Observations about life in Israel from a Canadian immigrant's perspective.
Words at IDF Officers' Training school "Look on me, and then do likewise." (Judges Ch. 7. v 17) Last week marked ten years of living in Israel. We made aliya on July 13, 2005, landing at Ben Gurion Airport with slight trepidation, crazed looks and four children aged 12, 10, 6 and 4. What has happened… Continue reading Tenth aliya anniversary
We are a tight nation. The more fiercely we are attacked, the closer we become; the more we are threatened, the stronger we grow. On June 11, Ayala Shapira celebrated her bat mitzvah. Seems like a wonderful simcha for any 12-year-old girl. But Ayala is not a regular 12 year old. She is a hero,… Continue reading United We Grow
I recently read an article in ynetnews.com entitled “Tourists have stopped coming to Israel.” It reported that tourism to Israel has seen a 28% drop in the first quarter. I was a little shocked. To date, there is no war like there was last summer. I actually feel as if it is peaceful here these… Continue reading The Evil Spies
Last Tuesday, two sirens went off across the country as part of a test from the Home Front Command. This war drill was to test preparedness if Israel were to experience heavy rocket attack on multiple fronts. We all knew it was coming so we had the ‘luxury’ of planning our actions beforehand. A country… Continue reading Sounds of Israel
Newspaper headline reads: "The honor of helping." A natural disaster hit Nepal on Saturday. An earthquake that registered 7.8 crushed the country. The quake killed over 5,200 people, injured 10,000 and created a state of homelessness and hunger for tens of thousands of survivors. Countries around the world offered help and aid. The US, India… Continue reading How Israel loves mankind
I crank up our little gas oven to kasher it. I soak the knobs in soapy water, clean out the fridge and wash down the counters. Now ready for the final phase of kashering, I pour boiling water across all of the counters and tabletops. Carefully wiping up the steaming water with a clean towel,… Continue reading Spiritual cleansing
It has been another challenging week here in Israel. Life in Israel is similar to being on a roller coaster. There are ups and downs, curves and moments of terror, then incredible highs before a steep plummet. The day before election, this country was perched at the top of a deep abyss. We voted and… Continue reading It's a roller coaster ride
"It's us or them," says Netanyahu. Election fever is at a pitch here in Israel. Enormous photos of candidates’ faces stare us down from billboards at every intersection. The highway is lined with their messages, some threatening doom and gloom, others insulting competing candidates. For me, the polls predict a grim, terrifying future. Since Israel… Continue reading Jews wandering the desert
(video promoting the parade in 2011) For such a teensy country, Israel has many faces and personalities. This week, en route to a desert hike in the Negev, we found ourselves in Sde Boker, a tiny desert community on the edge of a dramatic canyon. Turns out my daughter is in the army with a… Continue reading A Purim Journey
One big family. When my daughter Aviva’s new Ethiopian soldiers arrive on base, they are beaming, white teeth gleaming behind open ready smiles, happy to please and succeed. Aviva shows them how to stand at attention and how to work under time constraints. Echad, shtaim, shalosh (one, two, three). She shouts this mantra several hundred times… Continue reading Wearing army boots
Life in Israel 