We have had a productive couple of days. Yesterday we completed all of the steps to get our driver’s license and put the down payment on our new car (which we can’t take possession of until we get our license). Thanks again to Itay Zeman for helping us to navigate the process and to negotiate the purchase of our car.

We had our first visitors yesterday!! Sorry to John and Susan Levin and family who had planned to be our first visitors. Dennis and Robin Berman made it out to Neve Daniel yesterday for a very nice visit and brief tour around the yishuv. Robin took some pictures so some of you will probably receive a pictorial update from Neve Daniel from Robin. Thanks to Robin and Dennis for coming out for the visit and becoming part of the Sussman family aliyah lore by being the first!!!

Matan started camp yesterday and really seems to be enjoying it. We were really worried about him wanting to go but he went like a champ and says that he is having fun. The counselor told us today that he is playing nicely with the other kids and seems to have made some friends…we couldn’t ask for any more on that front.

We got our home phone line today, our new number is —-(drop the first zero from the States). We also started our adsl line in the house so within a couple of days we should (and I stress ‘should’) have our internet connection up and running which will make our lives much easier.Still no word on our lift arriving. There was a court order mandating that the port workers go back to work,but they announced that they will defy the order…the plot thickens!! No big deal for us, we seem to be managing just fine without all of our stuff, when it comes, it comes. Not much else to report.

Tonight is erev Tisha b’Av(commemorating the destruction of the BeithaMigdash–the holy temple–in Yerushalayim) and I am planning to join thousands of others in a march around the walls of the old city of Yerushalayim. I have been looking forward to this for months and hope it will help me to add some real meaning to my observance ofTisha B’Av this year. Hope all of those who are observing the holiday have a meaningful and easy fast.Will report on Tisha b’Av tomorrow or Wednesday–until then, we’ll be thinking of you. Love, Romi, Josh and the Boys

PS–B’sha’a tovah and and early Mazal tov to Seth andJulie Coplin (and big brother Benjamin) who should bedelivering their second child within minutes of thise-mail.