I took all five of the boys to watch their brother play in his last basketball game tonight with his 8th grade team. They were playing against their fathers and it was a great game with a lot of laughs and a nice break from the reality of our lives right now. But the second… Read More Out of the Mouth of Babes & The Search for Superheroes
There is no other news in this country right now. There is simply nothing else to think about, to talk about, to write about. My boys are missing. Three of them. Scratch that. They aren’t missing – they’ve been taken – kidnapped – abducted by people whose sole goal in life is to destroy us.… Read More Nothing Else Matters
“Let’s go away for your birthday for a few days,” said Josh on Sunday.“I’d love to BUT……”And this is pretty much how all of our conversations that involve spontaneity and out-of-the-ordinary plans start. I have a built in “No” radar to just about everything. I had a million reasons to offer up about why we… Read More Enjoying the Many Wonders of the World
On Friday, we took a family day and went to Jerusalem with five of the six boys. Yakir needed to keep his school safe from lions, elephants and butterflies – so we decided not to risk having the school unprotected.But the other five enjoyed a day of fun and adventure at the shuk (open marketplace)… Read More Trying on Hats…Sussman Boy Style
There are so many small cultural differences that you learn about when you move somewhere new. Years ago, we had an Israeli family that came to Potomac to work for a few years. They lived in our collection of townhouses and we grew very close to them.For years, we hosted a large break-fast when Yom… Read More Yom Kippur Breakfast Anyone?
Every year right before Yom Hazikaron (Israel Remembrance Day) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day), a large group of seminary girls (post-high school girls) come to the Yishuv. They come for a Zionist weekend, of sorts, to hear from those who live in Neve Daniel about why we love Israel, why we moved here and… Read More The Place That Makes You Cry
Last night, while walking down the busy, chic street of Emek Refaim, I had to stop for a few minutes to cry. And when walking down the street on a Wednesday night can make you cry – you know you’re living in the right place. After a shiva call last night, Josh and I took… Read More Just Another Night in Jerusalem
We are all so obviously on our own timelines, but it’s sometimes difficult to know when to jump in as a parent, and when to let my children embrace their timelines. One of my children has simply refused to learn to ride a bike. But he’s not 5, 6, or 7. He’s significantly older. And… Read More Whose Timeline Is It Anyway?
I feel like I’m mobilizing an army. I’ve got a spreadsheet a mile long with each of their positions, wardrobe changes, carpool plans and more. I’ve got phone number lists up around the house, “Feed the Fish!” reminder signs, packed bags and frozen food. Here I am getting ready… And it’s almost game time.And I… Read More Recharging the Battery of Life
These are the moments that life in Israel is made of. These are the moments when you realize there is absolutely nowhere else on Earth as overwhelmingly fulfilling or inspiring as is your own backyard. Tonight, there was a Hachnassat Sefer Torah in the Yishuv. This moving event occurs when a Torah scroll or Torah… Read More Making It Home Against All Odds
