A little over two years ago Neve Daniel lost one of its youth. Eliyashiv was out for a run on an ordinary night when he died, suddenly, at the age of 18. Josh and I were taking a walk that night, when a man we know came running up, out of breath and shaken. He… Read More In Celebration of a Musical Life
I’m an avid fiction reader, and I’ve never read so little in my entire life. Every time that I pick up my phone or my kindle to read, I find myself turning to social media instead. Is there anything new? Has another soldier died? Is there something I should be doing? And the spiral begins,… Read More The Never-Ending Newsfeed
Last night, we got an email from the yishuv at about 6 pm that said, “Soldiers are on their way for dinner! Get into your kitchens and get ready to welcome them.” And two hours later, the 80-100 soldiers piled out of their buses, tired and hungry. And boy were they fed. Someone in the… Read More They are ALL Our Boys
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
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
I’m a fan of Shalva. They are an absolutely amazing organization, and I’ve become more of a fan since I’ve gotten to know them through Matan’s sponsorship in the Jerusalem Marathon. Last year, he raised over 4000 shekel for their services for special needs infants, children and young adults. I saw the way that they… Read More True Superheroes Coming to a Store Near You
Neve Daniel is a very busy community. There are many Rabbis in our area who work at Yeshivas and Midrashas (post-high school learning programs). And there are many community leaders who work with Masa and Birthright programs. They invite their students to come for Shabbat frequently, and they send out requests to the community to… Read More The Teacher Becomes the Student
Today, on my 42nd birthday, I set out to write a list of 43 things for which I am grateful. Yes, my English birthday is just a few weeks away (for those of you who will be confused when it comes up on Facebook! We celebrate my Hebrew birthday in the house, but then I… Read More 43 Thoughts on Gratitude
It’s hard to explain to people who don’t live here what it means to live in a community like this. And I don’t just mean the community of Neve Daniel, the town of 450 families where I live. I mean the larger community of Gush Etzion that has upwards of 50,000 people. A few weeks… Read More We’re All In It Together
I’ve been trying to gently bug Stella for weeks now about her upcoming birthday. Knowing that she didn’t want to make a big deal of it, and that she might not be up to much with her treatment, I suggested different activities in the Yishuv. I consulted with Yarden. I asked again. I sighed. And… Read More Facebook, Photoshop & Friendship
