Observations about life in Israel from a Canadian immigrant's perspective.
Start Up Nation. Is that what we’re called? When it comes to ingenious inventions in medicine and high tech, yes. When it comes to basic services, we are, well, just starting up and have a long way to go. I’ve written about the post office services (Doar) many times. Some of my most frustrating moments… Continue reading Starting Up Nation
How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel! Numbers 24:5 In the Torah, as the Jews encamped in the desert, the prophet Bilaam looked at them from a mountaintop and bestowed this praise. This very line from the Torah is also said in combination with a verse from the Psalms to form the… Continue reading How beautiful are your tents
One day, seventeen years ago, a young couple fell in love and married. At first, they lived busy city lives in crowded central Israel. They dreamed of having a family where there was open space and vistas and envisioned living in in the Binyamin region. In Biblical times, Binyamin is where the prophets Samuel, Jeremiah,… Continue reading A Love Story
Over the past month, our family has been part of a ‘countdown’; we are counting the days our son Ariel has left until he’s a civilian. After serving over four and a half years, he’s getting out of the army – today. Following his army adventures over these long years, I too can say this… Continue reading Countdown
This year, I've been volunteering at a gardening club in an old age home called Beit Protea Village. This is not a standard club where people gather to talk about their begonias. This is a serious permaculture club. Under the guidance of the volunteer coach Ellen, who comes every Thursday morning, we've been learning about… Continue reading Chop and Drop
Her bedroom is empty. The bed is stripped, the shelves bare, the dresses that were once slumped on a chair are replaced by a single zipped bag hanging on a hook. It's her wedding dress: retired and out of service. My daughter just had her one-month wedding anniversary. Some four weeks ago, this very room… Continue reading New home in our Jewish land
Dresses are slumped over a chair, hangers dangling. I sit with my coffee looking at these clothes. And then it hits me. My daughter is moving out, leaving home. And she’s not coming back. Today, these clothes will be moved to a new home that my daughter will share with her new husband two days… Continue reading Bride to Be
There are several signs that spring is in full bloom – a chorus of sneezing, a chamber of stuffed garbage bags and, hopefully, an empty pantry. Here in Israel come late March, every plant that can bloom is announcing its presence. Even my lemon tree, still bearing the weight of fruit, is able to produce… Continue reading Spotless and Sneezy
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I’ve heard it said that Israel is a dangerous place. People from abroad have visions of a war-torn country, of simmering conflict, of injustice. They imagine a barrage of gunfire, thunderous tanks and shattering explosions. Well, this is not exactly a precise description of Ra’anana. At least, not in terms of large weapons. In Ra’anana,… Continue reading If Ra'anana Were Rivendell…
Life in Israel 