Observations about life in Israel from a Canadian immigrant's perspective.
In Israel, life could become clamorous with negative headlines and doomsday politics. We read the news, dismiss most of it as inaccurate and hope one day the world will wake up and understand the truth. Our personal antidote to this dissonance is to walk the trails of the country we love. We take out a… Continue reading Resetting the start button
Israel is a multi-cultural Mosaic. These days, you hear many languages on Ahuza, Ra’anana’s main street. And we can spot the countries of origin right away, without even hearing the language spoken. For instance, French men tend to wear tight pants and chic leather loafers while les femmes grocery shop as if parading along a… Continue reading Dreams Come True
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
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
"What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well." Antoine de Saint Exupery School vacationing in Israel corresponds with family time. For those who stay home, the go-to place is the mall where parents stuff their kids with fast food and sugar then invite them to watch mall puppet shows and concerts. … Continue reading What makes the desert beautiful?
Facing each other and clutching a plate between our hands, we hold our arms out, lift gently, then lower. I take a deep breath. My partner lets go and I hold on firmly, lowering the china plate to the floor. “You have to let go,” she says gently. “Let’s try again.” I take another deep… Continue reading Letting Go
“Make sure you’re there for sunset.” That’s what we were told as we made our way to the Agamon Nature Reserve in the Hula Valley. Fall and spring are prime time for viewing the incredible bird migration that passes through Israel. Some 500 million birds pass through Israel from Europe and Asia to Africa and… Continue reading Birds Know No Borders
“My soul is full of longing for the secret of the sea, and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow It was time to leave the familiar black line at the bottom of the pool and face the deep sea. Or was it? I recently went for… Continue reading A Gift From the Sea
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. Plutarch I just read an article about the cost of giving a child a Jewish education. I read over the chart listing the tuition of Jewish day schools and then multiplied these enormous sums by the number of children born to families… Continue reading Lighting a Fire
Tzfat during the Klezmer Festival. Summertime in Israel….the living may not be ‘easy’ but it’s sure packed with fun. The summer cycle in Israel is unique, especially from a religious perspective. For most, summertime conjures up exploring exotic destinations, water skiing across pristine, sparkling lakes, canoe trips and cranking up the barbecue. For the religious… Continue reading Summertime….
Life in Israel 