Guest blog by Josh Sussman Last month one of our kids made the pilgrimage to Holocaust sites in Poland, a trip that hundreds of thousands of Israelis have made over the past few decades. This trip allows high school students to learn more about the tragedy that befell the Jewish people only 80-85 years ago.… Read More Journeying South Through Our Soldier’s Eyes
Yesterday, we were at Har Herzl for the two-year azkara (memorial) for Shiloh Rauchberger, who fell on the 7th while fighting off dozens of terrorists on his base and saving so many people that day. The memorial brought me back to his funeral, to that terrible first week of the war. Then, as we arrived… Read More Two Years Later
Two years ago, I was standing in a small vineyard in the hills of eastern Gush Etzion enjoying a beautiful pre-holiday event. We heard from the owners about the wine harvest and the incredibly industrious work a few families had accomplished with their winery. They explained how tricky it would be with the upcoming holiday;… Read More May All The Grapes Be Harvested On Time
We’ve now reached the one-week mark of the latest phase of the ongoing war with Iran. It feels like a lifetime. One week ago, I was sitting at my favorite nail salon, getting cute little turtles and waves drawn onto my nails for my upcoming family reunion in San Diego. And then everything changed. I… Read More Gratitude Amid the Sirens
You know you’ve got the short end of the stick for the day when you video call your husband from the tire puncture place, while watching him float down a river in Thailand. But I don’t feel envious, or jealous, or frustrated. I just feel grateful for both of our journeys today. And here’s why.… Read More Tirelessly Moving Forward
I’m a writer. I love to write about the small and lovely things that happen to us in our daily lives in Israel. Sometimes I also write about our struggles as a nation and our personal struggles as parents of six present and future soldiers. But lately it’s just been so hard to write. To… Read More Terror, Tomatoes & Tomorrows
100 days. If you asked most Israelis how long we’ve been at war, they might say that it feels like a lifetime. Or they might say that it’s been one day, since we are all stuck forever on October 7, 2023. Or they might say the technical amount of days that it’s actually been –… Read More 100 Days
To be Israeli is To have your 17-year-old ask you if he can please miss school today To attend the funeral of a 20-year-old soldier he’s never met. To be Israeli is To think that’s perfectly normal and to tell him that he absolutely can Take your car to drive to the national military cemetery… Read More To Be Israeli Is
I’ve vacillated between needing to pay homage to the stories of survivors, the murdered and the kidnapped, and needing to preserve my own sanity and my own soul. There is so much to worry about and so much angst to be had in our little country that it’s literally hard to breath sometimes. Well, more… Read More The Grief of a People
The country has been covering itself in Israeli flags since the horrific events of October 7. Our youth in our community have made it their personal duty to place flags anywhere and everywhere, offering the community a feeling of unity and of strength. I decided to document some of these flags and the process of… Read More Covered in Flags
