We recently attended the Sylvan Adams Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize reception. It was a truly spectacular evening honoring eight olim who have made remarkable contributions to Israeli society and the world. Their contributions are awe-inspiring, and it’s well worth the time to look at the website and to read about each of these trailblazing… Read More Are You Deeply Israeli?
Our friend, John Levin, passed away on Sunday after almost 2 decades dealing with early onset dementia. I was honored to say a few words about the John we were privileged to know before the disease took him away from all of us. These are my words from the funeral. John and Susan were our… Read More The John We Knew and Loved
In 2002 while the intifada was raging, Josh felt the pull to come to Israel on a one-man mission. He spent time with a number of our friends, helped in his small way with the tourism economy, and showed people that he cared. He also attended the wedding of the brother of our close friend.… Read More The Simcha of a People
Prior to making Aliyah, one of the concerns I had was that I would always feel like “the other.” It was a fair concern. And one that has proven true. I am, and will always be, the immigrant to my native children. I will never catch up with their Hebrew skills, their cultural references, their… Read More Finding Light in the Ordinary
I love that, 17 years later, there are still things that surprise me about our Aliyah; things that still give me goose bumps. I run a lot of errands on Friday mornings, getting our delicious baked goods from Pat Ba’Melach (and chatting with friends and staff), checking the mail (often the only time all week!),… Read More Why the Newspaper Gives me Goose Bumps
My Aliyah, and my Aliyah baby, have our tzav rishon today. I’m not sure we’re ready, but we’re going to have to be. 17 years ago, my Aliyah arrived, cradled in a safe nucleus of fluid, of love. It was protected, nurtured, safe. And, over the years, it has learned to walk, to speak Hebrew,… Read More My Aliyah Has Its Tzav Rishon Today
After 17 years in Israel, we would have thought that we’ve experienced most types of hurdles. But we’ve never had a car stolen, or had a reason (Thank Gd) to engage with the police. This week, we got to add those accomplishments to our Aliyah portfolio when our car was stolen. Well, I don’t know… Read More The Blessings of a Stolen Car
“Look guys!” I said to the kids standing near me in our house, “It’s the house you didn’t grow up in!” I pointed to the picture of Eliav, our 12-year-old, standing in front of our old house in Potomac. To him, to his little brothers, and even to one of his older brothers, it’s just… Read More Nostalgia, Thy Name is Potomac
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
