Observations about life in Israel from a Canadian immigrant's perspective.
Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash. I started this blog upon making Aliyah in 2005. I kept writing for close to 15 years, annotating the many enlightening experiences I had in this special land. From golden desert to oak forested mountains, I was inspired by the beautiful landscapes, dazzled by the brilliant sunshine, and fascinated… Continue reading I am reaching out, please take my hand.
Life has taken us all for a bumpy ride. In Israel, it looks as if the ‘Corona Ride’ is starting to slow down and let us off. We open our doors and walk out a bit dazed, weakened and unstable. We take the first few steps and feel uneasy, insecure, almost incapable of returning to… Continue reading Where Robots Meet Herring
It’s so refreshing to be sitting in the sunshine. Being inside for so long, I’m now aware of small details that I don’t always notice: soft fresh air, beaming spring flowers, birds gliding from tree to tree, moving about with no restrictions. All seemingly carefree. Just waking up feeling healthy and able to embrace a… Continue reading Wedding Essentials
Israel has been through a lot in its 22 years of existence. Rocket barrages, fears of chemical attack and acts of terror are just a few of the scares. Perhaps these stressors have resulted in creating a ‘callus’ that assists Israelis when dealing with hardship. This is the barbed, spiny shell of the ‘sabra’ that… Continue reading Coronavirus – Developing Fortitude
The flower that smiles to-day To-morrow dies; All that we wish to stay Tempts and then flies. What is this world’s delight? Lightning that mocks the night, Brief even as bright. Percy Shelley Israel has been blessed by an abundance of rain this winter. There has been so much precipitation, the desert hugging the Dead… Continue reading We are ephemeral
The lower Galilee floats in a sea of cloud As I open the front door, a cloud drifts inside, flutters and dissolves. Curious, I step out into wafting, billowing clouds. Fog veils the oaks and flutters, revealing mossy, bare branches – nature’s playful version of peek-a-boo. Light playfully pierces the fog, opening it like a… Continue reading In The Clouds
Chanukah is traditionally a time for family and friends to gather at parties, eat latkes, sing songs and play dreidel. On a deeper level, it can be a time of introspection on the miraculous lights. However esoteric it is, I cannot help but meditate on donuts (sufganiyot in Israel). How can an oily, fried food… Continue reading A Meditation on Donuts
I take a break to sit outside on this brilliant November afternoon. Feeling the warm sun tickle my face, I look way up to a cloudless, deep blue sky. Birds perch in treetops and sing. It all feels so tranquil - idyllic for a former Canadian who knows about November sleet and snow all too… Continue reading What's Next?
It feels like we have all just completed an ultramarathon – 23 days of holidays. It all begins on the first of Tishrei with Rosh Hashana, then rolls into Yom Kippur and speeds up like an avalanche coming down a mountain gathering force. We barely eat after the fast before we take out our hammers… Continue reading After The Chagim Syndrome
As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease. Genesis 8:22 Although we have been living in Israel for 15 years, our relationship to The Land continues to grow deeper and more profound. We recently moved from our home in central Israel and… Continue reading Working the Land
Life in Israel 