1. Weather: Seems like there is a lot of weather happening in the Eastern section of the United States...beautiful blankets of snow and things shutting down all over the place. While it is not as dramatic here, the weather did indeed take a turn here recently. I had commented not that long ago to someone that the heaviest coat I had to wear so far had been a fleece zip-up and was suprised at the mild weather this year. This person said to wait until February and "it will chill you to the bone." Being from Chicago (and believing that with the exception of two days in Vilna) I could handle any cold thrown my way, I shrugged off this comment and went along with my business. In addition, I continued to snicker (albeit under my breath) at those who were walking around with winter coats, scarves, gloves and hoods when the temperature was a balmy 12 (54) degrees outside. I mean, give me a break...if we had that temperature in January in Chicago, you would have seen people laying on the beach suntanning!
Let me tell you something...when you begin to get used to this nice weather for so-called winter and then you get hit with driving rain, strong winds, a little hail, temps around 5/40 degrees...it feels VERY cold! While I was not happy being so cold, the upside of course is that it rained...A LOT, B"H. Yes, winter indeed does come (eventually) even to Maale Adumim!

This week, we had the pleasure of a visit from my brother, Dov. It was SOOO nice to see him and host him for Shabbat. We sat and talked for a long time and had MANY good laughs (usually at each other's expense!) But it truly was special to have family close at hand, albeit for a very brief time.

Iran has been in the news a LOT lately as every day there is another clim and counterclaim as to their intentions regarding fissionable material. For many in the world, it is merely an interesting news story. However, living in the region that Mr. "I'm-In-A-Dinner-Jacket" (our modern-day Amalek, may his name be blotted out forever!) of Iran has sworn to wipe off the map, we sit up and take notice a little more....and the rhetoric gets stronger and stronger. It will be somewhat reassuring when severe sanctions are place on them to at least temporarily prevent them from moving ahead with their "plans." I know that the average person does not write letters to his/her elected officials (and that is perfectly understandable), I urge anyone who has ANY say and ANY influence with media, politicians, etc to make some kind of noise to help support (at the bare minimum!) these severe sanctions being spoke about...But, I want to remind all of you that this is NOT just an "Israel" issue...this affects all of us both in Israel and anywhere Jews/Americans can be found.

Ahmadinejad is serious...take him seriously, please!

"Do You Miss Being a Shul Rabbi?"

2010-01-27T14:37:00.002+02:00

I have been asked this question probably hundreds of times. I figure that I can deal with it here, as well!

The answer (like any good "Jewish" answer) is "yes" and "no." Let me start off with one premise: I absolutely loved serving my community (and beyond) in Chicago in my capacity as a Rav. Without a doubt it was the most fulfilling 10 years of my adult life. I was afforded the opportunity to be involved in so many areas that most people do not have such an opportunity. There was never one single day where I would wake up and think that I was sorry to be in the profession I was in. Yes, it had its good days and its not-so-good days, without a doubt. Seeing deep-rooted problems and having to deal with them, both on an individual level and on a community level was, at times, debilitating. But that was far overshadowed by the involvement in so many good things in peoples' lives!
So, what do I miss about the position? I guess I would have to say that I miss the involvement in peoples' lives for weddings, smachot, (lo alenu) funerals, and day-to-day discussions/decisions. I truly love being involved in the lives of others. (That is not to say that I am no longer involved in peoples' lives...trust me that 7000 miles has not changed that completely! It is just different...So, I would say that that is one aspect I miss.

As far as everything else that went with the position of Rav...well, there are parts I miss and parts I do not miss. I do not miss the writing of a weekly Derasha/Seudah Shlisheet derasha/preparing a class in Navi/preparing a class in history/preparing a Mishne Berurah class etc. etc. each week. Don't get me wrong: I TRULY enjoyed giving those shiurim!! However, any shiurim or talks I give (and I have already given some here and plan--BE"H--to give more) are on a volunteer basis when I want to do them. There is a different feeling when doing it in a volunteer capacity. This also now affords me more time for personal learning, a rare commodity in the rabbinate.

At the same time though, I do indeed feel VERY connected to my new community here in Mitzpe Nevo and have already been involved with several families for different purposes. I guess that the rabbinical aspect of last ten years will always be a part of me...and that is fine with me. I am so personally grateful to my community in Chicago, and Congregation KJBS in particular for all the opportunities they gave me to grow as a rabbi and as a Jew (not that those two are mutually exclusive!). Yes, people still have stayed in touch and yes, people still write me with their questions...and I am more than happy to answer. In a sense, it is the best of both worlds. I still have some involvement in something I love doing and I am doing it in the land I love so dearly.

I don't know if that fully answers the question in the title of this posting. But I think that the answer may still be a "work in progress." More to come at a later date.

School, Shul Meetings and A Visit to the Gush

2010-01-25T09:18:00.002+02:00

One of the things I promised myself when we made Aliya was that I would still try my best to remain active in various organizations as I felt it is important to be involved and have a say in matters of public interest.

So, it was quite interesting to attend my first school meeting (having joined Vaad Horim--Parent Committee) of my daughters High School, Ulpana Zvia. I sat in the room with about 20 other parents who represented the parent body of students from grades 7-12. While I found some of the discussions no different from other school meetings I had attended in the States, there indeed were issues that were unique to Israel and our community in particular. I enjoyed discussions that revolved around uniforms, school funding, priorities in school projects, the quality of the lunches and many more issues. Parents were TRULY interested in working along with the school. Occasionally, I would smile to myself thinking that I heard some of these very same issues in Chicago school meetings over the years. But, I felt happy to be there to be involved once again.

And then, after Shabbat, I attended my first Shul meeting in over 10 years as an observer and not as the rabbi of the shul. How strange a feeling! If someone had been watching me during the proceedings, they may have thought I was a little "off," as I kept smiling to myself. Here I was on the heels of the school meeting, now sitting in a Shul meeting and, once again, I was hearing things raised that I have heard over many years of Shul meetings! I sat there and smiled to myself as I observed...but I will say that we, the members, dealt with issues quite seriously and the annual budget was handled very professionally.

Yesterday, Sunday, I visited in the Gush at the Midrasha and then in the community of Migdal Oz. I have no idea why I had a certain mental picture of the area that was SOOOOO wrong! It sits right in the middle of so many other yishuvim: Efrat, Neve Daniel, Rosh Tzurim and others. the view is magnificent and the beauty of the area is stunning. It is hard to be in this area and not think back to the events of pre-State Israel and the troubles, massacres, battles and more and the STRENGTH of those who rebuilt their lives in the Gush after devastating blows. My dear friend Kenny took me all around with an eye on the security of the area. We also stopped in the "reffet" (barn) and I watched the milking of hundreds of cows. What an amazingly interesting day!

(As I write this the rain is pouring down again. This is wonderful news, and we continue to get this much needed rain. May we be blessed with more but without the tragic consequences of last week!)

Rain and Siyum

2010-01-18T19:50:00.003+02:00

RAIN! It is not only raining...it is POURING. And it is a great day...we so desperately need the rain in Israel that when it began last night, you could almost hear every household cheering. I actually overheard a child (8 years old?) at the bus stop saying, "Baruch Hashem, our tefillot were answered!" While it can be inconvenient to get around, it is overshadowed by the SEVERE need for this water. The downside of course is that the roads are slick and there are many areas that have flash flooding. Sadly, one person has died in a flash flood and as I write this there is a truck with 3 passengers stuck in a flood with the IDF trying to extricate them. Reports on line are talking about a large rise in the water level in the Southern reservoirs greater than they have been in years. I am still waiting to hear about what the rain is doing to the Kineret. All I can say is that here we see with our eyes the power of the Tefillot and what it really means when we say "Mashiv Haruach...."

Last night was the 35th (!) yahrzeit of my wife's father, Louis Shoichet, z"l. As we have done for the last many years, I made a Siyum on the night of the yahrzeit in our home. What made this extra special was that it was the first Siyum (on Yevamot) that I made in our home in Israel. It was special to invite some neighbors/friends and have them participate in this learning of Torah. It just FELT right...

Ok...back to looking out the window at the rain. It is a beautiful sight...

Thoughts and Musings

2010-01-13T08:25:00.003+02:00

Some miscellaneous musings of the past few days:

The other night I was sitting at home after dinner and was thinking about our zechut of living here in Israel. Besides many of the obvious benefits of living here, one thing that I felt was an extra special privilege is living in a location that was located where it is...near Yerushalayim (without the prices of Yerushalayim!). I turned to Andy and said that I was going into Yerushalayim to daven Maariv at the Kotel. In reply to her query as to WHY I would just "pop in" to Yerushalayim like that, I replied: "Just because I can...." And that is the truth! From around the "corner" (it can't really be called a corner if the road is a curve) from where I live I can see Yerushalayim (I am looking at Yerushalayim every time I am davening). When I say Shemona Esray and daven that Hashem should return His Shechina (Divine Presence) to His home, and every time I ask for Yerushalayim to be re-built, I am looking at the very city I am davening for.

So, when I just felt "moved" to hop on a bus and daven at the Kotel, I did so...one of the perks/benefits of being here.
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When I entered the Old City through Sha'ar Yafo (Jaffa Gate), I was surprised to see what greeted me...construction! While it looks like a major archeological dig just inside the gate, it is nothing but infrastructure work being done for the next 18 months ("18 months"...like the Jerusalem Light Rail is right on schedule for completion Summer 2007!) . It surprised me, since I generally enter from a different location and did not realize that this was happening. I looked around and laughed to myself. In Chicago, the old joke is that there are two seasons in Chicago: Winter and Construction. Well, here it seems that there is just one season: CONSTRUCTION. Almost everywhere you walk in the City there is some form of construction...some, like the Light Rail, has caused MAJOR problems for merchants, while other work is just annoying to drivers.

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While reading the paper today, I counted no less than 13 (!!) stories about Moslems and various issues dealing with terrorism. Either they are murdering people or they are planning murder or they are causing security issues or declaring Holy War on those who use the name "Allah" and are non-Moslem. The world does not seem ready to use racial profiling to protect itself as Israel has done for many years. It is racial profiling that has (B"H) saved hundreds of lives in Israel. I sit here stupified as to why the world won't use this form of protective measure to watch over its citizens. Instead, being P.C.(and not affording the proper protection to its citizens)
is more important than offending one BILLION of the world's population.

And while I am at it, I would ask another question: If indeed Islam is the "peace loving" religion that it professes, why are the VAST majority of terror issues in the world Moslem-related and why in the world do those Moslems who want no part of this violent life-style NEVER stand up en masse to declare an end to this madness!?! (Actually a rhetorical question. I know excatly why they won't!) Yes, here and there you here of an Imam who will declare the actions of those perpetrating all these actions as being against their religion...but that is the problem: it is indeed once in a while and not a daily outcry.

Bottom line: Yisrael B'tach Ba'shem...אין לנו על מי להשען אלא על אבינו שבשמים !!!!!

May we all see the day where indeed the ENTIRE WORLD will declare: Hashem Echad U'shmo Echad!

Two Special Events

2010-01-07T12:02:00.006+02:00

It is rather incomprehensible that with all of the trips I made to Israel before making Aliya, and that with all of the groups I accompanied, I never--not even once--drove a car for a single kilometer in this country! The funny thing also is that when people would call me for DRIVING directions to come visit us...I could barely help them other than in general terms...BUS ROUTES? No problem at all! But that changed yesterday. I had a need to go to the Tel Aviv area and bring a number of items, and it would just have been MUCH easier with a car than with a bus. Enter a MAGNIFICENT neighbor who offered their car for me to use. (THANK YOU YONI AND SHIRA!!!!) I got in the car, put the gear shift into reverse..then into drive...and POOF...I was off. Let alone it was the first time behind the wheel of a car in 6 months. It was my VERY FIRST TIME driving in Israel. I was proud of myself that I navigated the highways and byways of our beautiful country. I tended to stay in the right lane and let people pass me, being a bit meek at first. However, by the return trip, I was right there with the rest of them, feeling very confident travelling the roads. It was indeed a very freeing experience. (I had this desire to pull over at every bus stop so it would feel like a regular commute, but that feeling soon passed!) Maybe one day we will get a car, but for now, I am more than content not spending money on: gasoline, insurance, upkeep, licenses, the car itself etc etc. (Someone did a non-scientific study and determined that a person can go EVERYWHERE by cab--we don't--that they need to go, and still come out ahead instead of purchasing a car! However, we WILL need to convert our American licenses to Israeli ones, one day...that will be an adventure all its own!

Second special event: TODAY, JANUARY 7, 2010 IS EXACTLY SIX MONTHS SINCE WE MADE ALIYA! It seems like we have been here for YEARS and that we have been a part of this life for a much longer time. When I think back to the first few days after arriving...it seems like a LIFETIME ago! It is hard to put into words how integrated we feel after such a short time. All I can say is Baruch Hashem, the experience thus far has been great and may it continue like this for 120 years...then we can re-negotiate!

I guess that the Israeli government wanted to help us celebrate our six-month anniversary. I was sitting outside (in the sunny 80 degree weather!) working when all of a sudden I heard a VERY low flying airplane. I looked up to see a one-seater-cropduster flying RIGHT overhead! He was "dusting" the areas of trees and vegetation on the surrounding valleys/wadis. This event brought out a lot of people onto their balconies to see what was going on. What a strange sight indeed. (It kind of felt like being at the Chicago Air and Water Show...but no water, and it was January instead of June/July) So, we saw hundreds of sheep in the wadi when we first moved in, and now 6 months later, we had this other special greeting. Life continues to be quite exciting, BH!

It's Freezing!!

2010-01-05T13:05:00.004+02:00

I am not referring to the temperatures though! While a significant portion of North America finds itself in a deep freeze, we, here in Israel, are in the midst of a different freeze...but this one is more of an existential threat, of sorts!

As many of you know, the Netanyahu government has instituted a freeze on any new construction in Yehuda and the Shomron. (If you just asked yourself "where is that," we have more serious issues on our hands!) After speaking to a few people in the USA, it has become apparent that the impact of this building freeze is NOT clear to many outside of Israel. So, allow me to explain in my plain and simple terms why this is a disastrous move.

1. Any individual in Yehuda and Shomron (Yosh) who was planning to build but had not yet laid down a foundation is not allowed to build for the next 10 months (now about 9). If he had laid out tens of thousands of dollars/Shekalim or if he had hired and paid an architect, or if equipment was already even brought to the site...tough luck! That money will do no good for the next 9 months.

2. And if you are one of those unlucky contractors whose heavy equipment is on the scene and not moving...you stand to have it confiscated by the government. If you have laid out tens of thousands of dollars/Shekel for materials..tough luck!

3. You're an Arab and need work (because Israel is a country where Arabs come into JEWISH areas for "parnassa" and Jews go into ARAB areas and get arrested [or worse c"v]). Well, you too are out of luck...soon, you will have no work.

4. Your family is growing BH and you need to add that extra room...the sun is a bit hot on you so you want to build a pergola/gazebo...you need to enclose that back porch because the wind, dust, flies or any other issue is bothering you: TOUGH LUCK CHARLIE! The government feels that adding on to your home or any other of these activities is an impediment to peace and no-can-do!

5. You are the USA government: What the Israeli government is doing is...well, ok...but nowhere near enough to appease the Arabs nor good enough, since East Jerusalem (!!) is not on the "freeze" list.

6. You are the Arab World...Well, enough said right there! Unless all building ceases in Yehuda and Shomron, Jerusalem (all of it), and any other location that they decide this week needs to be "frozen," Israel has done NOTHING.

So, let's recap this catasrophe: We can't build; homeowners are out millions of of shekel; contractors are out millions of shekel; the Arab workers will be joining the uneployment line; the United States government basically has yawned in reaction; the Arab world is wholly unsatisfied with this action, calling it a stunt.

In no uncertain, terms this move is a DISASTER on SO many levels. It has also led to a huge rift in Yehuda and Shomron with authorities coming in to cities to tear down anything they deem illegal.

This is tearing at the very fabric of this country.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF ISRAEL UNDERSTAND HOW TERRIBLE THIS "FREEZE" IS!

At the end of the ten-month-freeze...then what??!! Will the Israeli government deem it a "success" and keep it in force (c"v); will they admit that it was a failure (if so, do that NOW and get it over with so we can get back to building); or will it once again just be another item to check off on a list, along with the expulsion from Gush Katif etc etc.

If I didn't have 100% Emunah in Hashem, I would be going crazy...

To Walk the Land and to be Counted

2009-12-31T12:29:00.005+02:00

This has been quite a busy week in terms of getting around! A family was in from out of town whom I knew very well and had asked me to accompany them on some of their tiyulim in the greater Yerushalayim area (I am not--yet--a guide but with the exception of the 3rd day we had "professional" guides along the way). My purpose was to add a "flavor" to the trip both in terms of history and in terms of Tanach and Jewish Thought .

While I have been to Hevron numerous times, it is ALWAYS a treat to visit such an inspirational place as this. I say inspirational both in terms of the ancient history of our People and in terms of the local Jewish population. The few hundred Jews living there are TRULY seeing to it that Hevron maintains a Jewish presence...Kol HaKavod to them!

The next day, I found myself again in Ir David. I can not say this enough times...no matter if you have or have not been there before...it is an obligatory visit to see things that you only have learned about or heard about. Our guide was outstanding and made all of what we saw come alive. Imagine seeing David HaMelech's palace...the actual spring from where the Bnei Yisrael took water for the ceremony in the Bet HaMikdash for Simchat Bet Hashoeva and on and on and on...every step...every view is another peek back in time!

Our final day took us to the Southern Wall excavations and the Davidson Center. Again, a stop NOT to be missed on a trip...I read to the family from the Tanach from the sections dealing with the ascension of the bet HaMkidash and the subsequent downfall...we walked the ancient streets that still are there with the huge boulders thrown on those streets dating to the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash. We looked at Eicha and saw hope in some of the Kinnot we read on 9 Av every year. What a special moment to stand at the Southern Wall looking at the (sealed) gates through which ancient Pilgrims (and I am not talking with the Indians!) walked to be Oleh L'Regel. While it was cold and rainy (Baruch Hashem!) the mood was one of both joy and anticipation that we WILL indeed see this place SPEEDILY teeming with Pilgrims again!

And we walked...and we walked...and we walked the land...this magnificent Land! And then, I opened the paper this morning to learn some very nice facts and figures about this Land of our's.

As of now, there are 7.5 million residents in Israel (kein yirbu!) of which 5.983 million are Jews(74.5%). This number was bolstered in 2009 from two fronts....an amazing 160,000 (!!) babies were born (Kein Yirbu!!) and 14, 500 new Olim came to this country (that includes US!). BLi ayin Hara a thousand times over, this past year of 2009 was the least amount of deaths (due to murder) via suicide bombings in the past 10 years with a grand total of: ZERO. (Compare that to 36 in 2008). Instead of nearly 2,100 rockets falling on Sderot in 2008, there were "only" 160 in 2009. (Yes, even ONE is too many! But Baruch Hashem, that with Hashem's help, the IDF has accomplished that which they SHOULD have done 8 years earlier).

So, during this week, I certainly felt a part of this Land both in terms of WALKING it and in terms of "belonging" to it in terms of population growth and (B'ezrat Hashem) further expansion.

However, this expansion will only be fully possible if the government removes the RIDICULOUS and onerous building freeze in Yehuda and Shomron.

(By the way, if you STILL call it the "West Bank"--a term I NEVER use--you may want to consider calling this parcel of land what the JEWS call it and not what the Arab propoganda machine labels it. By calling it the W.B., you are referring to the West Bank of the Jordan River, indicating that this area is "connected" to the other side of the Jordan and NOT to the Land of Israel. And for those of you who think it is a matter of semantics...there is NO such thing in that regards...in this part of the world, words and titles make all the difference in perspective!)

The Ties that Bind

2009-12-27T13:38:00.004+02:00

It occurred to me that I had TWO forms of the word "tie" to write about (poor English grammar..., so sue me)...

When we landed on July 7, 2009 on Aliya, I removed the tie that I had been wearing. A tie had been a part of my wardrobe 365 days a year for the past ten years. That was then...this is now. As of the date of Aliya, I had not worn a tie (nor had a reason to wear one) for almost six months. However, the other night, I attended a wedding (my third in the past few months) and was told that at THIS wedding, I would be best off wearing a tie. So, I opened the bag into which all of my ties had been waiting dutifully to be used and scanned the lot of them. I took one in hand, and while walking to the mirror, I wondered aloud if I would remember how to tie a tie! Well, it was like riding a bicycle, and I was able to put it on with no problems. Except...after not wearing a tie for six months, putting on one now actually felt strange. How is it that something that had been so much a part of my dress had now felt so foreign and strange. I wore the tie until the middle of the dancing when I joined dozens of others who (blessedly) removed their's!

But there is another form of "tie" to talk about as well. On Sunday last week, I got together with some of my cousins from Toronto, who were in town for a visit. Then this past Shabbat, we had the pleasure of hosting Andy's twin sister, Sandy, her husband, Steve and my in-laws, the Shwarzsteins. Sandy and Steve are in for a visit from Chicago and my in-laws were "in town" from Neve Yaakov. As we all sat around the Shabbat table, and as we all sat in virtually the exact same seats at the table as we used to when we got together back in Chicago I realized how close our family ties truly are. We spent a beautiful Shabbat together catching up and picking up right where we last left off.

Our ties to our family both here and in Chicago and Toronto, and our ties to our new community in Maale Adumim are truly very strong ties that bind us together.

So, this past week featured one tie that was uncomfortable and one "tie" that was MORE than comfortable.

A Book on Aliya

2009-12-21T21:12:00.002+02:00

Living here in Maale Adumim, I have had the zechut of getting to know a lot of people with a lot of talent. Almost on a daily basis, I learn of the accomplishments of one of my fellow residents of this community.

It, therefore, came as no surprise to me that a neighbor of mine, actually living in my building, has just published a book that I wish I had before we made Aliya! Entitled "Oleh Chadash, The New Immigrant to Israel," Rabbi Mordechai Freidfertig captures so much of the Halachik and Hashkafik aspects of aliya for the Oleh. And while his book is geared to one who has or is about to make Aliya, the truth is that what I read in the book would be good for anyone to read.

He was given a very nice write-up in today's Arutz-7 in an article that can be seen here: www.israelnationalnews.com/News/news.aspx/135121

Many of the insights of this book are based on the teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, Rosh Yeshiva of Ateret Kohanim, a teacher of Rabbi Friedfertig, who disseminates Rav Aviner's works in English.

I stated on the first day I began this blog that one of the purposes of writing all of this is to hopefully inspire and educate readers in the subject of Aliya. Well, here is a book that will both educate and inspire! If you are interested in a copy, please feel free to email me or to comment on this blog entry, and I will send you the information about ordering the book.

Our First Chanuka in Israel

2009-12-14T21:33:00.006+02:00

As I have commented so many times before, this first year of Aliya is, quite obviously, filled with "firsts" quite frequently. This past Friday night, with the arrival of Shabbat, we began our first Chanuka in Israel. As soon as we finished lighting, I left for shul hoping to pass dozens of people as they still were lighting or singing a song. I was not disappointed! I passed Chanukiot of all shapes and sizes and placed in all different locations. Some were outside at the entrance of their buildings; some were in windows, some were in doorways and others perched high above the street on a mirpesset (balcony). But...what was beautiful was that everywhere I looked I saw Chanuka being observed. It was magnificent to witness!

There was a different kind of first for us as well this week. Tonight (Monday night), we are all home for Chanuka together for the first time in THREE years! It is so nice to have all three of my daughters together with us and the hustle and bustle that goes with it.

While in the United States, the main "staple" of Chanuka is latkes (read: Levivot), here the main food is, of course, the Sufganiyot (jelly donuts). For those of you who have not had one or may not know what Sufganiyot are, let me try to paint a picture: Imagine taking a small blob of dough, dropping it into a vat of oil, removing this oily blob and then drop it into a vat of more oil and then once it has remained there for a day or so, removing it and then sprinkle it with liberal amounts of powdered sugar. Before it is complete, the baker must take a caulk gun and insert a very sweet, very red substance that vaguely resembles jelly and force it into this oily, dought mixture. Then and only then, are you ready to eat the Sufaginya. While there are all forms of Sufganiyot (including one place that has "designer" ones), the CLASSIC is the jelly product. The average Israeli eats between 986-1,034 Sufganiyot during the 8 days of Chanuka. I, on the other hand, have not had even one (*shudder*) because I can not eat something that I could probably stick a wick in and use as a Chanukia! I have been told that I may have to surrender my Israeli citizenship for not eating one, but at this point I will just have to take my chances.

One final Chanuka note...we have switched from a SHIN to a PEH! Of course, I am referring to the letters on a "svivon" (Dreidel). The miracle happened "POH" (here) and no longer "SHAM" (or over there). The only problem is that some of the popular Chanuka songs don't rhyme with the PEH! Small price to "PEH" for living in Israel (sorry, I couldn't resist!)

A Visit to IKEA ISRAEL

2009-12-09T08:06:00.002+02:00

For those of you who have been following this blog for months, you know that Andy and I spent MANY hours in Ikea (Schaumburg, IL) before Aliya purchasing a whole host of items. (I will not re-hash all of that here, as it is too painful a memory!) In any case, months ago, in the heat of assembling all of the items we shipped here from Ikea, we found that they had given us three doors for book case extensions that were the wrong color. Many phone calls to Ikea in the USA finally gave us the solution to return the doors to any Ikea in the U.S., once we got them there, for replacement doors. We were told in no uncertain terms by the store HERE that they would not take them in exchange, as it was THEIR problem there, on the other side of the Atlantic.

Well, Andy and I had the opportunity to visit Ikea yesterday. MY motiviation was that I wanted to eat in their food-court while Andy perused the store for things we might need (HAH! We don't need ANYTHING!)...The thought of eating soup, salmon, bread, etc from the food court was a very enticing activity, since on all my visits to Ikea USA (Lo Aleinu), I would sit there and watch people consuming the inexpensive fare as I sat there with my cup of coffee and home made goodies.

Ah, but now was my chance! We got a ride from a good friend here in Miztpe Nevo (thanks Shlomo!) to the BIG BLUE IKEA in Netanya. On the drive there, Andy asked me if there was anything I wanted to see when we got to the store. I told that I was interested in seeing the EXIT!

Anyways, we decided that since we had nothing to lose, we would at least TRY to get the doors replaced.

THE RESULTS?

The food was great (ok, it was pretty good, but the IDEA of eating there was soooooo good!) and, believe it or not, we were able to get the doors replaced! I went to the customer service department and explained my tale. (She stopped me in the middle to tell me that she did not believe I had made Aliya 5 months ago. I asked her why she would say that, and she said I spoke Hebrew like an Israeli. After feeling very proud of that, I showed her the receipt of the goods we had shipped on our lift a few months back to "prove" we just moved. We began to chat about Olim and Hebrew and some of the obstacles there are and the benefits we get...before I knew it our discussion veered into an Oleh Chadash discussion, putting aside the "door issue" for a few minutes. Once we returned to the matter at hand, she was more than gracious in trying to help out an Oleh. While that was not my "angle" that I had planned on, it certainly ended up working to my advantage! We got the doors replaced (ok, we DID have to pay a small re-stocking fee) and they will be installed by me today.

I must say that it was, all in all, a very pleasant experience! One thing of note...Ikea has many rooms set up as "show rooms" so people can see what their product would look like when used in a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom etc. In the area that they had bedrooms set up, I took a look around for a moment and something struck me as being subtly different from the show-areas in Schaumburg...the show-bedrooms all had Mezuzot! How cool is that!

So, I survived a trip to Ikea and lived to tell about it. I better go and put those bookcase extensions together, before beginning the rest of my day. In the meantime, I will think about the Swedish Meatballs we bought at Ikea to make for Shabbat....I love this country :)

In Favor of a Settlement Freeze

2009-12-03T12:21:00.003+02:00

The big news around here lately has been the decision by the Netanyahu government to institute a 10-month freeze of new construction (with some exceptions) in the so-called settlements of Israel. The public debate has ranged from mild to fierce and everything in between. Newspapers, blogs, on-line news magazines, television...all are debating the issue of this imposed freeze. So, it is time for me to weigh in on such a freeze as well...I am in favor of it.

Now, before you shut your computer off (or throw down the paper in which you are reading this) in anger and disgust at how I could say such a thing, allow me to explain.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word settlement as: "The act or process of settling." Using THAT definition, allow me to explain why I am indeed in favor of a settlement freeze:

* I would like to put a freeze on Israel settling for a government that promises one platform but delivers another.

* I would like to put a freeze on settling for rhetoric and pablum-spewing dictators calling for the annihilation of Israel, while the world is silent.

* I would like to put a freeze on settling for a United Nations which is obsessed with Israel and its condemnation.

* I would like to put a freeze on settling for the world blaming Israel every time something goes wrong.

* I would like to put a freeze on settling for boycotts and calls for marginalizing Israel.

* I would like to put a freeze on settling for allowing a brand new Arab neighborhood to be built near Ramallah but not permitting Jews to build Yehuda and Shomron.

Yes, I definitely support a freeze on settling for such folly and foolishness.

It is December, Already?!

2009-12-01T19:57:00.003+02:00

In my previous life, there were certain signs that December was coming up. These signs included drastic weather changes, certain music that was playing in a ubiquitous fashion anywhere I went, cheerful holiday wishes (ignoring the fact that not every single person walking down the street was celebrating the same holiday as they were) and, of course, the PARKING BAN that would go into effect on December 1st in Chicago. This parking ban ultimately led to the annual ritual of bringing out old, beat up lawn furniture to prepare it for use in the street when it would snow.

For the uninitiated in Chicago-ese, let me clarify the last two statements: In order to ease snow clearing, should it become necessary, the city of Chicago instituted a parking ban on hundreds of miles of main arterial streets for the overnight hours, in case it would snow and removal would be necessary. Even if it did not snow, one was prohibited from parking on these streets overnight. (This ban went into effect today and will remain until April 2010). And, another time-honored tradition: Once there was a snowstorm, and you finished shoveling out your parking place, the way you saved that spot was to put old furniture, chairs, etc to mark your territory.

And I have seen none of these signs...and yet, I turned the page on the calendar today to find DECEMBER staring at me...December without the carols, December without the snow, December without the sales, December without the....well, you get the idea.

INSTEAD: It is Kislev...the month of Chanuka...and you see it and feel it everywhere! In stores, on the streets, on the buses, in posters...everywhere you turn there are signs that Chanuka is approaching. It will be very strange when we light our Chanukia and look out our window to NOT see snow...and we will NOT see our green plastic chairs sitting in a mound of snow waiting to be thrust into service. But, that's ok...I don't think I will miss that.

"You See a Video, I See My Dream Came True!"

2009-11-23T08:27:00.004+02:00

On my very first visit to Israel with a group back around 2002, I found myself standing on a Jerusalem street corner for a few minutes, all alone. I was awaiting the beginning of a new day of touring but was ready much earlier than everyone else. I vividly recall standing there in the crisp November air observing school children making their way to school. Garbed in backpacks, children of all sizes were grasping small bags of Choco on the way to school, and young students speaking in very animated fashion to their friends. As I stood there, I said to myself, " Why am I not raising my kids in Israel!?! How can it be that they are going to be educated in the Diaspora and not here, at home in Israel?" At that point in my life, I still felt that Aliya was a dream, and one that may not come true. It pained me to think back then that I would not see any of my kids go through the school system in Israel and get an Israeli education. Nor would they have the "youth" experience that Israelis grow up with.

All that changed last night! As many of you are aware, this month in Israel was Chodesh Irgun. It is a month in which kids in Bnei Akiva (A VERY STRONG MOVEMENT IN ISRAEL) participate in a myriad of activities and, in many cases, are out of the house a LOT for various events. The culmination of this month of activities is a Shabbat Irgun, a series of presentations to the public by various classes/groups and, for those in 9th grade, the acquiring of their Shevet name. It is a BIG deal, one of those "rites of passage" in a large segment of the Israeli population.
And there was my youngest daughter, right in the thick of things! She disappeared for what seemed like days at a time to involve and immerse herself in these activities. Her group's performance was a video they put together based on the theme of "V'ahavta L're'acha Kamocha." As I watched this video...as I observed her total immersion into her class and her social group of new friends, I could not help but flash back to that moment on a street corner in Jerusalem seven years prior.

After watching this video, I turned to her and said: "You see a video. But, I just witnessed my dream come true."

I invite you to see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy_5QrrCkoQ

Road Trip!

2009-11-19T10:06:00.002+02:00

On Wednesday, I joined a few of my co-workers for a road trip, of sorts. Since I needed to be in Modi'in by 6:45am, I decided to spend the night at nearby Hashmonaim and then make my way to Modi'in early after Shacharit.
The purpose of this road trip was to visit seven or eight hotels/resorts/inns in the Northern part of the country to see their facilities, see their rooms and hear about what services they provide . This way, we can make informed decisions as to places to recommend to those coming to Israel for a visit. Some places would be appropriate for youth groups while others would be for high end travelers and others, still, for those in between.
The weather co-operated, and we were treated to a magnificent day with mostly blue, clear skies, gorgeous temperatures and a gentle breeze. Couple that weather with breath-taking views in the mountains of the Galil, the vista of the Kinerret and the food we were served along the way, all of that made for a MOST enjoyable and educational day. It is so interesting to see what some providers consider "deluxe" when it comes to accommodations while others would call the same room "superior" or "standard." Because there are different needs for travelers, there are indeed different options.

The day was a VERY long day for me since I was first awoken by the Muezzin (Moslem call to prayer) coming from loudspeakers from the nearby Arab village at 4:15am. I did not return home until after 9:00pm. BUT...well worth it! I had a very enjoyable time, and like I said I did in fact learn a lot.

One of the most beautiful views had to have been the view of Har Tavor...the area in which the battle with Devora Ha'Nevia, Barak ben Avinoam and Sisra. I could have sat there all day long!
By the way, for those of you who have stayed in Kibbutz Lavi's guest house, you will be amazed at the new rooms and all of the remodeling they are doing in one of the wings.

Now it is back to work at my desk and not in the field. It is almost Shabbat (tomorrow night!), and we are going away for Shabbat in Petah Tikvah. I am SO looking forward to going!

A Reunion, A Book, and other Miscellany

2009-11-16T18:12:00.002+02:00

Once again, many things to write about...

1.) Last night, Sunday, November 15th, I joined a number of others living in Israel for a Class of '76 reunion held right here in Maale Adumim. Well, to be a bit more specific, it was a reunion for Class of '76 for the Ida Crown Jewish Academy. And to be even MORE specific, I didn't even GO to ICJA! But, since Andy DID go there and I DID graduate in '76, and I WAS invited, after all, I decided to go...and I am so glad I did. I saw friends that I have not seen in (some cases) over 34 years. But, in addition to those who had gathered here, we were also joined long-distance, by the miracle of technology, by a large group sitting in a hotel hall in Chicago with a video hook-up. It was so nice to see people from both sides of the ocean get together like that! (When a few people noted that they do not recall me having been in the class at the Academy, I told them that I was undercover and that they just didn't realize I was there!)

2.) Over the years, I have found less and less time to read. Most of my time doing that form of activity was spent either learning for personal growth or learning to prepare classes. But to read a BOOK was a very rare thing for me for years. However, I had one book in my collection that I was determined to read, albeit a book in Ivrit. I pulled it down off the shelf the other day and am already half-way through what has become my absolute, number one, all time favorite book that I have ever read. Now that is a pretty bold statement, especially considering I am only half-way through. So, let me back up and tell you what it is and why I love this book. I am reading the autobiography of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, former Chief Rabbi of Israel. The title is אל תשלח ידך אל הנער which has won the Israel Prize. Rav Lau shlit"a, was the youngest survivor of Buchenwald. While there are many books written about experiences in the camps, this one is incredible! He weaves his story of the past with anecdotes over the past few years and how many of his experiences crossed into his professional life. How, for example a woman called him and begged him to perform the wedding of his daughter. When Rav Lau said he had another wedding that same day to do, she pleaded with him. Before he relented, he had to ask why it was so critical that HE be the one to do this wedding. She told him that this information would only be revealed to him after the Chuppah...to make an incredible story short...it turns out that it was in this woman's arms that Rav Lau's mother died in a concentration camp. How he describes this moment can not be put into words. If your Ivrit is not at the point you can read this book yet, I urge you to pull out a dictionary and read it... you will not regret it!

3.) I had a VERY high cell phone bill and had no idea what made it so high. Then I checked the detail...it says that about 20 calls were made on one of my daughter's phones from Jordan. Now, I consider myself a pretty responsible parent and would think that IF indeed my daughter HAD gone to Jordan I would have known. I called Cellcom, and they explained to me that her location at Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu evidentally placed her within range of the Jordanian cell towers and it was pinging off their towers. While they assured me I will be credited, that is not the point of my story...the guy taking care of me on the phone asked me if he could call me back later to review the charges and the credits as he first had to review it with his supervisor. Without blinking or thinking, I told him that it was no problem for him to call me later as I needed to run out and daven Mincha! His reply was to daven well and that he would call me later...I love this country!

Ben-Gurion Airport

2009-11-11T21:16:00.003+02:00

I went in to the office today, Wednesday, and I had a very productive day. When I was getting ready to leave, a co-worker offered to drop me at a bus stop where I could catch the bus to Yerushalayim, because she had to go to the airport and was going out. We got to talking, and the next thing we realized...we were already at the airport! (The office is a 10 minute drive from Ben-Gurion)

So, now I needed to find the bus back to Yerushalayim near the airport. No problem whatsoever with only one exception...I was at the airport and I TRULY began to have palpitations! Why, you may ask? (If you did not ask, you are welcome to stop reading right now). After visiting Israel 21 times prior to our Aliya (bringing groups, coming alone, etc), every single time I went TO Ben Gurion, I was sad because it meant I was leaving Israel. I, of course, associated arriving at Ben Gurion (not through a plane but by a vehicle) with LEAVING Israel.

I suddenly found myself VERY eager to get out of the airport, as fast possible. I AM NOT LEAVING ISRAEL! I AM NOT BOARDING A PLANE...LET ME GO BACK HOME!!! I can not begin to explain how strange or how uncomfortable I felt being in the airport. Look, I know that when the time comes for me to go on a trip, I will be fine (won't I??!)....but I will know I am going to the airport and then leaving and then returning home to Israel. But, today, just suddenly finding myself there...well, I just NEEDED to get out of there.

As I write this, I am back at home (PHEW!) and nowhere near the airport...for now, I am safe!

Only Six More Days Until Shabbat!

2009-11-08T18:38:00.003+02:00

While today is only Sunday, I find myself already thinking about Shabbat...specifically Friday night...and specifically Kabbalat Shabbat. To participate in the serene, melodious nearly-surreal singing is to BEGIN to understand the idea that Shababt is "me'en olam Haba" (a taste of the World to Come). If I could describe in the printed word what it feels like to sit there with a few hundred people singing so beautifully together and the absolute peace at which I feel while singing, I would attempt to put it in words. But the best way to say this is to say that anytime you find yourself in Israel, you must experience a Shabbat in Mitzpe Nevo, especially the Tefilla.

During the week, I often catch myself humming tunes from the Friday night tefilla and think that it is only "X" number of days until we are together again for that mystical time. While I could elaborate further, you get my drift by now!

I had a very interesting thing happen today that, when I thought about it in retrospect, I FULLY understood the situation. I often go to daven Mincha at 1:35pm at the local boys Yeshiva high School. There is, of course, a gate through which all visitors and students must pass and must be buzzed in through the security gate. Over the past few months, the one or two Shomrim (guards) who are at the gates came to know me, and buzzed me in as soon as they saw me. Today, however, I arrived to see a new guard. He asked me for ID...I had been working in the house on some project and was not walking around with any identification. He asked again for me to present ID...when I told him I had none, he would not let me in. As I began to explain how I am there nearly every day, and he said he would not let me in, I just put up my hand, stopped the conversation and said, "Ata tzodek" (you are correct!). Under no circumstances should he have let me in, and he was 100% right about it. As I walked home, I recalled that the #2 Bus was bombed by a homicide bomber dressed like a Chassid. Just because a guy comes with a Kippah and tzitzit out does NOT entitle him to walk freely into a high school.

(PS--As I write these words, I am sitting in our backyard until a moonlit sky filled with 1000's of stars. I look up, and in the distance, I see Jordan and hear the faint sounds of cars on the main road a couple of kilometers away. The beauty of Maale Adumim is staring me in the face one mountain over...Ah, Hashem has truly blessed us!)

Travel Documents

2009-11-04T17:06:00.003+02:00

Once a person makes Aliya, they are not entitled to an Israeli passport for a period of one year. Instead, when someone needs to leave Israel, they must apply for and receive a document called a Teudat Ma'avar. It looks identical to a passport, but it is not a passport. It functions exactly like a passport...but it is not a passport. So, you may ask, why give a Teudat Ma'avar instead of a passport, if indeed they function the same way. The answer to that question is very deep....I JUST DON'T KNOW.
But, since my job will eventually require me to go to Chutz La'Aretz, I figured it would be a good idea to get that taken care of and not wait until the last minute. Besides, who knows how long it would take to get the actual pseudo-passport? Well, the answer to THAT question, I DO know...it takes about THREE MINUTES!! I went to the Misrad HaPnim (Ministry of the Interior) branch office right here in Maale Adumim. I brought all the documentation and money; handed everything in, and in a matter of three whole minutes, I walked out with this passport-wannabe! I was shocked it went so smoothly and so efficiently. As I turned to leave, I opened it up and I got a little choked up. Under the title "Nationality" was the word ISRAELI. It truly was a very special moment for me.

Rain, Hot Water and Various Sundry Events

2009-10-31T18:05:00.007+02:00

Lots to write about, so I am going to jump right in (and in no particular order):

1. IT RAINED ON FRIDAY A GOOD PART OF THE DAY! Now, back in Chicago, where I know there has been an endless supply of the wet stuff, here it has been sparse to say the least. However, Friday, the "Gishmei Bracha" (rains of blessing) began to descend on Israel. I can honestly say that I have never sat and just watched rain and thanked Hashem for it. Yet, here we were in the middle of Shabbat preparations and everything stopped to look at the first sustained rain of the season. It was actually an emotional moment as we watched what we have been davening for. (While we did get the rain, I heard a statistic today that was somewhat daunting...it will take 500 hours of rain to replenish the Kinneret!)

After the rain, and the sun came out, we saw a GORGEOUS FULL rainbow upon which we had the opportunity to say a Bracha.

(A beautiful view from our back yard prior to the rain and the rainbow after the rain)

2. There was a funny thing that occurred as a result of the rain and showed our "newness" in the country. All of the hot water in our building (and in most in Israel) is supplied by a "dood shemesh" or solar heating of water in the reservoir on the rooftop. When we went to take showers Friday, I was wondering why there was no hot water. Maybe, genius, BECAUSE THE SUN WASN'T OUT TO HEAT THE WATER! Made a mental note to myself that the next time it is cloudy for a significant part of the day,we need to throw the switch that manually heats up the water!

3. I have been asked a particular question lately MANY times that I figured I may as well mention here as well. "Do you enjoy taking busses or do you miss the freedom of having a car?" I have been asked this question DOZENS of times. My answer has actually changed over the past (nearly) four months. In the beginning, I definitely missed the freedom of going WHEN I wanted to, WHERE I wanted to and HOW I wanted to. However, over the past few months my perspective has greatly changed! Consider: I do not have to pay for gasoline, car insurance, maintenance, repairs, licenses and I also do not need to deal with the actual driving (which can be "difficult" at times). In addition, I have the freedom of using my time on the bus radically differently than when driving a car...I can learn, I can read, I can talk to my neighbor, I can simply enjoy the beautiful vistas...and no worries if the traffic is lousy, since I do not have to drive! Having said all that, I still think/hope/plan to get a car one day :)

4. Smachot: On Thursday this past week, Andy and I participated in another simcha. We went into Yerushalayim for a Bar Mitzva of twin boys (sons of Rabbi Akiva and Chanalee Stolper, grandchildren of Mr Lothar and Sue Kahn). It was SO nice to participate in yet another simcha but there was more to come. One of our new friends here in Mitzpe Nevo had a new grandson, and we were invited to the Shalom Zachor. It was so special to participate in our first Shalom Zachor in Israel, but the truth is that this one happened to have had SPECIAL significance, that I did not know before entering their home. The mother of the new boy gave birth in Shaare Tzedek Hospital a couple of days ago. That in and of itself was nothing out of the ordinary beauty of having a baby . But I learned that she had the baby in the very hospital where she was a patient in critical condition, after being injured in the Sbarro bombing on August 1, 2001! Whereas an Arab terrorist tried to take her life, instead she brought a life into this world. What an emotional moment at that table last night!

5. A friend of mine called me while we were on the bus (see above) on the way to the Bar Mitzva (see above) to tell me something he said, I would greatly appreciate. Barnea called me to tell me that he was standing in Rami Levi (a local grocery store chain), and an announcement came over the loudspeaker: "For those who still need to daven Mincha, there will be a Minyan in Aisle 4 in a few minutes." Yet another reason I love living in this country!

6. This Shabbat was stellar! Friday night, we ate at friends, had the Shalom Zachor and enjoyed the cool, crisp, night air on our brief walk home. In the morning, we walked about a half hour to a different Bet Kenesset (called Mussar Avicha) for a special Shabbat Olim. New Olim participated in the Tefilla and I had the opportunity to give a brief Dvar Torah at the Kiddush. We ate our Seudat Shabbat in the neighborhood of the Bet Kenesset, an area I have harldy been in since we moved here. (It is important to understand that we live in the Mitzpe Nevo neighborhood in Maale Adumim, and there numerous other neighborhoods. With 32,000--bli ayin hara--residents, this is not a small Yishuv! ) After Seudat Shabbat, I had my first real "test" of my use of Ivrit, as I taught a 45 minute Shiur to women. My subject was "V'Hasheina M'shubachat" ("...and sleep is praiseworthy") and I looked at various aspects of sleep in Halacha and Haskafa. I was very surprised at the very nice turnout--surprised because it was at 3:15 on Shabbat afternoon...and they should have been asleep! (which is why I actually chose the topic).

Well, I think that I have covered all that I wanted to for now. This week coming up is a busy one, and I am looking forward to getting started tomorrow morning. Hey, it's only six more days until Shabbat!

There's a New Dome In Town

2009-10-28T19:11:00.007+02:00

In almost every picture that you see of the old City of Jerusalem, and anytime one drives into Jerusalem and first sees the Old City from a distance, one's eye is immediately drawn to the gold dome that stands behind the Kotel HaMa'aravi. It is hard to miss it, and over the last few hundred years, that view with that gold dome has become synonymous with Jerusalem. The sad part is, of course, that it is a non-Jewish site located on the holiest Jewish site in the world.

Today, upon entering the city by bus and seeing the beautiful vista of Jerusalem, my eye fell on a different dome for the first time! As many of you know, there is/was a synagogue in the Old City known as the Hurva Synagogue, which was a main Ashkenazi synagogue for centuries. In the 1948 war, it was reduced to rubble by the Arabs. It was noticeable for years, when walking through the Old City, by the arch that stood in the place of the ruins.

However, a few years ago, a project began to re-build the Hurva, which is nearing completion sometime (theoretically) in the not-too-distant future. One of the key features is the beautiful white dome that sits atop the newly constructed edifice. It is THAT dome that is now highly visible from a distance as you look towards the Old City. It is THAT dome that we must replace in our national-mind's-eye when we picture the Old City. Our eye should be drawn to the Kedusha (holiness) of what we have and not the the non-Kedusha (see Breisheet 7:1) buildings atop the place that Hashem has chosen for our Bet HaMikdash.

On your next trip, as you stand on a promenade overlooking the Old City or as you merely enter by car or by bus, allow your eyes to be drawn to the dome of the Hurva synagogue and think about what IT symbolizes! Think about the great House that will be built nearby there speedily in our days, AMEN!

IN THE PICTURES ABOVE: A VIEW OF THE SYNAGOGUE IN THE 1800'S
A VIEW FROM A FEW YEARS AGO
A VIEW FROM TODAY

Perplexed and Politics

2009-10-25T21:05:00.002+02:00

While the title of this blog entry could very easily refer to the same event, they are actually two parts of a very interesting day today.
In my role in the tourist industry, I felt it would be in my best interest to enroll in a very special class. Machon Lander has a two-year class to become a licensed tour guide, and I made all the inquiries into taking this class. I felt it would be of a very strong benefit to me personally and professionally. I gathered my necessary documents and hauled all the materials and other paraphernalia to the office for a 1:30pm appointment in Yerushalayim.
Then, as I was sitting there waiting for my appointment, a very strange thing happened. Quite uncharacteristically, I began to second-guess my decision for a whole host of reasons. Usually, if I make a decision about something, I decide, do it and move on. Today was very different. It perplexed me to know end as to why I was wavering on this decision.
However, in the end, I decided that for a host of reasons (not necessary to go into here) I am going to wait for the next go-round next fall and do it then. No longer perplexed...

Politics...as some of you know, I have always been interested in Israeli politics. If you think CHICAGO politics is strange (actually, I LOVE Chicago politics!) they haven't got anything on Israeli politics. However, there have always been certain issues that I felt needed a major overhaul in politics here. Not only have I found someone who shares a very similar view politically but one who is truly out there and doing something about it...Moshe Feiglin of the Manhigut Yehudit faction in Likud. And not only that, I had a chance to meet with him today for about an hour and had a magnificent time. I have always wanted to get active politically so...I will keep you posted! [For further information on Moshe Feiglin you can visit http://www.jewishisrael.org/ . In addition, please feel free to visit his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Manhigut-Yehudit-Moshe-Feiglin/5733858057?ref=search&sid=701265731.2519147086..1&v=wall ]

Language

2009-10-23T10:37:00.003+02:00

For as far back as I can remember, I have always had a "thing" for language. Whether it was learning the history of the English language or teaching myself Russian (which I can still read and write but speak very little due to lack of use for 25+ years!), teaching myself Spanish (a language in which I can still carry on a converation) or just learning the sources of various words in different languages.
However, it was always clear to me that Hebrew would be the most important language to concentrate on if I had planned to make Aliya. For years prior to Aliya, I made it a priority to read in Ivrit, speak as much as possible in Ivrit and to continue to learn new words, phrases and idioms. As we began our preparations years ago for Aliya, we were told time and again that a good working knowledge of Ivrit would be one of the greatest assets that we would bring with us.
I could not agree more with this last statement! Because I have worked at it, and because I made it a priority, I have been able to (Baruch Hashem) find my Klitah (absorption) into Israeli society that much easier and find that it opens some doors to me as well. I do not say this to say how great I am because I speak well...I say this to all those who are even remotely considering Aliya! Today, not tomorrow, you should begin to work on your Ivrit. It may be as simple as making a goal of learning a new word a day...a new phrase...making a goal to read an article in a newspaper...anything that will get you closer to your goal of fluency in Ivrit (or at least a good command of the language). Because if your boxes are packed well, or if you have all your items organized well for the movers,or if you write a blog (perish the thought!) all of that will not mean a lot in the grand scheme as being able to navigate all of the various steps (finding a job--Hebrew interviews; dealing with phone, electric, gas companies--in Ivrit, etc, etc. It is vital and I personally encourage it in anyone thinking of Aliya to get started right away! (It wouldn't hurt everyone to learn Ivrit better even if not planning Aliya!)

What made me think of this today? Last night, for the first time since we made Aliya, I dreamt in Hebrew. I vividly recall the dream and that I was discussing an issue with someone in Yerushalayim. I was actually happy to realize this when I woke up. I know that I have heard from many people (Anglos) who have made Aliya that this happens to them as well, but it was nice to experience it as well.
I am also veyy happy that Andy has begun to learn in an Ulpan last week. She placed in Level 5 of 6 levels, so I was REALLY happy to see that. Guess I am going to have to start posting in Ivrit soon!

I am looking forward to another beautiful Shabbat, beginning in a few hours. I still get a little kick out of the fact that Shabbat begins at 4:20 this week and it is HOT outside.

Miscellaneous Musings

2009-10-20T09:53:00.003+02:00

1. This week, the country of Turkey has been in the news a lot due to their blood-libel against the IDF and their lack of interest in having Israel participate in military exercises. It occured to me that this week is Parashat Noach in which the ark comes to rest on Mt. Ararat...IN TURKEY! Always, world events, and especially those dealing with Israel, seem to be found in the Parashat HaShavua. An amazing thing, that I have seen week after week...

2. Someone made a very interesting comment to me the other day: Israel is the only country in the world that if you forget something on a bus, one of two options happen. Either you get the item back, because someone returns it, or...they blow it up! Not much in between there!

3. I was waiting for a bus to work today in the Central Bus Station (CBS) in Jerusalem. I am still very proud to sit and watch our soldiers, men and women of the IDF as they make their way to and from their bases or other destinations. I am even prouder, when I see something like I did this morning...a "chayelet" (female soldier) who was sitting in line for the bus saying Tehillim. I don't know if it is that I am still new in the country or my heightened awareness of these kinds of things, but a scene like that just makes me SO proud! She is going off to do her service and fully mindful of the fact that while she may report to someone of a higher rank, THAT officer "reports" to Being of a much higher rank, as do we all!

4. Lately, the newspapers have been filled with very sad stories of murder in Israel. Among those stories is the heart-breaking one (aren't they all!??) about the family of 6 people (three generations) named Oshrenko, in Rishon, that was murdered. Yet, I turn the page and see the accidental (due to negligence) death of a 3 year old girl by the very mini-bus charged with bringing her home from Gan, by running her over and the stories continue...While I was jaded to seeing these kinds of stories on the news in Chicago, here they actually become PAINFUL to read about.

5. Job update: First of all, I love doing what I am doing, dealing with individuals, groups, etc that want to come to Israel on a visit, a tour, for a simcha, etc . I work with a WONDERFUL group of people with whom it seems like I have been working for a much longer time. I am still working on expanding my contacts and looking for individuals or groups looking for a tour operator. If you know of anyone who may be interested in Israel travel, please feel free to send me their info or give them mine! You, my readers, are some of my best resources.

Friends and a Hospital Vist

2009-10-16T07:58:00.003+02:00

While the majority of this week was more or less a routine week, there were a couple of shining moments.

1. FRIENDS...As many of you know, I attended Yeshivat Shaalvim 1976-1978. Coupled with my education (High School and post-High School) at Beis Midrash L'Torah (Skokie Yeshiva), I was fortunate to have had a fabulous education. At Shaalvim, I succeeded in making friends with whom I have remained in contact over 30 years. In spite of the fact that many made Aliya in the late-70's, and I was still living in Chicago, we remained in contact all these years. The other night, I attended the wedding of the daughter of one of those friends. Steve (and Carol) Rosenbaum married off a daughter this week in Mitzpe Yericho and I had the pleasure of attending. What made it SO special was the group of guys I was sitting with and what this group represented. I had the chance to see friends from Shaalvim whom I had remained in contact and at the same time, I saw some of the guys I had NOT seen in over 30 years. It was a FABULOUS reunion! But what it represented was even deeper than that. When my friend Steve Rosenbaum got married, four of his Shaalvim buddies were "eidim," witnesses at the wedding, two in the Ketuba and two for the Kiddushin. Three of this four "eidim" had made Aliya years earlier, and I was the last to make Aliya. Steve was able to look at our table and see ALL FOUR of his "eidim" sitting together, all four of whom had made Aliya! We were all together again and we took a group picture. It was an incredible moment...it was quite surreal.
Mazal Tov to Steve, Carol and the entire family!
At the same time, we had yet another wedding which I could not attend, but one that Andy DID attend. Andy went to the wedding of the daughter of Barbara (Maryles) and Raanan (Ko) Ashkenazy, which was held in Alon at Eretz Breisheet. She had the chance to re-connect with many of her Shevet Shuva and Chicago chevra, along with some from Shevet Moriah. Mazal Tov to the Ashkenazy and Maryles families!

2. A Hospital Visit...I had occassion to visit a former student (Sruli Gutstein) in the hospital as he had an emergency appendectomy the other day. (He is doing great, Baruch Hashem!) He was in the Shaarei Tzedek Hospital on the 8th floor. I had been to the hospital before but never (that I recall) was I upstairs on that floor. As I walked down the hallway, I noticed something that struck me very sharply...a Bet Midrash/Bet Kenesset. In many hospitals, Jewish or non-Jewish, most often there is a chapel of sorts. When I would make hospital visitations in Chicago, invariably I walked by a chapel. It always made me a little "jealous" that there was a chapel and not some form of JEWISH worship available. But, after all, we do/did live in a Christian land and that was the majority of the hospitals.
What a sense of pride I had as I walked into the Bet Midrash to check it out. I expected a small room, some siddurim and a few tattered Chumashim. WOW, was I wrong! The Bet Midrash/Bet Kenesset was beautiful! It was a regular, operational Bet Kenesset. NEVER would you think you were in a hospital! What a Kiddush Hashem...it was also very nice to see SO many practitioners who were Dati walking down the halls. I felt this way anytime I would see a doctor in Chicago walking in the hospital with a Kippah. But to see dozens...wow....welcome home, Zev!

As I was exiting the hospital, though, I stopped cold in my tracks as I stared for a number of moments at a large picture of Dr. David Applebaum hy"d (former Chicagoan) hanging on the wall. David, and his daughter, Navah, hy"d had been murdered the night before Navah was to marry. As I stood there, looking at the picture, I thought about the wedding dress of Navah that I saw at Kever Rachel and how she would never wear that dress. Upstairs in the hospital, I received such joy from seeing the Bet Midrash. Here, I experienced the pain of the murder of two wonderful human beings. Those few minutes in the hospital truly embodied the idea of "the best of times and the worst of times."

At the Conclusion of Simchat Torah and "The Season"

2009-10-10T18:35:00.003+02:00

After a month of Elul, blowing shofar, L'david, Selichot, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Teshuva, Tefilla, Tzekada, Sukka, Lulav/Etrog, Hallel, Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, the month-long intense period known as "The Chagim" has now come to a close. It has been a fantastic run and one that will forerver be remembered by us as our first "set" here in Israel.

The Chag was SO beautiful here! Last night for Hakafot, the ruach (spirit) was so strong in Shul. Then, in the middle of the Hakafot, we went out to the Kikar (a very nice traffic circle with trees, grass, etc) and joined another Shul nearby for joint Hakafot out in the street. It was a sight to behold as I just sat there for a minute absorbing the scene that I was watching. It was SO enjoyable and SO nice to be part of. In the morning, the ruach was good, but when about 60 boys from Bnei Akiva showed up, the ruach was incredible! They electrified the entire place! After everyone had his Aliya, there was a shul-wide Kiddush in the social hall, which was beautiful. Someone gave a Dvar Torah, made a Bracha Achrona and then it was back upstairs for the rest of Torah reading and the end of Tefilla.
Remember, that here in Israel, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are on the same day. So, I was interested to see how things would work going from the joy and glee of Hakafot to the more somber mood of Tefillat Geshem and Yizkor. It worked SO well! Moving the seats back in place (having been moved for the dancing) and the nusach of the Tefilla now changing and becoming more low-key were actions that seemed to affect the mood in the Shul. Tefillat Geshem is recited here before Mussaf (not as part of the repetition of the Shemona Esray) and was preceded by Yizkor. It was as if a switch was thrown and we switched from the festive feeling of Simchat Torah to the more tempered feel of Shemini Atzeret.
The day is so short here that by the time we got up from the table from our host from lunch, I had about 45 minutes until Mincha. A short time later, we davened Maariv and the Chagim of 5770 are now a part of history.

And now, real-world life begins again...for some that means returning to Chutz La'aretz. For others it is saying good bye to friends or relatives who may have come for an extended stay. For others, it means no more Tiyulim for a while but a chance to go back to the office.

Whatever it means to anyone, one thing is for sure...this was an absolutely magnificent few weeks. Our thanks to the greater Mitzpe Nevo area for having made this such an enjoyable experience. Next stop...Chanuka...but, it will have to wait 2 months...until then, back to work!

Shavua Tov!

Imagine If the Shoe Were on the Other Foot

2009-10-08T12:18:00.001+02:00

Let's imagine if the shoe were on the other foot...

In what has been seen as a major incitement to the peace process, Avraham Midrechov has charged that the Moslem Antiquities Authority (the organization charged with protecting all ancient Palestinian finds dating back to 2006 C.E.) has been digging secretly under the popular Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall. It is believed that if this reprehensible behavior continues, Jews from all over the world will be called to action to preserve the sanctity of Ben Yehuda and Fro-Yo everywhere. Various secret militants (who are so secret that they don't even cover their faces with cloth for fear that some will recognize the shmatta their mother used on the couch when they were little and reveal their identity) have stated that they intend to file a protest with the UN in order that they condemn Israel for the Arab excavation that is certainly happening there.

Judge Rasha Goldstein has been dispatched to the location to investigate the charges. Wait...this just in...Judge Goldstein, who has nothing against the Zionist enemy, uh, I mean, Israel, declared that he had reliable witnesses that say they never ever saw such digging take place. In his words, "These very credible witnesses say they have never seen such digging and therefore Israel is the agressor and the Moslem world must attack the Zionist enemy." (The Jewish population of Israel thanks Judge Goldstein for his unbiased and detailed report)

In related news, an artist in Saudi Arabia drew a likeness of Moses showing him with a hooked-nose representing a stereotype of the Jew since ancient times. In reaction, militant Jews all over have issued a "Shanda" against this artist urging Jews all over to revolt against Moslems where ever they may be.

Finally, the Israeli government has decided to relocate tens of thousands of Jews around the city of Jerusalem in order to form a human shield against attacks by Iran who will not bomb Israel since they only have Uranium to run a couple of air conditioners for President "I'm-in-a-dinner-jacket."
=============================================

Now, all of this is preposterous...imagine the world listening to any of this. BUT, these are the kinds of claims and actions the Moslems are indeed perpetuating every day and the world licks it up with glee. They claim Israel is digging under the Al Aksa mosque; they DO declare a fatwa on a Danish artist for drawing Mohamed in a poor light (and kill many because of it); they are indeed attempting to move thousands of Palestinians to the edge of Gaza so that Israel will have to think twice of going in again with an attack should Israel be attacked again.

And the world does not bat an eyelash. The world accepts all these claims and actions.

Let us not forget the following quote:

By means of shrewd lies, unremittingly repeated, it is possible to make people believe that heaven is hell -- and hell heaven. The greater the lie, the more readily it will be believed.
--Adolph Hitler, Mein Kampf

Time

2009-10-08T07:55:00.003+02:00

TIME: Ever since we made Aliya, my concept of time as far as the DATE, the DAY of the week, and the time of the year seems to be disrupted. While yesterday marked three months that we moved, it seems on one hand like yesterday and on the other hand like a year ago. I find myself checking often what the DAY of the week is (even after saying the Yom in the morning); I find myself surprised at times that "it's OCTOBER!?!?" or any other time-related issues. But the one thing that has me really confused is the following: In Chicago, when the time changed to Standard Time and the clocks moved back one hour, to me and many others, it signalled the beginning of winter. It also meant that when Shabbat began at 4:30pm, it was cold, wet and often snowy.
We changed our clocks here just before Yom Kippur, and now Shabbat begins around 4:40pm. Mincha on the weekdays is about 5pm. I find myself often thinking: Hey, it is dark early, Shabbat is starting early...it is "supposed" to be cold. BUT...it is still beautiful outside and the temperature is NOT cold. My brain is still having trouble absorbing that.

Closing a Circle: Summer 2005 to Fall 2009

2009-10-07T17:48:00.009+02:00

(See explanation below of the pictures above)

As you are painfully aware, in Summer 2005, Israel threw out over 8,000 Jews from Gush Katif and attempted to re-settle them. I will not review and repeat all of my personal objections to this terrible action, but suffice it to say I was VERY public in disagreeing with the government of Israel in what they did back then. (History has shown that MANY of those who supported the making of Gaza Judenrein made a HUGE mistake).

However, yesterday, I participated in a small ray of hope of those expellees getting back on their feet! As I mentioned a couple of days ago, a Sefer Torah was written in honor of Toronto philanthropist, Kurt Rothschild. This Torah was then transported to the community of Halutza for placement in their temporary Aron Kodesh before the permanent one is ready. I joined about 500 others as we went to this new community. It is located in a hustling, bustling metropolis of barren land (an oxymoron if I ever heard of one!) at the Southern tip of Gaza and 2 km from the Egyptian border. They have caused the desert to bloom and have risen like the mythical Phoenix from the ashes of Gush Katif! Currently, there are 15 families, but the building is being geared towards a community that will house (B'ezrat Hashem) about 500 people. The area is beautiful and serene. It was SO special to dance, sing and rejoice at this event. Besides the festivities, we also had some speeches and light refereshments in a Sukka built just for that day. The evening ended with us davening Maariv under a black sky with millions of stars overhead. (If you ever want to feel the vastness of the cosmos and the grandeur of Hashem, try davening in a desert area under millions of stars!)

A HUGE Yasher Koach to World Mizrachi and Mr Solly Sacks for organizing this event and being a driving force behind it all. It was a HUGE Kiddush Hashem and one that I will not soon forget!

Wednesday night was capped off with a beautiful open Sukkah (thanks Jeremy and Susie!) with many friends...it SO feels like Chol HaMoed Sukkot. It is wonderful...

Wow, Was I Misunderstood and the First Two Days of Chol HaMoed

2009-10-05T20:47:00.002+02:00

I received MANY emails and comments on my last posting about celebrating a One-Day Chag. Most of the comments/emails were in the form of telling me that a two-day Chag is great, and I shouldn't be so happy about one-day. Many writers felt that the implication was that I was slamming those who were in Galut and keeping two days. SO...let's be clear: MY note was about my feelings about keeping one-day and, therefore, experiencing an even closer and deeper connection to Israel and our absorption here. My comment in no way was reflecting on what people were doing in Chutz La'aretz. Please go back and re-read the last posting and no where will you find a negative comment about keeping two days in Chutz La'aretz. I hope that clears this up...

Now, onto Chol HaMoed and what has been going on here...BUSY!!

Sunday, Day #1 of Chol Hamoed...After a nice meal with our family and my in-laws at Village Green, we got together with Fred and Adina Aaron and family for a while. It was great to see them and others from Chicago on our outing and we were thrilled to have them visit us in MA. Towards the latter part of the day, we were to meet some friends in Ramot Gimel for an Open Sukka, but we were kind of early so we went first to Machane Yehuda (open market). As we had not eaten in a long time and were not going to for a while, we bought a couple of small items to tide us over. But, as some was Mezonot, I needed a Sukka in which to eat...no problem! In Yerushalayim, there is a plethora of Sukkot. But we stumbled on a Chabad Public Sukka and made fast friends with some guys learning in Yeshivot for the year. Some young children offered us water and were truly thrilled to welcome us to "their" Sukka. I love it! Then, it was off to the Sukka party and then back home for some much needed rest.

Today, Wednesday was incredible once again, as I made my way to J'lem early to go to the Kotel. There, I participated, along with about 50,000 other people, in the public Birkat Kohanim (priestly blessing). It was a VERY moving experience. I took many pictures and videos and hope to get my act together and post some of them soon. The last time I was at this event was when I was 13 years old. I guess I should attend once every 37 years or so!

This afternoon, Andy and I attended the Annual World Mizrachi Sukka gathering. To be honest, I thought it would be 50 people with light refreshments. Wow, was I wrong! About 400 people with a gorgeous meal in a beautiful Sukka was what greeted us. The food and live music were great and we truly had a wonderful time. One MAJOR purpose of this gathering was to act as a prelude to tomorrow's event...a Sefer Torah was finished today in the Sukka (actually, it was already finished, because it is Chol HaMoed and they would not be able to actually write the letters today. Instead, many of us, myself included, had the opportunity to go over some letters to "finish" the Torah.) Then, tomorrow, I will be joining approximately 500 people going to a Yishuv in the Negev called Bnei Netzarim-Halutza where this Torah will be given all the proper honors of a Hachnassat Sefer Torah. The beauty of this event is that this community is made up of people who had been thrown out/evicted from Gush Katif and whose lives had been uprooted and (in some cases) destroyed as a result of the events of Summer 2005. (The government STILL has not righted the wrongs of that summer, vis-a-vis those who were thrown out). I look forward to attending this occassion tomorrow. In the meantime, we are now off to ANOTHER open Sukka in our neighborhood.

Best wishes for a Moadim L'Simcha!

At the Conclusion of Our First One-Day Chag...

2009-10-03T19:39:00.003+02:00

The only word I can come up with for our first one-day Chag in Israel is: "INCREDIBLE!!!!!!" I can not fully explain in writing how this Chag felt. I will say that:

* The feeling of walking around the neighborhood and seeing hundreds of Sukkot and hearing singing and watching all of the people visiting other peoples' Sukkot, well...Dayenu!

* The sounds of hundreds of people davening on Friday night, singing in unison and on Shabbat/Chag morning, singing in unison and the overall feeling of elation of the mood of Sukkot, well...Dayenu!

* The delicious meals that we were treated to at other peoples' homes both at night and by day, and the excellent company, well...Dayenu!

* The Seudah Shlisheet with about 40 new and not-so-new friends at a nearby Sukka and the Zechut of saying a Dvar Torah in their Sukka, well...Dayenu!

* But the ultimate for ME has to have occurred at 5:58pm tonight. But first a bit of background...I have known for years, that we would be making Aliya. Back in 2006, I bought a set of Machzorim for use in Israel for the Chagim. I put a note inside the Machzor for Sukkot that read, " I bought this set of Machzorim in August 2006, to be used on Sukkot when we make Aliya (IYH) in summer of 2009. Chag Sameach!" I looked at that note, as I opened my Machzor on Friday night, and I was overcome with emotion. I was fulfilling that dream! And a part of that dream was to live the Israeli life, which meant only having a one-day Chag. And at 5:58pm tonight, we made Havdala and ended the Chag and began Chol HaMoed. It was a very emotional moment for me, as I felt my klitah (absorption) into Israel that much more acutely. And for that I truly say...DAYENU!

And now the FULL week of Chol HaMoed begins. We will be in J'lem tomorrow, and I look forward to many get-togethers this coming week.

From Maale Adumim, Mitzpe Nevo neighborhood, I wish you and your's a joyous Sukkot and a wonderful Chol HaMoed!

Two Incredible Days!

2009-10-01T08:30:00.002+02:00

Wow, has it been busy! These past two days have been very busy and intense and (BH) all for good things!

Let's start with Tuesday...the day began with me going up to Or Yehuda to go to the office and spend some good quality time there. Upon my return to J'lem, I was supposed to go to an Open House dealing with a tour guide course. Unfortunately, it was cancelled and I merely received the info by mail. I spent some time in town and then went to Midreshet Devora (a new Seminary in J'lem) and spoke about making the most of their year in Seminary. From there, it was off to Bayit Ve'gan for the next phase of my (Posner) cousin Bar Mitzva. It was so nice to see some cousins I have not seen in a long time. This is yet another perk of moving to Israel!

Wednesday was a great day...I mentioned a few days ago that I was going to be doing something a little different and that you too would be "involved" in. Well, I made my first of what will be a number of appearances on a local radio show that is also broadcast in the USA. It is called "Rusty Mike Radio" (www.rustymikeradio.com) and the show from yesterday will be available to download right after the Chagim. I spoke about my time in Chicago, Aliya activism and the company I work for. Future shows will deal with Aliya and Aliya-related issues.
Then, I participated in a FABULOUS 7-hour trip/tiyul with a group of other tour operators. We started at the base of Har Ha'Zeitim (Mount of Olives) and discussed the various historical and Tanach-based issues of the area. From there, we participated in sifting through the rubble that was removed from Har HaBayit by the Moslems, learned how to ride on a Segway (for the purpose of knowing what kind of tiyulim are available), took a ride in a 4x4 up through part of East Jerusalem for two unreal views. One view was in the direction of Har HaBayit that was probably one of the best views I have ever seen. The second view was towards the East and afforded me a long-distance view of Maale Adumim. How interesting to see our place from that perspective!

Then, the most interesting part of the day. We had the opportunity to go through a new area in Ir David that has only been visited so far by archeologists and not by visitors. We walked through the newly uncovered Mei HaShiloach and traced the path where visitors to ancient J'lem would go on their way to Har HaBayit for the Chagim. We saw the area exactly from where water was drawn for the Simchat Bet HaShoeva. And then, one of the most astounding things of all...we walked along a HUGE staircase that led directly to the Temple Mount (not going IN actually, of course) and learned an incredible fact. Below the stairs there was a once-in-a-lifetime find! For the first time, archeologists found complete bowls WITH ashes from cooked food in situ under the stairs. They were not broken and put back together by the archeologists but were complete and in tact! These items are more than likely from people hiding from the Romans in the final months before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. It was so exciting to be among the first to see all of these things!
We were also treated to music under the start-lit sky by three young men living in Ir David (among 70 Jewish families). If you have never been to Ir David, or if you have not been there for the last few weeks (things change EVERY DAY!) you owe it to yourself to visit when you are in Israel!

Sukkot is coming and it can be seen, felt, heard EVERYWHERE you turn! People are building sukkot everywhere you look, stands with people selling Lulavim and Etrogim pop up on what seems like every corner; huge tents with dozens of vendors selling Lulav, etrog sets and items for sukkot...it is incredible. And the prices?? You can get a beautiful Mehudar set for about 90 NIS (approx $22.00) which is less than a 1/3 of what I was used to paying! Ah, the law of supply and demand!!!

One last comment about Sukkot...sadly, at the Central Bus Station, there are two men that LIVE under the underpass that goes from the CBS across the street to Binyanei HaUma (the other part of the bus station). Last night, on my way home, as I passed one of these two men, I noticed that someone had given him a Lulav and Etrog for Sukkot. Homeless, he may be, but he has his Lulav..."Mi K'amcha Yisrael..."

Yom Kippur

2009-09-28T21:19:00.003+02:00

Our first Yom Kippur in Israel...I had been looking forward to it for a long time. On Erev Yom Kippur I had a headache that knocked me out for a while, and I was "happy" that it was the day BEFORE the fast, assuming that I would be ok for the fast. WRONG...I woke up in the middle of the night of YK with a massive headache (not from fasting obviously) and tried to go back to sleep. Sadly, I found myself for the first time since I was a little kid at HOME for the morning and mid-afternoon. I slept most of the time but did manage to daven as much as I could. By Mincha time (2:50pm...how nice and early) I was doing somewhat better and decided to attempt to go to shul for the rest of the day. I did not feel my usual self, but stayed anyways. Between Mincha and Neila, I had the zechut to speak. I was very happy to have had the opportunity to say a few words at that point in the Tefilla, and it seems to have been well received. By Neilah, I was going in and out of the Shul in order to stay until the end. I am very glad I did, because at the end of the davening, not only did we sing "L'Shana Haba'a Birooshalayim" ("Next Year in Jerusalem") but we danced around the Shul as well...I found it VERY moving to be so elevated at the end of the Yom HaKadosh.
The tunes for the Tefilla were also very moving and I am very happy I was able to be in the Shul for as much as I was able to be.

And now it is time for the rest of the week in preparation for Sukkot. I am going to FINALLY experience my first one-day Chag. I will gladly report on that next week. In the meantime, I hope that YK was good for all of you and that you walk away having made at least one decision of one thing to change for this coming year. (Remember...that is not a "resolution." It is a DECISION, a conscious one at that, that you will make a change in your life to be a better "Eved Hashem" (servant of Hashem).

Shabbat, Birkat Kohanim and Clocks

2009-09-27T08:33:00.003+02:00

1. Shabbat in Yerushalayim was beautiful! We went in for a simcha, and every aspect of the Shabbat was outstanding. I was up (very) early and walked to the Kotel to daven vatikin (shemona esray at sunrise, at 6:30am), which was GREAT! It was about 17C degrees with a cool breeze and it seemed that the entire city was sleeping while a few hundred made their way in quiet contemplation towards Judaism's holiest site. While I was there, I observed something that I found SO inspirational, which leads me to item #2...

2. At every tefilla in Shacharit and then on Shabbat twice with Mussaf, when Kohanim are present at the minyan, there is Birkat Kohanim (duchaning). While we were about to hear Birkat Kohanim of Mussaf, I noticed a Dati (religious) policeman putting his "gear" on (radio, gun, vest, etc) nearby and straining to hear where we were at that moment in Tefilla. He then came over quickly and stood for Birkat Kohanim. He closed his eyes and seemed to be transported somewhere else in his mind. He bowed his head to receive the blessings of Hashem through the Kohanim. As soon as the Birkat Kohanim was over, he opened his eyes and went very quickly to (evidentally) post in for his watch. It was SO awesome to watch a police officer of Israel, a fellow Jew, who specifically came to get these blessings before standing guard over HIS fellow Jews. I felt so good seeing this...

3. We changed the clocks last night in advance of Yom Kippur, which begins tonight at sunset. The change of the clock (BACK one hour) means that not only does Kol Nidre begin quite early (5pm!!) but we FINISH the fast at 5:55pm with Maariv and eating beginning again after 6:05pm on Monday! THAT is great...I think I will be able to handle that.

I am also SO looking forward to next Shabbat with the first day of Sukkot. It will be my very first one-day Chag...the way it was meant to be! I am psyched!!

Wishing everyone an easy fast and a Gmar Chatima Tova...daven as if your life depends on it...because it actually DOES!

The Week That Was...

2009-09-25T08:05:00.003+03:00

While I generally like to write a few times a week, this week has been particularly busy for me therefore giving me less of a chance to write. BUT, it won't stop me on Erev Shabbat before we leave for Yerushalayim (see below).

I found the fast of Tzom Gedalia much easier than I expected. I think that this is mostly due to the amount of food that I consumed on Rosh Hashana and the "stored-up feature" the body is blessed with. I am indeed sorry for what happened to Gedaliah ben Achikam (See Melachim II/Kings II, Chapter 25) and his murder, but I must admit that it is indeed quite convenient to have a fast day right after Rosh Hashana and all of its meals!

After spending a very productive day in the office on Tuesday, we all had a wonderful experience on Wednesday. One of the (many) perks of living in Maale Adumim is that it is one of the few communities in Israel where the government provides additional funding for programs for Olim. This program falls under the title of Community Aliyah Program. As such, we are entitled to a few extras that some new Olim do not receive. One of those special events was this Wednesday evening. A group of over 40 people (members of every family that made Aliya this summer to MA) went to Eretz Breisheet (http://www.genesisland.co.il/) Here we travelled back in time to the time of Avraham Avinu and his servant Eliezer. We (when I say "we" I mean the rest of the group!!) travelled on camels, had a sumptuous meal sitting on the ground, and enjoyed the GLORIOUS evening and the mountainous view. While I had been here many times and knew the one that runs the place, it was my first time here as an Oleh. It SO felt like I was there with a group, but the best part was that at the end of the evening, we went HOME and not to a hotel!

Yesterday was an all-day day in Yerushalayim...My cousin is celebrating his bar Mitzva this Shabbat in Yerushalayim (where we are all headed soon) and he put on his tefillin for the first time, read the Torah and served up a wonderful breakfast. (In addition, I have yet a SECOND cousin who is ALSO celebrating his Bar Mitzva this Shabbat in Yerushalayim also. We will B"H be attending bot the Bar Miztva of Ari Posner and that of Nachman Sharp) That was the first of seven stops that day in Yerushalayim...along the way, I needed to get going on a brochure for the business I represent (www.tlalimgroup.com) so I had to visit the printer I was suggested to use. (Having been in the area of Purchasing for 17 years, and having quoted printing before many times, and having dealt with so many printers, it was SO awesome to sit and deal with a woman who was a frum person, whose computer screen displayed a picture of her 3 daughters (triplets) all dressed for Shabbat. What a difference!) I met with an old friend (Ron Allswang...not so old...just we know each other a long time!); I also spent some significant time at AACI (Association for Americans and Canadians in Israel) and got some great suggestions for the tour business I am in. While I was there, I was introduced to someone with whom I will be doing something quite different next week (and potentially for the weeks after as well). Once this comes to fruition, I will let you know (and you will be able to participate as well...a little mystery never hurt anyone!)

So, now it is time to get ready for Shabbat and get to Yerushalayim. One thing that I noticed this morning. All along, people have been asking me how this time of year has felt compared to when I was in Chicago in my role as a rabbi. I think that this morning, I was able to identify one way it was definitely different: the Aseret Yemai Teshuva (Ten Days of Repentance) do not feel as intense as they have the past 10 years. First of all, that is not because they are any less important. The reason, I think, is due to the fact that I am not spending day and night working on speeches, dealing with the day-to-day issues of prep for Yom Tov in the Shul and not in classroom teaching about the Chagim. All this tells me is that I best get out my copy of Messilat Yesharim and get busy!

I don't know if I will have a chance to write before Yom Kippur or not so I will wish all of you an easy fast. Actually, while the FAST should be easy, that should be the ONLY easy part of the day! Remember that Tefilla (prayer) is called Avoda She'b'lev which means "Heart Work." But I prefer to think of it also as "Hard Work." A suggestion...before Yom Kippur, open your Machzor and pick ONE section that you review and think about before you walk into the Shul for the Yom HaKadosh. Certainly, 99.99999% of people do not understand all that is said on Yom Kippur and reviewing even some of the tefillot in advance is advantageous. A good place to start is probably the Viudi/Confessional. After all, if you do not understand it, then what good is it doing you!?!?
Ketiva Va'chatima Tova!
(PS--This greeting is on the electronic banner/sign of every bus in Yerushalayim!)

"How Was Your First Rosha Hashana in Israel?"

2009-09-20T20:18:00.002+03:00

I was asked this at least 20-30 times today, and I was thrilled to give everyone the same answer: MAGNIFICENT! The tefilla, the ruach (spirit), the food (we ate out all four meals), the learning, the entire atmosphere...all added up to make a WONDERFUL way to begin 5770.

But, let me back up a bit and make some comments that are a little more specific.

Erev Rosh Hashana, on Friday, the entire feeling one had walking down the street was that the Chag was on the way. If you looked across the street from the shul I daven in, you would see men lining up to go to Mikveh. In front of one home, there stood a man who was practicing his davening before entering the shul later in the day to be the Chazan and lead the Tefilla. Kids of all ages rushing hither and yon (did I really just use that expression?!?!) doing their part to get ready. The local Makolet (grocery store) and all of the other shopping locations were in pre-holiday frenzy mode. And the aroma...the aroma walking down the street...it is a wonder I didn't just gain weight from the smell!

And then, as dark descended upon Mitzpe Nevo, we joined the rest of the country in welcoming the New Year, 5770. I looked at the mountains that surround our area and thanked Hashem out loud that I had the zechut of celebrating our first Rosh Hashana in Israel.

I had the opportunity to speak (at the Bet Kenesset HaGilgal) the first night, as well as to be the Chazan for Maariv. I paused on a number of occassions before Rosh Hashana wondering what it would be like to NOT be a functionary (in the role of Rav) for Yom Tov. The best way I can answer that question is to say that on the one hand it was indeed a wonderful feeling to be able to daven at the pace I wanted to; not to have to be concerned about giving a lot of speeches (and hope they would turn out as good as I thought they sounded in my head); not to have to be responsible for overseeing all of the aspects of the Yamim Noraim. And yet, there were points at which I did indeed miss the role. It is hard to put my finger on it but maybe over the next few days I will be able to give voice (so to speak) to these thoughts. At the moment, let it suffice to say that for the VAST majority time I was quite comfortable in my new role.

We had the opportunity to eat, as I said before, at four different households over the Chag. It was so special to see how each family approached this time of year with different customs, foods, philosophy, etc. We also had the opportunity to eat at the home of the Rav of the Shul, Rav Elisha Aviner among other homes. EVERY single family with whom we ate were so gracious and so kind to us.

Now that Rosh Hashana 5770 is a memory, it is time to set our sights on the Aseret Yemai Teshuva (the Ten Days of Repentance). I have a number of things planned over the next few days but it will certainly be a different experience than the past 10 years.

That is the update from Maale Adumim (Mitzpe Nevo neighborhood) for now. I want to take this opporunity once again to wish everyone a Shana Tova!

Final note...while the davening was wonderful and the tunes beautiful, there are two noteworthy items: I was very moved in Mussaf when we all began to sing along with the chazan as he sang a piece that the word YERUSHALAYIM was the focus of the song. While we sang, I looked at the mountains surrounding the outskirts of Yerushalayim...what a feeling!! Secondly, I missed the tunes I was used to and missed the Baalei Tefilla from KJ. I will learn new tunes over the next many years (IYH) but do know that the old tunes still will continue to run through my head.

A True "Obama-Nation"

2009-09-17T17:08:00.003+03:00

Get it? A true "abomination"? This is how I feel as I look out over the area near our home, known as "07" (Efes Sheva) and see the building that is in process and knowing that this is the end (theoretically) to the new construction for a while. And I believe it IS an abomination. It makes the neighborhood I am in an OBAMA-NATION in that the building, or lack therein, becomes a tribute to President Obama and what HIS desire is for MY neighborhood. I do not see him as concerned about the build-up of fissionable material in Iran leading to a nuclear bomb. Nor do I see him as concerned about the trade in human slavery in Sudan.

But, building in 07 or in Mitzpe Nevo is an impediment to peace.

Hmmmm....a true Obama-nation! Maybe President Obama and Judge Goldstone should go out for a bite to eat. They would have so much to discuss...

Two Highlights and "The News"

2009-09-16T08:53:00.003+03:00

First some highlights from yesterday. After going in to the office for a few hours yesterday, I found myself in J'lem late afternoon to wait for Andy for an event later that evening (see below). At about 6pm, I realized that I still had to daven Mincha and I asked in a Falafel store on King George if the guy knew of any minyan in the immediate area. He sent me over to Agripas saying that he was sure there would be one in the vicinity, but he did not know exactly where. At the first little hole-in-the-wall store that I saw which was selling Tefillin, Mezuzot, etc, I stopped in and asked him as well. He asked me what time it was, and I told him 6:10pm. He told me to come back in 20 minutes as there is a minyan for Mincha IN HIS STORE at 6:30. Sure enough, at 6:30pm, about 20 people came pouring in to this 3 square meter shop with many of us (myself included) standing outside on Agripas to daven. It was so interesting to watch that as we began, people would walk by and say "Hey, a minyan for Mincha!," and they would run over and join in. I found that little incident so great...

The "event" that evening was a הרמת כוסית (a toast) held a the office of the mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat. Andy and I joined about 100 others who made Aliya in the past few months (to the Greater Jerusalem area) for this evening. We began by standing on the balcony on top of the building affording us a 360 degree view of the city....make that THE city. The song Yerushalayim shel Zahav went through my mind as, in my mind's eye, I watched soldiers capturing the Old City in June 1967. It was a most magnificent view of a most magnificent city! The event was sponsored by Nefesh B'nefesh and was well attended. They mentioned last night that this summer alone 3000 people made Aliya! Yasher Koach!!

And now for the news...

I am sitting with a copy of today's and yesterday's Jerusalem Post sitting next to me. Below I present to you a list of headlines exactly as they are printed with my providing only a little commentary afterwards:

* 500 Palestinian damage suits filed against Israel since 2000

* Saudis won't engage Israel until it ends occupation

* London anti-Israel rally moved following threats by far-right wing group

* Anti-semitic attacks hit Argentina and Russia

* Bin Laden says 9/11 was in retaliation for US support of Israel

* "You should have buried me" tearful Rona Ramon tells her son at funeral

* UN probe alleged Israeli crimes against humanity in Gaza

* UN report cites Israel's "deliberate and intentional" war crimes in Gaza

* IDF accused of unjustifiably killing civilians in Gaza offensive

* "No light at end of tunnel" says family of Schalit

* 3 UK Moslems jailed for liquid bomb threat

As far as the summary of the "key findings" of this report about Israel in Gaza, allow me to summarize THAT summary:

Israel must do anything in its power to put itself in a position of existential suicide; they must retreat to the borders they held while enslaved in Egypt; they must take responsibility for any death within 10,000 miles of their borders; they must allow all muderers to be freed from any jail; Israel should allow Palestinians free access to all areas of Israel (while providing that any Israeli that goes into Palestinian land will be arrested and dealt with in a most severe way.)

The Palestinians on the other hand must promise to not put too much starch in their laundry and not to jaywalk. THAT will surely bring peace to the region.

Now, if you think I am exaggerating this a little, open up any legitimate newspaper and look for a summary of the recommendations of this so-called committee of the UN. Notice the "one extreme to another" treatment of Jews vs Palestinians. Tell you what...I will save you the time of looking it up. Here is a link to the Jerusalem Post where the "Key Recommendations" are listed:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1251804580149&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

As I mentioned once before in Chicago...it was the proper title to give to this body politic overlooking the East River...the United Nations. It is proper, both in terms of the NAME and in terms of the abbrevation, the UN. They are indeed UNITED...united to be a force against the State of Israel. Rockets fall on Sderot and Israel is a war criminal. People are beheaded in Saudi Arabia and Israel is the war criminal. Women are murdered in Arab countries in so-called honor killings and Israel is the war criminal; Palestinians who aid Israel are taken out to a public square and hanged and Israel is the war criminal. Yes, they are indeed United against us.
And the abbrevation? The "UN." If you look up the prefix of the two letters "un-" you get the following definition: a prefix meaning “not,” freely used as an English formative, giving negative or opposite force in adjectives and their derivative adverbs and nouns. How fitting for the UN...they are UN-fair, UN-reliable, UN-bending, UN-ceasing in their campaign against Israel, UN-abashed, and the list goes on and on!

So, that is the report from Israel for today. I need to go back to my "occupied" home in the "settlement" of Maale Adumim and get to work. Hmmm....a "settlement." I did not realize that a city the size of Maale Adumim (33,000+ bli ayin hara) and having all of the facilities and services that we have, qualifies as a "settlement." Did you ever notice that the media NEVER refers to ANY Arab village as a settlement!?!?!?

Abu Dis and Abu Dat...

2009-09-13T17:26:00.004+03:00

We live near the Arab SETTLEMENT of Abu Dis...that is what the background to this title (Andy's idea!)...So this post has a little bit of this and a little bit of that...

1. A clear miracle: A few days ago, there was a water main break up near the top of the hill near us and evidentally, this made the road pretty slick. One of the women who lives in the neighborhood (the wife of the Rosh Yeshiva of the High School) was driving in that very spot and lost control of her vehicle. She went through a fence and down into the wadi below (about 100 meter drop!) and with the grace of Hashem and in an open miracle, lived through the experience. (She ended up with a broken pelvis...but she is alive BH!) She was wearing her seat belt and thank G-d had no kids in the car at the time.

2. Chayalim/Soldiers: I had to go into Yerushalayim this morning for a meeting. As I stood by one of the bus stops in Yerushalayim, at the Central Bus Station, I looked around and saw hundreds of soldiers who were heading back to base after Shabbat leave. I stood there feeling a deep sense of pride in each and every one of them. Each one of them is truly out there helping to defend OUR country and doing that which I did not do (I came at an age that is considered ANCIENT and will do no army service. I WANTED to when I was 19, but that is a story for another time.)

3. Rain: It never rains this time of year in Israel...well, almost never. Today, as I headed into town, I saw deep black rain clouds that certainly looked like they were about to unleash their fury on the Holy City. Sure enough, when I got in, the street was wet and the temperature quite cool...for about 20 minutes. I saw people calling others on their cell phone to report this unusual event. Not to be outdone, I got a call from Andy that indeed in Maale Adumim, we had our first "rain" of the season. It, too, lasted about ONLY 2 minutes...

4. Lobby: I had a meeting at the Sheraton (no-longer-Sheraton) Plaza this morning in the lobby. While I had been there many times in the past with groups or by myself during past trips, it was my first time there since making Aliya. It was such a great feeling to sit there in the lobby of this hotel and know that when I was finished, I was going back home to Maale Adumim and not to the airport! It is little things like this that put a smile on my face each and every day...

5. Smoking: One thing I will never get used to is the amount of smoking that goes on in Israel. Not only that, but that it is perfectly legal to smoke in public and private buildings in situations that in the Untied States would be forbidden. This is certainly one area that could be improved as far as health concerns and consideration for other people.

6. Rosh Hashana: It is this coming Shabbat. I still can not believe it is here and that I am zoche (merit) being here in Israel for the Yamim Noraim and Sukkot (our first 1-day Chag...more on that later!!)

Clarification of My Position

2009-09-10T16:15:00.004+03:00

I have heard from some people that they are not clear still about what my position at Tlalim is and what the company does. Herein is a clarification. I hope this helps.

One additional word: This kind of business grows based on referrals. This means that even if you do not plan on making a trip anytime soon but you know of someone who is thinking of it, please do let me know! I will be more than happy to help out! In addition, I am always open for suggestions, so feel free to suggest away.

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(http://www.tlalimgroup.com/default.asp?lang=en)

I have accepted a position with the Tlalim Group. The Tlalim Group has a 25 year history of expertise in tourist services in Israel. We have an international presence with offices in the United States, Russia and Japan in addition to Israel.

Think of me as your concierge for Israel. I can assist a single person who is merely looking for a hotel reservation for a few days in Israel or at the other end of the spectrum, I can assist in putting together multi-week tours around the country.

The Tlalim Group is able to handle this wide range of services and everything in between. From the family that needs a guide for two days, to the group that wants to do a Bar/Bat Mitzva in Israel or an organization seeking an educational, historical tour of the Land of Israel...all of these can and have been handled by The Tlalim Group.

My personal goal is to find such individuals, families or groups interested in travel to Israel and assist them in any way possible. I will enable them to have the best experience possible in Israel.

There are truly a world of possibilities in this position that will continue to develop and be expanded (IYH) over time. YOUR input, referrals and suggestions are always welcome!

Due to the fact that the office is so far away, I am able to work out of the house except that I go in once a week to the office. I also am in the process of setting up meetings with people HERE and outside of Israel to discuss various ideas for trips.

I can not believe it is already THURSDAY and Shabbat is tomorrow night! We are invited out for Shabbat meals again and for all of Rosh Hashana...what a great community.

Final note...I am speaking on the first night of Rosh Hashana at one of the local Batei Kenesset. While I look forward to a "year off" it IS nice to be somewhat involved with one Dvar Torah! (I guess it is really in my blood...)

E-1 also known as Mevasseret Adumim

2009-09-09T08:59:00.007+03:00

(Mevasseret Adumim Images. See Below for Info)

(Flag and Signs) (Some of the Crowd) (Ayelet adding cement!)
This pic by Jacob Richman

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The area we live in is called Maale Adumim. In the area, due to the red rock, evidentally, there are a number of towns that have "adumim" in their name, such as Kfar Adumim, Mishor Adumim, etc. There is one area though whose name is not only an "adumim" iteration but also is fortunate enough to be called by a special code name.

The area of which I speak is called Mevasseret Adumim also known as "E-1." The letter "E" in this name indicates "EAST," as this is the first parcel of land that is East of Jerusalem. This area, this small few square kilometers, is a source of international controversy. From my side of the mountain, I can not see E-1, but every day when I go to the Bet Kenesset or virtually any other place in Maale Adumim, I see this area. The only thing that is there now is a beautiful Police Station with many square kilometers of nothing but rolling hills. (In my mind's eye, I already see thousands of Jews living there with some beautiful scenery, as well!).

It is in this area that the Arab world has protested to the world community that Israel not be permitted to build, as it effectively would prevent them from having a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capitol, if E-1 were to be built up. Israel, on the other hand feels that this area has significant strategic significance; it is part of the Land of Israel; it is in the domain of the municipality of Maale Adumim and indeed its building up would make Jerusalem and M.A. one continguous body.

President Obama has "forbidden" new construction in the area and it seems that our Prime Minister is going along with this as well. However, two days ago there was a HUGE demonstration in E-1 with what was SUPPOSED to be a ceremonial ground-breaking but became something else. Since the police said they would not allow a "ground-breaking" ceremony, instead there was the burying of a jug with documents attesting to the day's events and the claim of the Jewish people to this land. Thousands attended, including most of the school children in Maale Adumim, members of the Keneset, Mayor Benny Kashriel and many dignitaries. Unfortunately, a prior engagement kept me away, but my family was there to witness this historic day and took a number of pictures.

I feel very strongly that we will indeed see this area built up in the not-too-distant future by JEWS who wish to strengthen the connection to the Land and to the eternal capitol of the Jewish people: Jerusalem!

Some "Only in Israel" Moments

2009-09-07T21:55:00.004+03:00

I went to my office today in Or Yehuda. As I have mentioned before, it is a series of three busses to get there and a long commute. But no problem...that's what small-size Gemaras are for. Anyways, there were a few "Only in Israel" moments today that I just had to share with you right away!

1. Bus #1: I sat near a young lady, no more than 19 years old. I saw she was in a very intense discussion with someone, who, I surmise, was a student of her's. Not wanting to eavesdrop (yeah, right!) I couldn't help but overhear what they were discussing. The subject? Teshuva and the meaning of what we say in our daily Shemona Esray. And this conversation was being held as if it were a classroom. It was so inspiring to see this that it warmed my heart.

2. Mincha: I was running a little late heading back from the office towards Yerushalayim. I arrived at the Central Bus Station in Tel Aviv at about 6:00pm. Knowing that there was a Bet Kenesset in the Station, I headed over there expecting a small little room with a few siddurim and my need to daven Mincha all alone. I was no less than SHOCKED to see a small bet Midrash with dozens of Sefarim (obviously have been used a LOT) and one Minyan for Mincha just finishing and one about to begin! Who would have thought that in Tel Aviv in the BUS STATION, no less, would I find a beautiful minyan with which to daven! And even more interesting was the makeup of the group: Ashkenazi, Sefaradi, Chasidishe, Litvish, Seruga, black hat and one or two that were not sure why they were there. It was a microcosm of Kibbutz Galuyot (the Ingathering of the Exiles)! And when I finished davening and walked out to head towards the bus, there were some wafers and (no, not wine!) juice for those who had just davened. After putting some money in the Tzedaka box, I headed to the bus...for another experience! Read on...

3. Bus #2: On the bus from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim, the traffic came to a standstill. Like all good citizens, I craned my neck to see what the holdup was. While it turned out that there had been not one but TWO accidents along the road, the scene lent itself to yet another "Only in Israel" moment. As I mentioned earlier, it was beginning to get a little late in the day. Evidentally, many of the drivers ahead of me originally thought that they would get to Yerushalayim in time to daven Mincha. WRONG! It was late, and it seems that many of the drivers had yet to daven. No problem! I counted no less than SEVEN vehicles that had pulled over to the side with the driver (and some of the occupants) standing next to their cars davening Mincha! It was so interesting to observe and re-inforced my view of what a special place it is to live. (I will not address the safety issue involved. That is another matter altogether.)

So, three moments that encapsulated for me (just today) why, indeed, I feel at home.

Thought as We Approach 5770

2009-09-06T09:07:00.000+03:00

Greetings from the Land of Israel!
As I write these words, I find it hard to believe that Rosh Hashana is right around the corner. While in most years, I would be furiously preparing sermons for the Yamim Noraim (and I will be giving one here in Maale Adumim this year), I find the respite from that activity allows me to reflect a little more than usual about this past year and the upcoming one as well.

On a personal level, this has been one of the most interesting, exciting, challenging and physically-taxing of my entire life. At the same time, all of these adjectives spelled one word: ALIYA. The opportunity to realize one's life-long dream to move to Israel and to have (Bli Ayin Hara) such a wonderful first-two-months' experience, has been a TRUE bracha from Hashem.

It is this thought that I sit and ponder as we enter the final phase of 5769 and reach (IYH) 5770. Dreams are a funny thing...they allow you to imagine what COULD be and what life MIGHT be like. They enable you to think big and to have a vision. Sometimes, those dreams are about money; sometimes they are about family issues; sometimes they are about the big picture called "LIFE." But all dreams have a common, underlying theme: They are the deepest desires (sometimes unattainable) of the soul. They are the windows to who you are as a person and who you wish to become.

And the truth is that dreams can also be a motivating factor at this time of year, as we approach Rosh Hashana. Are there things I wish I had done differently this past year...of course! Did I make mistakes? Certainly! Do I wish to make changes as I approach the New Year...Undoubtedly!

But, how does one begin to make such changes? If you think about almost any MAJOR accomplishment in your life, more than likely it was preceded by a dream...it was almost driven by a dream or a vision. And the same can be true when it comes to personal change, Teshuva or whatever other category you wish to place the human drive to self-improvement.

So, as we bid farewell to 5769 and get ready to greet 5770, dream a little...better yet...dream A LOT! Think about what it would be like to live life as an EVED HASHEM (a servant of Hashem). Dream about what it would be like to do more Mitzvot and what it would be like to do the Mitzvot with greater purpose and intent. Dream about what it would be like to have a better relationship with your spouse, your parents, your kids, your friends, etc. Dream about what it would be like to have a better parnasa and to be even happier than you may be right now.

But, one also must be mindful of the fact that the Hebrew word for dream, HALOM, has the same three letter root as another word: LOHEM, meaning "to do battle." It is not enough to dream! One must also struggle and "fight" to accomplish one's dreams. They do not just materialize. They require nurturing and work.

But the payoff is that you CAN help those dreams come true! Teshuva, Tefilla and Tzedaka...all of them lend themselves to dreaming as well! Dream of doing a PROPER and a SOLID teshuva this year! Dream of being able to give MORE Tzedaka this year! And dream about being able to change your Tefilla, prayer, that it will be more meaningful to you this year!

Yes, dreams can and DO come true. But you need to go beyond dreaming and move to action. As we approach the year of "TAV SHIN AYIN" (5770), may the letters represent "T'hey Shnat Aliya," may this year be the year of UPLIFTING and growth. Aliya not only means moving to Israel. It really just means "going up." May this year be the year that you "go up" and grow in terms of both ruchniut and in terms of gashmiut (spiritual and physical growth). But remember, much of that growth requires both dreaming and taking action.

May Hashem bless each and every one of you with a year of health, happiness and parnassa and may this indeed be the year in which we ALL make Aliya with the coming of Mashiach ben David.
With best wishes for a Shana Tova and a Chag Sameach!

A Yahrzeit and a Seudah Shlisheet

2009-09-06T08:53:00.002+03:00

This last couple of days have been quite busy! On Friday, another first for me in Israel...I was invited on Friday morning to participate in a Siyum commemorating the first Yahrzeit of Gideon Ariel's father (the Neshama should have an aliya). It was significant for ME for two reasons...first, it was special to be involved in learning l'zecher nishmat of a fellow Jew. At the same time, I was sitting there thinking back to one evening, three years ago.

I had been here in Maale Adumim for the very first time. I was with a group, and we came here for a visit as part of our itinerary. Little did I know how it would change my life. We sat in the Iriya (the municipal building) and heard a briefing about the community, what it had to offer, the services etc, etc., and I was listening very carefully. The speaker indeed had given me a VERY clear picture of what it meant to live in Maale Adumim in general and in the Mitzpe Nevo neighborhood in particular. Needless to say, I was enthralled instantly at the prospect of living in this area.

The speaker was Gideon Ariel, the very same individual with whom I sat to learn in memory of his father, so that his father's neshama should have an ALIYA. I thought about that duality, and it made me smile. He was a link in MY aliya and now he was a link in the aliya of his father's neshama!

Shabbat afternoon, there was a community-wide Seudah Shlisheet for all the new Olim in the area. There must have been 150 people at the Seudah, and it was MAGNIFICENT! People were so welcoming and so outgoing to all of the new Olim. I had the opportunity to give a Dvar Torah (in the lingua franca) about all of us who made Aliya recently. The Rav, Rabbi Elisha Aviner spoke and there were introductions made all around by each family. It was such a welcome and welcoming Seudah Shlisheet!

Now, it is Sunday and back to work...I truly enjoy the fact that Sunday is a "regular" day here. The one thing Israel does not have this weekend: Labor Day Sales...

Shavua Tov!

Two Posts for the Price of One!

2009-09-02T08:10:00.002+03:00

POST #1: A Freilechin Purim!

I mentioned the other day that I wished all those at the Kahn Brit, a Happy Purim, even though it is Elul. Herein, the reasoning:

In the Birkat HaMazon after the Brit, there are a series of special "Haracham" statements that are made. In one, we daven that news of the Mashiach should come to the "Am mefuzat U'meforad bein Ha'amim." (The people that is spread out among nations or other people.) This phrase is lifted right from Megillat Esther, and I asked why refer to the Jewish people with this phrase and in particular at a brit Milah?

The words were stated by Haman HaRasha to Achashverosh. He was telling the king that this widespread people were indeed a threat to the crown and needed to be annihilated. However, without realizing it, he was indicating what one of the downfalls of the Jews really is: We tend to be fractious and split among our own people. We do not get along...we make ourselves insulated and are therefore more apt to be attacked. We just donot get along well...

To this, Esther says: "Lech, K'nos et Kol Ha'Yehudim..." Go, and GATHER all the Jews together...it would be in the Zechut (merit) of the Jews coming together that Hashem would indeed save the day.

I said at the Brit that we came together for the Simcha at which we were to hear a call for Mashiach to arrive. We mention the Jewish people as the "fractious" people as recognized by Haman...but that our gathering TOGETHER, Jews of all backgrounds, we help to provide the antidote so desperately needed for the Mashiach...that we get together and we get along!

It is THAT idea that propelled me to wish everyone a Freilichen Purim...just as the Jews gathered in Shushan and led to the antidote for our Geulah, so, too, we gathered at the simcha in a fashion that would change us form an "Am Mefuzar" to unified people ready to greet the Mashiach.

Thanks to all who asked me what I meant in my comments!

2. The New Job:

What a difference 28 years makes! My very first job after I got married is one that I stayed at for almost 17 years. I was in the business world and was working among non-Jews for the very first time as a married man. My first day then was filled with the usual first day jitters and anxiety, but it was doubly anxiety-filled as I had to decide a few issues as many do in such circumstances: would I wear my Kippah (I did, all 17 years); davening Mincha when it was dark before I left the office; washing for HaMotzi and benching and the list goes on. All this meant: How was I going to continue to practice MY Dati/religious lifestyle in an environment that was not geared for this lifestyle.

That was then...this is now! Twenty-eight years later, I found myself once again in a "first day on the job" situation. But, this time is was different: I came in wearing my tzitzit out; I was able to wash before eating lunch and bench at my desk without anyone thinking twice about what I was doing; people wopuld walk into the office and kiss the Mezuzah on the doorpost; and the morning was punctuated by phrases such as "Baruch Hashem"and "B'ezrat Hashem."

No, not everyone in the office is Dati, but it was a VERY different experience than it was when I was all of 22 years old! As to first day "jitters"? That, too, seems to have not been the same as when I first entered the workforce. Yes, so much is different than in 1981 for me. The one thing I hope will be the same, though, is that I will be with this company for 17 years...That will only happen with referrals from people like you reading this blog. May Hashem give me the koach/strength to do the best I can and bring people to His home and show them around. Who knows, maybe these visitors will like the place and decide to even move here!

Our First Simcha in Yerushalayim Since Making Aliya and the Beginning of Something New

2009-08-31T21:46:00.005+03:00

Today was a very special day...Andy and I went into Yerushalayim (I still love saying that!) for a Brit, our first simcha in Yerushalayim since making Aliya. The Simcha was for the birth of a baby boy to David and Shira Kahn. David is the son of Lothar and Sue Kahn, members of KJBS, where I was the Rav for the last 10 years. We were thrilled to not only go to the simcha but to also have the opportunity to see the Kahns! I was honored to have been asked to speak and began by wishing everyone "A Freilechen Purim!" (If you want to know what that has to do with the Brit today, you will have to email and ask!)

Something new: A job...the one that I have been working at unofficially (at Tlalim) for two or three weeks now, will become "official" tomorrow, September 1, 2009. I am going to go to the office once a week (it is a VERY long commute) and figure that the FIRST day is probably a good day to go in!

I am fortunate that I already have a couple of groups to quote on. I want to see some results soon (TYPE-A Personality kicking in to high gear!) but realize it is a slow process that relies heavily on referrals. (Feel free to "refer" away...)

Shabbat

2009-08-30T12:31:00.002+03:00

This Shabbat was our first home in Maale Adumim in 3 weeks. I loved being away and I am also very grateful to be home for Shabbat. We were fortunate enough to be invited out for all three meals this week, which enabled Andy to get more non-kitchen-related items done. I commented to someone in Shul on Friday night that I am 100% certain that we chose the right community. He asked me what I meant by this statement. As I listened to the magnificent melodies being sung by about 200 people in unison for Kabbalat Shabbat and could FEEL the beginning of the kedusha of Shabbat, I told him that I had "landed" in a place that truly understood the holiness of the day of Shabbat and that we had found EVERY aspect of the community special in one way or another. Words can not begin to describe how peaceful and tranquil I felt singing along with everyone on Friday night. (ONLY 6 MORE DAYS TILL SHABBAT!)
Shabbat day, I had intended on sleeping until the later (8:00am) minyan but got up early and went to the first one (at 6:30am). For the second time, I had the chance to daven as Chazzan for Shacharit. Normally, that would not be reason for something noteworthy. But on a personal level, it means I am feeling VERY comfortable here and in the Shul, as I would NEVER daven for the amud otherwise!

While I have not officially begun my job, I have already been very busy trying to contact as many people as I can to tell them what I do and look for recommendaitons/referrals etc. REMEMBER: if you want to come to Israel with just your family and need someone to take care of something as "small" as hotel reservations and/or a guide...or...if you want a full blown tour over many days/weeks, I am more than happy to take care of all the arrangements through Tlalim. If you do not plan to be coming in the near future, but you DO know of someone who says they MAY be interested, please feel free to contact me and let me know. Incidentally, I am looking for contacts in other countries besides the USA, such as in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, etc. if you have any suggestions, PLEASE contact me and let me know.

Finally. we have been having SIGNIFICANT issues with our internet service which has made my VopIP phone and online time almost ZERO. We have a tech coming on Wednesday moring. Hopefully, all will be resolved by then.

Putting Down Roots

2009-08-26T21:48:00.003+03:00

Today begins a new period for us, in a sense. It is one thing to be Olim Chadashim. It is one thing to deal with all of the things we need to in order to get our house in order in the literal and figurative sense. BUT, it is another thing altogether when you begin to set down roots of a long-term nature.

Today, my youngest daughter, Eliana had her orientation for her start of Kitah Tet (9th Grade) in Zvia (the Ulpana--high school) that she will attend, and tomorrow is her first real day of school. As you may have noticed over time, I do not write too much about my kids in the blog as I do not feel that they need to be "written about" in such a public forum. However, this time I am making an exception. On the way home from Mincha, I got to thinking that my YOUNGEST is now in high school. But greater than that...she is in high school in Israel. We are becoming parents of a child going through the school system in Israel. The roots get deeper and deeper here and we are so proud of Eliana who begins this new venture. Daniella began to learn in Neve Yerushalyim (for a short period, but I am thrilled she is there), and Ayelet will begin Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu Ulpan after the Chagim.

Putting down even deeper roots, I "officially" begin my job next week (read: paycheck) but have been networking already, as much as possible. I can not express how grateful to Hashem I am that I indeed have a job AND in a field I love.

Things in the house continue to shape up and as soon as there is significant progress to show, I will post some pictures.

In the meantime, have a great day!

Shabbat and "Seeing is Believing"

2009-08-24T10:43:00.002+03:00

This past Shabbat, we were in Karnei Shomron with our dear friends, Bevie and Chucky Klein. We had a wonderful time with them, and I must say that the Tefilla on Friday night was beautiful! We davened at a Carelbach-style minyan and the singing was just gorgeous.

In the afternoon, a number of old acquaintances came over, and we all reminisced about the past many years. It was such an enjoyable and relaxing Shabbat! The food, the company and the Shabbat ruach were all outstanding!

Yesterday, I learned first-hand how much the neighborhood I live in values Torah and Torah scholarship. As many of you know, the Daf Yomi cycle just concluded learning Bava Metzia. At the shul where I daven, they were making a Siyum last night to celebrate this milestone. I was invited by a few people and decided that it would be a good idea to attend. I expected to see 20-30 people sitting around a couple of tables with some pop (Chicago-speak for "soda." A word I still can not say!), some chips and maybe some fruit. WOW...was I surprised! There were about 75 people there, and I was told by many that it was a HALF of the usual crowd. And the food...the food! Hamburgers, rice, meat, fruit, dips, pita and on and on! It was a veritable feast. Someone made the "Hadran" and after some eating there was a 1/2 hour shiur that covered a wide range of subjects of the Massechet.

I had HEARD in the past that this was an area that gave Kavod/Honor to Torah. But, now I saw it with my own eyes. What a beautiful event! Just think...by the time all of you reading this make Aliya (to Maale Adumim!) you can join in the next Siyum on February 13, 2010 for Bava Batra! I will save a seat for anyone wishing to join in.

"And Now for Something Completely Different..."

2009-08-21T08:43:00.002+03:00

In a very welcome change from the manual, physical things that we have been doing lately, we had an interesting evening/morning yesterday. A good friend from over the years, Stuart Katz, is here in Israel with his family to celebrate his daughter's Bat Mitzvah. I got a beautiful email from Stuart asking if (even though it is last minute) we would want to go to Tveria (Tiberias) that evening for the Bat Mitzva. For those of you who know Andy, I would not characterize her as particularly spontaneous. But in a surprise move, she agreed it would be a great break and two of our daughters decided to join us as well. We left the King David Hotel (on a reserved bus) to head towards Tveria at about 4:30pm (1630). After stopping in both Modi'in and in Ra'anana to pick up others, we were solidly on our way. The only problem is that the combination of the HORRIBLE traffic and the driver not taking a very good route, we arrived at 9:30pm (2130) after a long and tiring trip. BUT...It was truly worth it. The ruach (spirit) was great as we sat on the banks of the Kinerret (Sea of Galillee) and ate a beautiful meal. In a surprise move at the end of the meal, all of the guests were invited onto a boat for a (midnight) cruise with music, Divrei Torah, dessert and dancing. Once we got to the bus to return, we were exhausted but, indeed, quite happy we made this trip! We all slept on the way back...some more than others. I can say that I never hailed a cab at 4:05am in Yerushalayim before, but I found out how fast we can make it from Yerushalyim to our front door with no traffic...15 minutes flat! It was great...

Since we enjoyed the long bus ride so much yesterday, we are getting on another in a few hours and heading up to Karnei Shomron for Shabbat. There, we will be hosted by life-long friends, Bevie and Chucky Klein. We are all looking forward to what promises to be a great Shabbat.

Oh, I almost forgot! We actually, finally did get our shower doors the other day. Now while that may not sound like such a big deal, after 5 weeks in the house without shower doors and needing to be careful about not wasting water AND not getting the floor soaked, it is a welcome relief to finally have them. (Once again, I am so pleased that the guy who came to install them, upon being given water to drink, made a Bracha out loud for all of us...it is SO special to live here).

This morning, we blew the Shofar in shul for the first time on 1 Elul 5769. This sound heralds in the coming of Rosh Hashana....two things struck me when saying it and hearing the Shofar: The Rambam tells us that the Shofar is to wake us up from our slumber. After arriving home last night at 4:20am I could not help but be amused by the double meaning of the Rambam's words in this case. Secondly, in L'David, which we began to say last night, it says: אַל־תִּטְּשֵׁנִי וְאַל־תַּֽעַזְבֵנִי אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׁעִֽי: י כִּי־אָבִי וְאִמִּי עֲזָבוּנִי ("...cast me not off, neither forsake me, O G-d of my salvation. For though my father and my mother have forsaken me...") Yet, as I said those words, I was quite aware that it is I who had left THEM. Thank G-d for Skype (Israeli invention) and cell phones (Israeli invention) and modern forms of communication.

Shabbat Shalom!

Elfa, Flu, Speaking and Mountains

2009-08-18T08:24:00.003+03:00

One of the items that we purchased back in Chicago and sent to Israel was a closet system called Elfa by The Container Store. We bought this system for the area in our bedroom dedicated for closets, and we bought them for the (small but efficient) laundry room. I spent the better part of the day putting in these systems, and I must say that I HIGHLY recommend them. Once you mount the main rack, everything else (more or less) snaps into place. Only one issue I had: there was one wall that was very mad at me that I wanted to drill into it and ruin its day. It kept complaining to me by not allowing me access. However, after I put it in its place and revved up the drill a few times to scare it, it finally relented and "allowed" me to affix the Elfa system to its face.

At the same time, as I was installing these items, we were anxiously awaiting the installer who was coming to put in our shower doors. About 4:00pm, the phone rang...it was the office manager calling on behalf of the installer. Seems that he had been at the stop just before us, and he...well, let's say, he got VERY sick to his stomach...multiple times...and had to go home with what looked like the flu. I had one of those "Only in Israel" moments, when I wished him (via the phone caller) a Refuah Shlema and she replied, "Amen v'amen!" So, he is sick in bed, and we still continue to shower with no shower doors. Supposedly, we will see someone else for this on Wednesday morning. I won't hold my breath.

In a VERY welcome change to my "Zev the Builder" routine of late, I had a very special opportunity the other day. I was invited to someone's home to speak to a group of women, in order to commemorate the yahrzeit of this woman's mother. I spoke on the subject of the Bracha in Shemona Esray "Refa'enu Hashem V'Nerafeh." I addressed the MANY (seeming) inconsistencies in this Bracha and ultimately what the goal of the Bracha truly is. It was nice to have the opportunity and look forward to doing this again.

Finally, from the category of "general musings," I must say that each and every day, as I walk out of our home to go to Shul, or as I sit on my patio outside in our backyard, or I stand on the mirpesset outside our bedroom, I am still overwhelmed by the stark beauty of the area in which we have chosen to live. I find myself saying the words מָה־רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶֹיךָ ה כֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִֹיתָ מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ קִנְיָנֶךָ "How wonderous are you acts..." very often.

I invite you to stop by one day to see what I am referring to!

Have a wonderful day.

Progress and Shabbat

2009-08-15T23:15:00.008+03:00

Ayelet's Room

Eliana's Room

Ayelet's Room

Well, we have some BIG progress in the upstairs of the house! Two of the three bedrooms of the girls are essentially finished with the third to be done in a day or so. Above are some pictures of the two rooms.

While I have still been installing lots of new items (new construction...we need to install everything that would be in an existing home!), and we have the people coming tomorrow to install the shower doors (finally), we still have plenty of unpacking to do still...but at least we have no deadline in which to do it!

We spent our first Shabbat away from home with our friends Noni and Eddie Weiss in Ramot Gimel. It was an extraordinary Shabbat. The location, food, atmosphere, Kedusha, etc etc all were so wonderful. After Shabbat, on the way back home, I kept thinking how grateful I am that we can spend Shabbat in Yerushalyim and then can also go back home only 20 minutes away. What a Zechut!!

So, more work tomorrow and more to do...but I am looking forward to it...moving ahead...moving ahead...

Shavua Tov from Maale Adumim

Installation Week

2009-08-13T13:18:00.002+03:00

This week has been punctuated by various installation activity, both by me and various tradesmen coming in and out of our home. As far as my work...I mounted dozens of small Ikea (Lo Alenu) containers called Trones on various walls which will serve as additional storage for small items (including shoes). I also began installing various medicine cabinets and other storage type units around the place. The "problem" is that since the walls are cement, every single time I drill for these items it comes with a big clean-up time as well.

Then, we got our security bars and our screens on Wednesday. A group of four people very professionally installed the bars, screens and miscellaneous hardware during a 5 hour process. My neighbor, Avigdor Chen, working alongside his son, Moshe and two other fellows. They were prompt, courteous, and professional! I am very grateful, as I have mentioned in other posts, how special it is to have Dati workmen come to the home and do what they do. (BTW...VERY high recommendation to use Avigdor!)

While the bars were being installed, we also had a locksmith stop by to change our front door lock, the phone rang many times and the noise from the elevator shaft (where they are diligently working) was growing louder and louder. It was actually comical to sit back and take in all the activity and hubub going on!

Back to more installing...once the place is looking more organized (and we are getting there slowly but surely) I will take some pics and send them along.

There is a drill around here somewhere calling my name....

Time

2009-08-10T09:12:00.003+03:00

I have noticed something recently...I have always been aware of what day it is, what day of the week, what point in "the year" we were at, etc. But ever since we have arrived, it seems that time has become almost a non-entity. What I mean is that I seem to have no idea of what the date is and what day of the week it is. I find this happens to me VERY often! In past years, at this point in the summer, I would have been deep into writing Drashot for the Yamim Noraim (as I have mentioned) and at the same time, preparing for the upcoming school year for the Gemara to be taught, etc. THOSE served as markers of sorts as to the "time of year" and the dates that were passing. I often find myself looking at the computer calendar or my watch just to see what date it is indeed! (As far as the TIME OF DAY...that I am aware of. It is mostly the bigger picture that eludes me at times.)

And speaking of time...This time of year invariably I have had a group in Israel for a brief visit. On every single trip (whether with a group or not), I always had the same feeling once I landed: "HURRY UP! You have only a limited amount of time here before you have to return to Chicago." Honestly, I felt that way for the first two weeks I was here. The sense (see Macbeth Act 1 Scene VII) that "When 'tis done, when 'twere done, then 'twere well it were done quickly," was the feeling I constantly had...Hurry up and do what you need to do, because soon, you need to go back. It is only in the past couple of weeks that this feeling seems to have dissipated. I do not feel that I need to do things quickly because I am going to leave. When I see posters in Yerushalyim announcing the time of the start of Shabbat of the coming week, I do NOT feel, "Oh, I won't be here anyways," as I felt in the beginning.

Time is indeed all relative. Now that I have a job BARUCH HASHEM and we are quite far into the unpacking process (a ways to go but getting there), I am sure that time will once again begin to have a certain relevance. Indeed, part of my job wil be "selling" time...time in the Land of Israel...I am so excited to be able to do this.

As long as I am writing about "time," I am adding here one of my favorite pieces about "time." In addition, it is very meaningful as we approach Elul. (WHAT!?!?? Elul?? That means that Rosh Hashana is around the corner!)

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it
-- Omar Khayyam

The Job...

2009-08-06T20:49:00.005+03:00

First of all, I thank all of you who made comments or emailed me to congratulate me on the new job. I appreciate all of the good wishes!

As far as some details...the name of the company for whom I will be working is Tlalim. (The name has no bearing on the business. It is named after two girls named Tal, the daughters of the founders). They have been around for many years, and their business is bringing people to Israel on many different types of trips. One of their divisions is geared towards educational tours of Israel of various lengths of time. They are the largest "supplier" of attendees of the popular Birthright program and have brought thousands of people to Israel over the years.

Their website may be seen here: http://www.tlalimgroup.com/default.asp?lang=en

MY position will be a marketing position. I will be responsible for identifying groups (large and not-so-large) in the English-speaking Orthodox communities in North America, who will come to Israel for a variety of trips. Among the different ideas: bringing parents and their kids who will be going to Yeshiva and Seminary the next year in order to check out different schools, learn along the way and do some touring. Other types of trips will be family-oriented; schools; Shuls; and the list goes on and on.

And here is where YOU can help as well! This has been a passion of mine for MANY years, and now I get to do it for my job as well. In order to be succesful, I must identify where there are potential groups looking to put together a trip. If you (or anyone else whom you know) are thinking about a trip to Israel, please be in touch with me about it. I will in the not-too-distant future put out an "official" list of the types of trips. But, in the interim, if there is any interest even now, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I love organizing trips, and I love bringing people to Israel...I am thrilled that I have such an opportunity. If you have any questions about potential trips or if you have someone you think I should contact, please contact me.

In the meantime, I wish everyone a Shabbat Shalom. This will be our 5th Shabbat in Israel and each one is better than the last one!

I Have Some Catching Up To Do!

2009-08-05T22:20:00.002+03:00

It has been a number of days since I last wrote, and some significant things have happened in the interim, so I am going to use this entry to catch up a bit.

1. Aronot...Closets: YAY!!! We finally have aronot. This will allow us to take a lot of items that until now had been in boxes and suitcases and finally put them "where they all belong." It will go a long way to making the clutter less. It took them almost 2 hours to shlep all the parts down the (85) steps to our place and about 3 1/2 hours to assemble. They were quick, efficient and gone.

2. A Job...I HAVE A JOB...Baruch Hashem! I am going to use my next entry to give more details but "b'kitzur" I will be working with a long-established company that runs trips to Israel (educational and other types). My job will be to market various programs to the English-speaking, Dati (Orthodox) communities in North America. I do indeed plan to share much more on that tomorrow when I am more awake..I look forward to sharing these details with you soon. But in the meantime, I must publicly thank HKB"H for enabling the first four weeks of our Aliya to be completely atypical..lift came on time; no horror stories to tell; I got a job etc etc...as is noted in this week's Parasha, we can never think that MY power and MY strength gave me all of this...it is ALL from Hashem!

3. Communications...I finally returned my temporary cell phone today and picked up the SIM-card for the new (permanent) one. Only problem is that the phone was dead, and I was in Jerusalem for many hours with no phone communication and no access to email (no more Blackberry.) I felt SO lost! I just plugged in to charge the phones and will share the number soon...once I remember it!

4. Har Herzl...I was at Har Herzl this afternoon. I was supposed to be there for a memorial service for Avi Grogan (hy"d) but somehow, the signals got messed up, and we never met up. In any event, I took the opportunity to walk into the cemetery to walk around for a few minutes. I walked over to the grave of Herzl and stood there in that huge open area...ALL ALONE. I have been there MANY times before, but this was the first time I stood there completely alone. It was so peaceful and quiet...putting all politics, etc aside...it was a moving moment.

Ok...there is still lots more to write but I am afraid I will be typing gibberish soon; so before that happens I am going off to f78fp-0erg90u7sdvk 0rtjzsgdcv-9urgv;dovfh984,d;vkbnf 0^^*rwegklvhos9...

:)

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Religious Reflections

2009-08-01T22:40:00.003+03:00

One thing that I have not completely addressed on this blog is the RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL aspects of Aliya that I have encountered. While some may be too personal to publicly address, others are fine for public consumption.

1. Tefilla...While I have ALWAYS placed a high priority on davening/tefilla/prayer, and I have taught classes over the years in it as well, I must tell you that my kavana (concentration, thought process, etc) is completely different here! First of all, I can daven at the pace I want to and can concentrate more on what I am saying. Since the minhag (custom) in most places is that the one leading the davening waits for the Rabbi to finish his Shemona Esray before the repetition begins, I was always mindful of this and did not want to go too long so as to cause a situation of "tircha d'tzibura" (loosely translated as a burden on those present). I considered it a hazard of being a Shul Rabbi. But at this stage, I feel free to daven as long as I wish, and it has made a HUGE difference in my davening.

2. Mitzvot...I can honestly say that I remember back to the day I put on my Tefillin for the first time. The newness and excitement were palpable. Every time I saw a young man put on his Tefillin for the first time, I tried to encourage him to keep that fervor and excitement as long as possible. Sadly, like most people, the action of day-to-day Mitzvot, such as Tefillin was not always met with the same excitement and fervor as it was when I first put on the Tefillin 37 years ago. HOWEVER, that zeal, excitement and joy at doing "even" the daily Mitzvot has come back VERY strongly, and I am acutely aware every time I am making a Bracha, putting on Tefillin, putting up a Mezuzah, etc, etc, etc. It is SO hard to put into words this feeling of "newness" (that I realistically fear will not last for 70 more years) at doing all of the Mitzvot. It is a wonderful feeling!

3. Closeness to Hashem...One other thing I have always strived to do is fulfill "dvekut Ba'shem" (cleaving to Hashem). At this time of year, for the past 10 years, I would be sitting writing my High Holiday sermons, and summer therefore became intense periods of reflection and introspection. This year, with no sermons to write (although I may STILL write and email out a pre-Yom Kippur "Three Images" speech!), I have had even more opportunity for introspection. The closeness to Hashem, the feelings of "I am HOME"...His home...and that I am (hopefully!) giving Him "nachas" that I/we are here, makes me feel even closer. Put it this way...if you recall the look on your parents' face when you did something that made them proud, you felt a closer bond than before...THAT is what I am feeling now.

4. I have never felt prouder to be a Jew! No further explanation needed on this one...

Once again, Shabbat was magnificent. We actually ate at home, by ourselves, for the first time in months. Back in Chicago, we ate out for a number of weeks before our departure and the first three weeks here, we had invitations every week. It was nice to be alone in our home in Maale Adumim for a Shabbat meal.

Looking forward to a post-Tisha B'Av week coming up. Nice to hear music again!

I Finally Posted Videos on YouTube

2009-07-30T19:30:00.002+03:00

When we moved to Israel, the shul, KJBS, was kind enough to give me a Flip Video camera as a gift. While I have been shooting some video along the way, I only got around now to posting them on YouTube. They are all short (about 30 sec each) and invite you to watch them at your leisure.

1.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y-0WujyKuk (At JFK with all our luggage)

2.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr1pe6I4VJQ (How they got all our "stuff" into our home

3.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_tlCGuup8c (A view from our backyard)

4.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaBaenJ_Z04 (The view inside as we begin to get set up.