One of the many benefits of living in Israel is its proximity to great travel destinations. With the Open Skies agreement that Israel made with Europe a few years ago, thousands of people are taking advantage of the incredibly cheap fares. And they are traveling – en mass! This year we took the family to… Read More Bucharest, It’s The Time Of Your Life…
My two oldest sons have been living out the story of the modern Jewish experience this summer. Matan, who just graduated from high school in Sussya, headed to the Ukraine, Poland and the Czech Republic on a trip about our shared past, our memories and our pain. He traveled with a group of 50 students… Read More Past, Present and Future
When people talk about the Start-Up Nation, they are typically referring to the popular 2009 book by Dan Senor and Saul Singer that examines how one little nation has managed to be at the forefront of so much economic and technological progress. It’s a book about the professional community and about how Israel’s make-up, including… Read More A New Start-Up Nation
Shame on you Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Productions. Shame on you. When I walked out of the Incredibles 2 steaming mad, I tried to hold it together for my kids. They loved the movie, as well they should, and they had a great time. I, on the other hand, barely got out of… Read More Pixar, You’re a Putz
The week that we made Aliyah, we ordered a bunk bed that was quickly delivered. What we forgot, however, was a guard rail so that little Yehuda could transition out of his crib without falling out of the bed. It was Friday, and we went over to our new neighbors to ask if they might,… Read More Goodbye Caterpillar, We Loved You
As many of you know, Josh got hurt a few weeks ago and had surgery on his hand. People have been wonderfully sweet, generous and thoughtful. However, some people have been downright weird in their reaction to Josh’s pain and injury and I feel compelled to write this piece that could, perhaps use the title,… Read More What Not to Say When Someone Gets Hurt
In the coming days and weeks, we are heading towards many endings and new beginnings. And they started today. When we made Aliyah, Matan was four and Yehuda was two. We arrived in July and signed up for nursery school and daycare for the two little guys. Matan started four year old nursery school without… Read More Neve Daniel Thanks a Great Teacher
So now you all know how old I am. Wow. I have no idea where the years have gone, but when I start to worry about that, or about my wrinkles, the time that is vanishing, etc., I remember that I need gratitude. There are so many things for which I can be grateful and… Read More 47 Expressions of Gratitude
Yesterday, Yakir had a really sweet musical performance at school. He told us about it for weeks, checking to make sure that we would be there (“It’s at 10:20 EXACTLY, Mommy. EXACTLY.”) and talking about the songs they would perform and the instruments he would play. It was a great performance and a lot of… Read More Another Bad Note for the Musically Challenged
Today was an incredible day. First, we woke up (those of us who didn’t stay up until 2 in the morning) to hear the news that the Israeli entrant had won the Eurovision song contest. Do we typically care about Eurovision? Um, not so much. But Netta Barzilai is an amazing person for her determination,… Read More Toy, Joy & Celebration