Reflections on the Year Part 2

Okay, I'm more rested now. I am taking off another day from work to sort out a few things. Hopefully the paperwork and bureaucracy will be as painless as our physical conditions.

After the accident we were transported to HaEmek Hospital in Afula. Ayelet and Tzachi went in one ambulance I went in another with the two big kids. The military ambulance was released. I managed to grab my backpack with phone chargers, my tefillin, and Tani's backpack with toys. Also I took the kids' shoes. The ride to the hospital was long due to bad weather (Baruch Hashem) and traffic. Netanel chose to hold it in rather than pee on the side of the rain. He was nervous to be in the ambulance. I assured him that the driver was driving safely and that it always feels bumpier in the back. As the driver and I started schmoozing (the other EMT left to go to a family party) I realized that Netanel understood the whole conversation. In the hospital he told the story in Hebrew to every doctor and nurse that asked. Odeliya was nervous too. Her carseat was strapped to the stretcher. I have to admit that I was back in rare form keeping her laughing until she fell asleep.

At the hospital the pediatrician did a very thorough exam on the kids. Tani was sent for an ENT exam because he scratched his nose. The nose is fine. Ayelet was x-rayed for her neck and me for my back.

Israeli healthcare is a mystery. The staff seems to really care about their patients. Yet they require patients with back pain due to trauma to WALK unattended to their x-ray and back. Apparently this is due to being short-staffed. The nurses took care of us, brought us food, and let us stay in the ER until my brother came to pick us up. This was despite the kids running amok around the hospital. they were being very cute, just over-energetic for 11:00 at night.

Tzippy from Nefesh B'Nefesh, and her husband came to help us out. He is a doctor and really helped us navigate the system. They also called the police for us and helped us figure out the rest of the process.

We had a few leads about what to do for the night, but in the end by brother picked us up and brought us back to Efrat. On Friday my brother-in-law took Ayelet to Ariel to file the police report and empty the car (it seemed that only the driver had to file a report). On Friday it was revelaed that I also need to make a statement. More on these developments later. They also got everything from the car, including our camera, which was safe and dry in the tow park's office. My teudat zehut (ID card) and a bag of junk food were missing.

Now on to something deeper...

Why did this happen? Why did our car fly off the road and flip over? Why did we miss the Bacon Chanuka party and need receive all this mess to deal with? We have enouogh going on? That said, it did happen. Since it happened, why did we survive? We walked away with barely a scratch. There is a big lesson here. What are supposed to learn from this.

One lesson is obviously to appreciate every second of life. We need to enjoy living, our children, etc. But I feel like there is something much more direct. I am open to any and all suggestions.

Now off to file the police report. Thank you.

Reflections on the Year

They say that ארץ ישראל נקנה ביסורין, the Land of Israel is acquired through tribulations. We have had our share, from the pre-Aliya packing and selling of goods (our house is still available for purchase at a very reasonable price. Please contact me ASAP if interested) to the absorption center, to another move and getting our lift delivered. I think that over this year we have learned a tremendous amount about ourselves and about what is important. We have greater insight into the typical Israeli attitude about things and we have been forced to adapt our expectations of things to match our reality.

But it seems that we are missing something. We have been trying discovering who we are. We have been trying to find our purpose in this world, the reason why we are here. This is a long process. But along the way we have been learning and improving in other ways.

It seems that there is something we hare missing, some lesson we have refused to learn. I say this because whenever things are picking up something always brings us down a notch. This lesson is usually financial. But this past week Hashem gave us a more powerful lesson.

I took last Thursday off from work. We were finally taking a small, and well-earned, vacation. On Thursday we were going to a Nefesh B'Nefesh (NBN) event for olim in the North. From there we would head South to Yerushalaim. Ayelet's brother Daniel was hosting a Chanuka party for family. We would spend Shabbat with Daniiel and Elana and head over to my sister after Shabbat to see them and my brother from Efrat.

This was the plan. The NBN event was very nice. We all had fun, especially since it was surrounded by glorious downpours. As we drove South on Road 90 (the Jordan Valley road) everything got complicated...

We came around a downhill turn on the wet roads and began to slip. My guess is that we hydro-planed because I became aware of the car turning more and more to the right. Ayelet was driving at the time and did everything she could to correct the direction of the car. To no avail. Sitti gn shotgun it became clear to me that we were going to sideswipe the embankment on the side of the road. I did not realize that we also jumped over the ditch between us and the embankment. When we hit, the car was facing 180 degrees the wrong way.

After the car hit the embankment we bounced back and rolled over at least once. It was a sideways roll, not end over end. the car came to a rest rightside up, facing the road, and spanning the ditch.

The kids were, understandably, freaked out. Ayelet came to her senses first and flew out of the car to check on them. Meanwhile, I tried to find out glasses and my kippa. Everything loose in the car flew around the car. This includes the DVD player that still works and my teudat zehut that is missing, We calmed everyone down and did some quick triage. Everyone was alive and seemed okay. Ayelet had bruising on her neck and collarbone area from the seatbelt and would soon feel some constriction and swelling.

I love Israel. The number of people that stopped to help was extraordinary. In America most people wouldn't stop on the highway if they saw another car needed help. Here total strangers were bringing us bottles of water without asking. The first car to stop called the police for me. The second car was full of Arabs. They also offerred to help and told me that 2 of their friends had similar accidents in the same place. Pretty soon an EMT stopped on his way home. He started checking us out. In the middle of his exam another car came around the bend and smashed his car. After that I yelled at helpful passers-by to keep moving since this was apparently a dangerous bit of road.

Baruch Hashem we are all alive and well. We were transported to the hospital and released later that night. Thank you to NBN for helping us out, Tzippy and Yoel took care of us at the hosptal. A further thank you to our families for their support and chaffeuring help.

I will continue the story tomorrow, as now I must get some sleep...

A Breakfast for 2

This morning Odeliya came downstairs as I finished davening. She saw the little food/kitchen set we gave the kids for Chanuka (they each got a set to play with together. There are TWO coffee makers so that there can always be a pot ready). We sat down for a lovely breakfast of fruit and cookies and coffee. We also brought breakfast up to Ayelet. As I was leaving for work Odeliya was bringing the little plate upstairs with some "food" for Tzachi. It was very sweet!

A Few of Odeliya's Pearls

I generally daven shacharit at home since getting to a quick minyan early enough is tough. Odeliya frequently wakes up while I'm davening and comes downstairs. She knows that when my talit is over my head I am talking just to Hashem and she needs to wait or go ask Ayelet for whatever she wants (Ayelet is still in bed).
A few times after I finish davening she's asked me "What Hashem said?"
How do you answer that one?

Labriut and Yich.
The other day Odeliya sneezed, so I said "Livriyut." She said, "No, you say `livriyut' when I , not shen I sneezed. So I explained that you wish someone `livriyut' on several occasions. After my explanation we did a few practice runs. "If Abba sneezes you say..." And Odeliya responded, "I saw `livriyut'."
Me: "Good. And if Abba coughs you say..."
Odeliya: "I saw `livriyut'."
Me: "Good. And if mommy sneezes, you say..."
Odeliya: "I saw `livriyut'."
Me: "Good. And if Tzachi chesses you say..."
Odeliya: "I say `Iiiiiiich"
'Nuff said on that one.

Finally a Siyum

On Shabbat I made a siyum, a celebration of completing a section of the Torah. I finished learning the 6 sections of the Mishna. I actually had finished it on Simchat Torah, but it took until now to organize it. We did it at home on Shabbat afternoon. I managed to tie in Chanuka and Bnei Akiva, since it was Shabbat Irgun. I've already started round 2 of mishna. I started this 3 years ago. The learning is in merit good health for my family. This time around I am doing a minimum of 2 mishnayot a day, with the option of doing more. Sometimes I can squeeze in an extra mishna at work.

Speaking about Shabbat Irgun, I was very impressed with the crown here in Katzrin. Our Beit Knesset is also the Bnei Akiva (BA) headquarters and the place was packed with kids. And they were davning, not just hanging out. It's cool that so many kids are excited to be part of BA and involved in davening. After the siyum I went to mincha and the walls were shaking from the kids singing Yad Achim (the BA anthem).

In other news, Odeliya's toilet training is going well. We put here in daycare for half a day. It's a small group in a woman's house. She's amazing and Odeliya is loving it. Hopefully everything will conitnue slowly. Ayelet is enjoying here freer time. She get to play with Yitzchak more this way. We are still working on how to give Netanel and Odeliya the time they need. We're planning to do some tiyuling on Chanuka. Also, with my having Fridays off we can use some of that time too. Hopefully soon I'll have some answers about employment that will allow us to plan the near future a little better.

For now I'm looking forward to a Thanksgiving dinner tomorow night. Even though we're in Israel we still have lots to be thankful for. And this is not a bad custom to hang onto, at least for a little bit.

Animal Flus in Reverse

So every year, in addition to the regular flu we have a scare of some animal disease: avian flu, swine flu, etc. I wonder if the animal kingdom has similar scares to the human world. Are migratory birds banned from landing in their normal winter home because they may be carrying the human flu?

I was just wondering.

Netanel's Heart of Gold

I was helping to make dinner one night last week (now that I finish work at 4:30 instead of 7. I was making chips, er, french fires, er, victory fries (can we like France now?). Anyway, with Odeliya standing on a chair watching me some oil splashed up and burned me as I dropped potatos into the frying pan. I sustained burns in the 2nd degree range and it really hurt. Odeliya spent the rest of my cooking reminding me to be careful. She was visibly upset and concerned for me.

During bedtime, when my finger still hurt, Netanel had me make a fist and bent my finger in several ways to see if I'll be okay. After his detailed axamination he said, "You'll be okay. I'm doing what you do." I thanked him for his concern and expertise. Children see and hear everything. Netanel in particular takes it all in and processes it. You never know when he'll ask a question about a conversation the adults had while he was playing in the other room. I just hope he continues to learn the right lessons.

Here's why I'm not so worried:

We don't stock candies at home. The kids are allowed to eat one if they get them at shul. The processed sugar tends to have a particularly bad effect on Netanel. On Firday night he got 2 candies. He ate one and saved one for the next day. On Shabbat morning he ate the one he saved. He also got more in shul and ate one of those (against regulations). There was a bar mitzvah this past Shabbat and many, many candies were thrown. Netanel collected 2 pockets full of candies. Many of these came from gleaning the floor int he ladies' section to get the candies that didn't quite make it over the mechitza. He did this by slithering under said mechitza (he's not close to 0% body fat). I reminded him of the importance of sharing. At the end of services he had saved one candy for himself and given the rest to friends. This includes running back inside the shul to get more candy for a friend that was crying because he didn't get any.

I am so proud of his sharing and caring. He has an amazing heart. As another example, some kids knocked on our door this evening collection money to help cancer patients. When I explained to Tani what they wanted he ran to his tzedaka box to give them the money.

Lastly, watching Netanel interact with baby Yitzchak is amazing. Tani plays with him and talks to him. He teaches the baby things and congratulated him as he succeeds in getting his fingers in his mouth. Any the baby reacts to him. He looks for his siblings' voices and gets excited when they come to play with him.

The End of the Harvest

Well, it's (as usual) been a while since my last post. But this time I have a good excuse. During the week between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur I was asked to come back to the winery the day after Yom Kippur. I did. I have been working in the wine-making area.

Basically, the wine-makers tell us what to do and we, the workers, do it. It's very interesting. My main job was to take care of the pump-overs. This is a very important part of the red-wine process. I have also learned much about making wine, and I've gotten into great shape. If I thought the warehouse was hard work, this is much harder.

We have to carry equipment all around the area: pumps, hoses, clamps, pipes, etc. And it's all outside. We work rain or shine. Also, we are constantly climbing up and down to acces the tops of the really bid tanks. thedre are ladders and stairs.

The view froom up there is awesome. On a clear day you can see the kinenet and a lot of the Golan.

The other day, as I was leaving for work (we have a van that picks us up and takes us home), Odeliya was in my bed driving a car of Yitzchak. Ayelet moved him out of the way. As I left I heard Odeliya say, "Hey! I was using the baby!" Which I thought was a funny and disturbing thing to say.

But I digress. My job at the winery is through the harvest. The harvest ended today. The last grapes came to us for crushing and making into wine. Per the manager I have 2-3 weeks left until my job here is terminated. This gives me some time to find the next thing. I just wish God would show me the next step.


Okay, it's a few days since I wrote that. Since I haven't posted, I'll add to it. I have been told that there is more work for me and they'd like me to hang around. I asked one of the managers about transferring to a different department after th epost-harvest work is done. I said that I have other skills that I could use. He said they were thinking of that because they want to upgrade their computer system. So we'll see where this goes. But either way next week I get to work fewer hours. It drops from a 12 hour shift to 9 and a half hours.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch...

Ok, so it's not a ranch yet. But Ayelet has embraced homemaker/mommyhood-ness. She has Odeliya almost toilet-trained, has been baking all of our bread, and has started making pickles and "milk" drinks (almond, soy, etc.) So I need to give her credit for doing an amazing job, especially with me being out of the house so much. Tonight, when I finish this post I will be resuming the job of cleaning for Shabbat. It's a big job this week.

We are expecting company for Shabbat. Ayelet's brother and sister, with their spouses, are coming. It should be lots of fun. Ayelet is discussing the menu with her brother now. It should be lots of fun.

We are also looking into farming. It was one of the dreams we shared before we made Aliyah. We are researching learning farming and different crops. I'll keep you posted

I need to point out that among the sounds heard in Katzrin we have the booms of tank practice, machine gun fire (also from drills, thanks God), jackals, and other animals. I kind of like it.

Ok, not to prepare for Shabbat. I even bought silver polish to polish Ayelet's candlesticks.

Shabbat Shalom.

A Dvar Torah for Chizuk

Sitting in shul last week (I know it's overdue) something in the Torah reading hit me. There are no chidushim here. It is all based on the basic text. But it gave me chizuk, and maybe it will inspire you too.

In Devarim 30:15-16 we are told that Hashem and Moshe have put before us life and the good and death and the bad. Basically, if we follow the book that Hashem gave us, if we keep the Torah, we will get the good. If we do not keep the Torah, we will get the bad. It's just that simple. Of course, putting it into practice is not that simple, but the concept is. We also see it in the second chapter of shema that we say every day. Following the Torah gives us life and sustenance. Not following brings punishment, lack of rain, and death.

Obviously the practical application is not so easy. There are many mitzvot, tons of commandments. And it gets harder each day as the world gets more complicated. This is where the next bit of inspiration comes in. Moshe is giving his final speech to Bnei Yisrael and preparing to die. After leading the people for 40 years he is handing the reigns over to Yehoshua. Yehoshua has been second in command for a long time. He was groomed for leadership and even served as the commander of our army when Hashem told us to go fight. Yet he was unsure. Just as we are unsure now of how to follow the Torah. Just as we are not sure where we belong and what we are supposed to do. Yehoshua knew his purpose and was still scared. So Moshe told him "Chazak Ve'Amatz," Be strong and of good courage. Despite knowing his job and being prepared, Yehoshua needed support. And it happends again, Hashem also tells Yehoshua Chazal Ve'Amatz several times and promises to help him in his duties.

We should always be confident that if we keep the mitzvot and do what Hashem wants, He will help us. Hashem will show us the next step and guide us along the way.

May this year be a year of clear guidance from Above, a year when we start to fulfill our part in God's plan. A year of peace, health, happiness, wealth, success, and growth for all of Am Yisrael.

Shana Tova,
Yoram

Paying my dues

I have been working at the Golan Heights Winery for over a month now. And I don't know how much longer I'll be working there. The guy in charge doesn't seem to know from one day to the next what is going on. It's not a bad job; good, clean manual labor. I spend most of my time in the warehouse filling orders. I get to go around pulling a case of this and 3 bottles of that. It all gets stacked on a pallet and wrapped in plastic wrap. Then it waits for the truck to deliver it.

Because I am a religious Jew I also get to work in the bottling area. I have pulled several shifts in the champagne room. It's fun, and varied from the warehouse. But it usuallt means working a 12 hour day instead of just 9 and a half. Twice I even got to help remove less than perfect grapes from the Pinot Noir harvest. The Yarden Pinot Noir 2009 should be an excellent wine... if you like Pinot Noir.

But all this being said, it is still not the kind of work I'd like to be doing. Especially not at this salary. My friend pointed out that this paying my dues. Many a doctor and engineer made aliyah only to sweep streets for a while. Many of them were able to move back into their field, or something related. Hopefully I will soon be able to move back into one of my fields of interest, where I can do work I enjoy at fair compensation. I have realized that I am a chronically positive person. May this year bring forward movement and success for me, my family, and all of us.

Shana Tova.

In My Spare Time

Wow. Things have been crazy. I've been working at the Golan Heights Winery for the past month. It's a temporary job and it's hard. The shift starts at 7 am and goes until either 4:30 or 7. At least there is a ride to and from. Sometimes I work in the warehouse filling orders and working on the lines assembling gift boxes. Other times I get pulled up to help with wine making and bottling. I needed to be checked out and certifed for that work. I've done a number of shifts in the champagne room. Champagne ages in the bottles, but the caps need to be popped off and the real corks put in. There is a maching to do this, but people need to run the machines and stuff. Also, when the machines break we need to fill in. I also help select the best grapes for the Yarden Pinot Noir 2009. It's going to be very good wine. It's interesting work. I get to learn bits about wine. But it's a long day at minimum wage plus lunch either for free or really cheap. And there is not much time for phone calls to potential full time employers. Worse still, I'm often too tired when I get home to do much networking and job searching.

But I am learning a little bit more. I have a chavruta with Noach, a new Katzerin resident. we are learning gemara Bava Metzi'a. Also, Ariel and I will hopefully resume our learning and I am trying to start a few other things as well.

Ayelet is up and about more now. She is largely recovered from the birth (she had close to the 6 weeks prescribed by Olivia at Odeliya's birth) and by necessity she is doing more since I am out of the house all day. Chaviva is still living with us and is a tremendoun help. Thank God for her. She is also making her plans for the year.

Netanel is doing really well in gan. He has friends and is learning stuff. Last Shabbat he came to shul with me and davened much of his usual davening. Then he and a classmate went scouring the shul for unclaimed candies from the Shabbat chatan. That friend is coming for lunch with her family tomorrow, which should be very nice. But I will need to get back to Shabbat prep in a minute, so I'll wrap up.

I have been learning a tremendous amount about myself while working at the winery. I am basically starting at the bottom, with a temporary job as a laborer. Hopefully I will be able to build myself up pretty quickly. I keep looking for opportunities Hashem will send me. As we go into Rosh HaShana I feel like this is the most prepared I've been in years, and it's not from learning Hilchot Teshuva (although that would also be good). I have been revisting healthcare in addition to efficiency and hi-tech. I am thinking about combining the two and I may go back to school for paramedic or nursing. Of course, we need income in the meantime.

The world is open to me (the world in the molusk of my choice). I just need to find my path and have the courage to follow it. If it means starting from the bottom, so be it. But it would be okay if I could jump a few steps on the fast-track too.

Shabbat Shalom to all. come visit us in the Golan Heights,
Yoram

Little by Little, but Come On Already

Ever since we came to Katzrin neighbors have asked us how we are settling in. I would tell them what we were up to and they would inevitably respond, "le'at le'at" (little by little). And this has proven to be true of our aliyah. Some things have taken longer than we anticipated, but we are getting settled. Here in katzrin we have a nice house with our stuff and most of the essential furniture. We have joined a wonderful community and have made friends. Netanel is excited to go back to gan in a few weeks (me too) and Odeliya is doing well also. Yitzchak was born (you can read that account here: http://ayelet-wholebodybeauty.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-even-doulas-need-doulas-and-other.html) and is doing great.

But seriously now, I never thought that finding a job would have taken so long. I've been networking since we got to Israel (even before). Once we found Katzrin I began looking for something in that area. There have been very few bites. The problem is that I am underqualified and overqualified at the same time. It seems that I am a jack of all trades and people want "someone with more experience", or with experience in ONE thing only. Communication skills are not seen as a plus, and multi-tasking seems to be frowned upon. Everyone in hi-tech is looking for programmers or people with 12 years experience and everyone else tells me to work in hi-tech. I was about to take a minimum wage job as a start.

But then I saw something on Jobshuk.com. It actually came right to my email. I applied to be a virtual assistant. working from home and doing stuff I am good at. I heard back the next day and interviewed to be a Business Process Specialist. This is essentially the same thing that I was doing with The Organized Office right before we moved, except I was calling myself an Efficiency Consultant. I like BPS better. This all happened during Ayelet's start and stop labor and right after Tzachi's birth. Everything went well and I was (am) all set to start. But this company is in the middle of a big expansion and they told me they need 2 weeks to work out the specifics of hiring several new BPS people. I certainly understand taking the time to do things right, but I was so close to gainful employment.

I am also still following other leads, but it's hard. That position seems perfect for me. I got really excited about the work and I resumed marketing myself for that kind of work as a free-lancer and looking for other jobs as well. So we'll see what happens. I am trying to stay positive, but being so close to something great is really frustrating. I am trying to figure out the lesson here. I've been looking for the right opportunity and I thought this was it. What is God trying to teach me here? Am I destined to start at the very beginning? Should I hang it all and go out on my own? I don't want to spend 3-6 housr a day marketing myself. I hate that. I know what I can do and I do it very well. So what's going on. Maybe the lesson is "le'at le'at," just a little but more patience.

Oh right, I am trying to stay positive. So I'll end like this: I am grateful to God for my (mostly) healthy family, my nice house, new mother's helper that is like a Godsend, lovely community, and so much more. I am open and ready to accept opportunities to use my skills to help others and be fairly compensated in return. I am ready to give back to Israel and be a producer, not just a consumer. I am also ready and open to anyone interested in buying a nice house in New Jersey that happens to have my name on the deed. It's not mine anymore, so someone else should please claim it.

I wish everyone a Shabbat Shalom and a great rest of August.

And the Insanity Continues

It's 12:20 AM and I should be sleeping. Our house has quieted down now that the visiting family members have left. We miss them. Chaviva, a friend from the Merkaz Klitah has come to help out while she gets settled up North. She is starting a program nearby after the chagim. This is great becasue Netanel is finished with camp and has a month off (well now it's only 2 weeks). This week Odeliya is home from her gan, which runs through this week) with bronchitis. Last night was tough.

To add to the craziness, an old friend of mine is crashng tonight and other friends are coming up tomorrow. Soehow, in the midst of all this I expect to spend a few hours a day at the computer looking for work and taking care of other administrative matters. Also I plan to keep getting the house set up. I'm not crazy, just determined. Also, I expect there to be news on a job withing the next week or two.

So that's why Chaviva has been amazing. Also, Ayelet is feeling better and is up on her feet and doing more. She still takes it easy. We're going onthe advice given by her midwife from Odeliya's birth: "Take it easy for 6 weeks." So she's not pushing herself too hard.

So now that you've been updated, I am going to sleep. Hopefully more will be coming very soon.

Good night.

When Did You Get Here?

That's what I thought the other night as I ws looking at my newborn son. Ayelet gave birth last Wednesday afternoon to a beautiful baby boy. It was not quite the birth we expected, but after pre-term contractions and a week of start and stop labor we were happy to be done with it. We left Ziv hopsital on Thursday morning and came home to a warm welcome. Ayelet's mother had come in on Monday night and Ayelet's brother and sister had come Wednesday night with their respective spouses. When we opened the door Netanel and Odeliya were waiting for us. They melted at the sight of their new brother. We gave them each a turn to hold him right away and then shipped them off to gan.

Since then weve been pretty busy.We made a shalom zachar in our house. We ahd a nice crowd. They are not drinkers here. Very little booze was drunk. I also made a siyum, finally, on mishna seder kodshim. This was also well received. I was asked to tell the story of why we made Aliyah and how we ended up in Qaserin. This flowed into the siyum, since was the first place where I felt comfortable to do it. We have a community here.

This week we arranged the brit. Rav Levi, the Rav of Kazrin will be the mohel and other honors will be figured out tonight. We also need to pick the baby's name. We have an idea, but with Odeliyah we audibled at the last minute. So we'll see.

The brit will be at the Beit Knesset with cookies for everyone. There will also be a meal for guests at a small hall in the city. But I am still amazed at the presence of another child. I suppose I'll get used to him, since he's staying put. And he's really cute.

Still Here

I know it's been a while since my last post. We've been pretty busy settling in. We finally got our stuff from the port. That story should be coming soon as a separate post. Ayelet's contractions calmed down, especially once she got to sleep in a bed. Now she is ready for things to pick up again. Stay tuned for an announcement about that, hopefully within two weeks.

Here is a tour of our house in Katzrin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_mplgGgqmA.

We are largely unpacked, but there are still many boxes around. We need to get some shelves and a breakfront. I have shifted focus to preparing for the birth and looking for a job. With God's help both will happen soon, with ease and joy.

In the meantime, we are enjoying our 10 kilo washing machine, our newly found clothes and toys, etc. Now to get back to work...

Still Settling In

I forgot something very important about Shavuot in Kaserin. On Shavuot I got an Aliyah to the Torah. They made a mishebayrach for us and sang "V;shavu Banim" (a song traditionally song for new olim), and even took the opportunity to pelt me with candies (not so healthy for the kids, but much cleaner for the target than fruit). It took 5 months, but we got a very nice welcome here. And it was unexpected. I guess it helps that they like to sing in this shul.

Also, one of our neighbors pointed out that we moved here the week of Parshat Naso, where we read about the chanukat ha'mizbeach, the dedication of the mishkan (tabernacle) and the altar. He said it was fitting that we are moving into our home on this week. I realized that we arrived in Israel on Chanuka, a festival celebrating the re-dedication on the mikdash. So too, we arrived on Chanuka to an absorption center, and made a more proper dedication in our home the week of Parshat Naso. Very cool.

We have been talking to Personal Logistic, Strand's people here about taking delivery of our crate. They wanted me to come to Ashdod. This is a full day, at least, even with a car. Ayelet has been having contractions and is taking it very easy. I do not want to be so far away. With a car (a fortune in rental and gas) I am 2-3 hours away. By mass transit I am a day away depending on schedule. After a day of talking we discover that I can scan and email documents and then mail copies. Why couldn't thins have been offerred two days ago? There is also the issue of extra fees. I knew there would be port fees. I would like to discuss them, because i think they are quite high. There is also storage. they want over 3000 shekel for storage for 3 months. I think that's excessive. There is also a 2000 shekel fee for delivering out of there normal delivery range. there delivery range is the center of the county. My contract says door to door with no mention of a distance limit. Apparently, this is built into the original quote. Since we didn't know where we were going he didn't factor this in. But the fine print does not mention this at all. It does mention extra fees for delivering over the Green Line. The guy in New York basically said tough. So after paying several thousand dollars we need to pay an equivalent amount in shekels to get our stuff. Nothing is ever easy in this country. Eveything requires a discussion, a plea, and and extra fee. Well, not everything. But many things.

I did rent a car Monday to go to Ashdod. I didn't go, but the car did get us to Tiveria for Ayelet's ultrasound. the doctor was very nice and helpful (not something to take for granted here). After signing off on the car I realized that they gave me a stick shift. When I asked about this he said, "I'll try to find you an automatic. In the meantime try to drive this one." He didn't seem to care about undue wear and tear on the transmission. Ayelet's midwife talked me through it and I managed to drive it around a bit. They did find me an automatic. I was not prepared to drive on the highways or in the hills of Tiveria with a stick shift. I do plan to learn stick, and maybe that is what we will buy (B"EH in a few weeks).

I had a job interview yesterday at a software shop in the Qazrin Industrial Park. I got the impression he wanted to help me, but he didn't seem to have anything for me. He looked at my resume and asked me what I like to do. I told him. He basically said, "I don't need you for that. What do you like to do?" I told him again. He said, "It will take you too long to learn how to do that in my company. What do you like to do?" In the end he said he'll call me back. So the jobhunt continues. I plan to go back to the industrial park tomorrow and go around introducing myself. Maybe I can work at the Golan Heights Winery.

Ayelet is working on a new program in conjuction with www.BinahBaby.com. It is a Post Pardom Doula training program; training women to help mothers after the birth. Information is coming soon to www.wholebodybirth.com. I will be posting it later, when Ayelet gives me the content.

Ok, that's it for now. There's other stuff to do. Enjoy, comment, and keep in touch,
Yoram

Home for Shabbat

Tomorrow night we will be having a friday night meal in our home. We've spent the past many Shabbatot in many different places, even two in the merkaz klitah. But now we will be home. And it will be really nice.

We are settling in nicely. Netanel is adjusting to gan. He is finishing up the year in the same gan where he will go next year, so that should make it easier. Next week Odeliya will be in some sort of program. We are still working out the details. Pre-gan programs are really expensive. There are many attractions around us, museums, hikes, playgrounds, the pinat chai (mini-zoo). There are lots of things to do with the kids after gan. We are starting to do them.

Today we also went to the edge of the city to see a brush fire. It was cool, but I think they needed more than 2 fire trucks. It seems to be out now, so I guess everything was ok. I was a little nervous since there were 5-6 year old kids climbing up the hill to get a closer look. But I suppose brush fires don't move THAT quickly over dry reeds and stuff. And the smoke will prepare them for smoking, which is still a national pastime. I guess the Israeli attitude of disregarding danger starts very young, so it's ok for the kids to check out the fire unattended. Personally, I would want the children to be a least 7 or 8 before they did that.

I have been meeting lots of people and getting lots of welcomes. Still no job offers. But I also am not so clear what I am looking for. I feel like I'll know it when it comes to me. I just need to be out there doing things to receive that opportunity.

Meanwhile, Ayelet has a home-birth midwife and is preparing for the baby. We are all getting excited for that. She is also working on her business more (speaking of birth). There should be more resources posted and more information coming out soon. Go to http://www.wholebodybirth.com to sign up for her newsletter.

Ok, that's enough for now. It's late and I need to get some sleep. Hopefully more will be posted soon, along with the pictures and videos.

Shabbat Shalom,
Yoram

We Have A Home In Our Home

A lot has happened in the past few weeks.

We had some excitement on Yom Yerushalaim. We were at Kikar Tzahal watching the "Rikudgalim," the annual flag parade. I actually slipped away to meet up with up with Ayelet's brother Daniel. Ayelet and our friend Barbara were with the kids and her daughter Leah. At some point they went closer to watch the marchers. The kids climbed on a concrete barrier to see better. Odeliya also climbed up. Ayelet turned to grab her and when she turned back the other 2 kids were on the ground. Netanel was crying, with a nasty bump on his head. Lead seemed fine. A few minutes later the roles were reversed. Netanel was playing and singing and Leah was suffering from hand numbness and memory loss. I met them at Terem (a non-hospital emergency clinic). Three hours later we went home. Thank God, Leah is fine, with maybe a mild concussion for all the trouble.

The next day, Friday, Odeliya and I (since she was awake) went to the Kotel to join in my nephew Eli's hanachat tefillin (putting on tefillin for the first time). It was fun and nice to hang out with family. Meanwhile, Ayelet and Netanel sepnt some quality time together, during which Ayelet discovered Netanel's lice. Thank God Odeliya didn't have it, because that would have been veeery difficult. After much washing and combing we were all clean.

Now on to the better stuff: we finalized our lease and moved to a house. the house is located up in Katzrin, the city of the Golan Heights. It is officially a city, but it is smaller than the entire town of Efrat. You can walk the circumference in under an hour. We moved up last Tuesday to a resounding welcome. We were leant mattresses, chairs, a table, and whatever else we needed. We also had two welcome banners on our door and lots of food. For the past week people have been welcoming us and offerring help. It actually feels more like a yishuv than a city. We have also acquired a refrigerator and a whole bunch of furniture.

I need to thank some people here. There are more, but these are the ones that stand now, as I write this: Yael Atal at the Merkaz Klitah in Jerusalem has worked tirelessly for us, getting us whatever right, benefit, or perk she could. This includes a truck to move us at the Jewish Agency's expense. Nefesh B'Nefesh has been tremendously helpful, particularly Michele, the coordinator of the Go North initiative. Also, here in Qatzrin: Avishai, Shifra, Elazar, Becky, etc, etc, etc. Hakarat Hatov to everyone and to God for helping it all go smoothly (may this PLEASE continue).

I will soon be posting a link to the video tour(s) of our house and first week in Katsrin. Please enjoy and comment.

There is still much to do. But now we have a comfortable place to come home to. There is room to play, couches on which to sit, bathtubs, a kitchen big enough for swinging cats (take that however you want). Now we just need our beds from the port.

The kids are very happy to be here. They love the bath, and the room. Also they have figured out how to run outside to the playground all by themselves. I'm not so happy about this one yet, but what can I do. Netanel is sttling down nicely in gan. the kids here are very sweet, and he is making friends. He is trying hard to learn Hebrew (he is also getting better at reading English) and also trying to roll his "r's" in the Israeli style. Odeliya keeps asking to go to gan too. We are working on something for her, but daycare before gan age is really expensive. Ayelet and I are very busy with all the arranging. She is also building her business (http://www.wholebodybith.com) and settling in for giving birth. I am focusing on finding a job now, while moving slowly on other projects. There is much to do. The taks of finding a comfortable home is done, so on to the next item.

With Hashem's help our Aliyah will continue to progress positively. Stay tuned for more updates on our settlement in Qatsrin.

It's Hot In Here

Jerusalem is hot these days. It's too hot and sunny outside to spend too much time. Especially with young children. Also, we don't want to buy lots of sun screen because it is actually prohibitively expensive. And we have tubes and tubes of the stuff in our lift. But it's also hot inside, at least in our room. So we keep the windows open during the day and we manage. We try to go out and do stuff, and we come home and relax (or the kids relax while Ayelet and I try to get some work done). But our apt. doesn't cool down enough at night, like most of the city does. Maybe it's because we need to keep the window closed. Screen are apparently a luxury here, and our windows don't have them. So if the windows are open and the lights on at night every bug will swarm inside and bother us. It's quite icky. Anyway, we are looking forward to a house with screens.

I have decided that the cold I had last week is gone. The only symptoms left are allergy symptoms. I never had bad allergies in the U.S. so maybe the different plants here are affecting me. My case is annoying, but not really bad. I am trying honey. I've heard that local, raw honey is good for allergies becaue the pollen in the honey will give your body a good chance at building an immunity to the allergens. I hope this clear up soon.

In other news, I have officially re-launched my efficiency business. I am looking for businesses and individuals to help get more organized. I can help you stream-line procedures and find ways to be more productive. You can contact me at yoram@efficientandorganized.com or go to my website www.efficientandorganized.com.

Also, I am working on a new business with Barbara, another olah from the merkaz klitah. More details are coming soon, but we are looking to help start-ups start-up. Stay tuned for the big announcement.

Ayelet is doing well. The heat is making the pregnancy tough and it doesn't help that the baby is really active. the kids are having fun. It's tough not having them in gan, but we've developed some routine. We daven every morning and Netane's reading is getting better with practce. Odeliya has accepted the heat by refusing to wear clothes. She spent most of today in a diaper, after removing her clothes by herself. Of course she also went to the closet to pick the cloths she wasn't going to wear.

That's pretty much it for now. Lots going on faster than I can handle. But it's all positive, so it will all go well. With God's help we'll be settled and more comfortable soon.

Until next time,
Yoram

Update II

We're back in the Merkaz Klitah for now while we negotiate our lease. We need to finalize that and sign it. Then we can complete our application for the Nefesh B'Nefesh Go North Initiative (lots of perks) AND finalize taking delivery of our lift.

In the meantime, our drains are all overflowing. Well, just two of them. The shower is annoying, as the bathroom quickly becomes a bathtub. The kitchen is worse. The kitchen sink drain never worked well. We've had maintenance come several times. It only helps of a week or so, and even when they fix it, it's still slow. The one time I tried Drano it seemed to make it worse. Now we're just biding our time until we move.

Knock knock:
Netanel got into knock knock jokes back in the U.S. before we make Aliyah. I think it's cute. It's even cuter that Odeliya is not also trying to tell them. She doesn't quite get the concept. She'll say "knock knock" to which we respond "who's there?" She says someone's name, like "Wana" (this is her new aunt). When we say "Elana who?" she replies "Wanaaaa" in a funny voice, to make it a joke. I guess she'll catch on eventually.

Over the past month we have been meeting people from different places. In Katamon two Shabbatot ago I met someone living in a new Yishuv in Gush Etzion. He tried recruiting me there. We also met people from Keshet and Chispin. They all enticed us come check out their towns. The entire city of Katzrin has been working to facilitate our getting there, fromt he city council on down. I kind of like the feeling of being sought after and recruited.

This past Monday, when we went up to check out Katzrin and meet withthe vaad klitah in Yonatan, we stopped in the makolet Yonatan on our way out. We got a big welcome there. We also saw the organic peanut butter we like. We haven't seen it in Yerushalaim since Pesach. Also missing from Yerushalaim were the cheese flavored Cheeots (Ayelet's vice). We had to drive to the Golan to get these basic foods.

Here is another benefit to living in the Golan. Besides the sheer beauty and general attitude. The Golan had Mei Eden on tap. The water that people pay 6 shekel a bootle for comes out of the tap and is used for showering. It tastes really good too.

I know I'm going out of order here, but a lot has been going on and I can't think that hard. This past Shabbat I was walking with the kids from the Pinat Chai (a little zoo the city operates for the kids) to our friends for seuda shlishit. On the way Netanel walked too close to the growth next tot he road and brushed one of those plants with flowers that have big prickles. He got hurt and his immediate comment was, "Hashem shouldn't have made them." I explained that Hashem made that plant for a purpose, but I thought is was a very clever way of thinking.

Lastly, after our Monday trip to the Golan for our meeting witht e vaad klitah I got a really bad cold. I spent Wedneday in bed. Now, a week later I am still fighting the congestion and runny nose, with some of the other lingering affects. I don't usually get sick. I wonder what my block is. What am I afraid of in this whole process? Why is my sub-conscious letting me get sick when I need to be clear and focused and active? There is lots on my mind and much to sort out, but being sick doesn't help. I am so excited for the move for so many reasons. How can I get rid of these fears?

Thanks for letting me share and vent. Soon we'll have pictures of the Golan and our house to share as well.

Sending out good wishes and good vibes,
Yoram

Update

Hi. My computer is back online and I am trying to form my thoughts into paragraphs. There is a lot going on. This will be a short update with a few things that have been on my mind.

First of all, I've been wondering who reads this. So please drop a comment from time to time to let me know you're interested.

Second, we were accepted to Yonatan. We had a meeting with the vaad klitah and they like us (what's not to like). We fell in love with Yonatan on our first trip, but we are not moving to the one availalbe rental there for 2 reasons: 1. It is not so comfortable for our growing family; 2. we want to check out other Golan communities as well. We haven't seen anywhere else. To that end we have found a house in Katzrin, the city of the Golan and we are in lease negotiations. When I say city, you need to understand that it is smaller than Efrat. You can wal around it in under an hour. It has a mix of Jews from different places with different religious standards. We spent Shabbat there. There is a vibrant religious community with many young families. Netanel had a great time in shul and in the gan. Our plan is to move there and be comfortable and settled while we join the Golan community.

I am also networking for my business as an efficiency specialist. I can do this virtually over the phone, so please send me referrals.

More on the past week is coming soon, hopefully tonight. Until then, send us support and good wishes. We'll have you over in our house when we're settled.

Happy Lag Ba'Omer,
Yoram

Click, I Can Read

A

Yesterday Ayelet took the kids out so I could get some work done. First they went to play with the kittens. One of the cats here at the absorption center had kittens about 2 weeks ago. Since then playing with them has been a major activity and great motivator/bribe to get the kids to do things. Here are some pictures of the cute little furballs and the kittens, err, and the kids.


After that they came back inside. Ayelet and Netanel played a computer game, one of the more educational ones. Something clicked in Netanel's head and now he is reading. We went out to merkaz ha'ir after that and he read all the Englosh words on the bus. It was amazing. Now we need to start encrypting our secret notes.

We went up North today, just Ayelet and I (thank you Barbara for watching the kids). We checked out Katzrin to see if we should move there before moving into a yishuv. We know we want a yishuv, but it's a long process. After finding a yishuv you like you need to go through the klitah (absorption) process which includes getting accepted. Most yishuvim are low on rental properties, so we would be living somewhere else while we built our home. So we decided to move to the Golan now, since this is where we want to be.

Katzrin was appealing. Our guide, Avishai, is going to gather information on more rentals to show us. There are nice houses for rent for very cheap. We are also going to check out Chispin, which hosts the schools for the Golan yishuvim.

While I'm at it I would like to give a shout-out to Michele Kaplan-Greene at Nefesh B'Nefesh. She is extremely busy, but she has been amazingly helpful to us in our quest to settle up north. Kol hakavod to her.

Now it's time for some sleep, but keep checking for more posts, and hopefully some video.

Have You Seen My Lizard?

We got home around 10:30 from our Yom Ha'Atzmaut activities (post coming soon). I was in the kitchen making tea when I heard a light "thwack." I looked at the counter and saw a small lizard like creature. Maybe it was a chameleon or something. It wasn't a velociraptor. I think he was more scared of me becasue he kept hiding behind things on the counter. Eventually I trapped him in a container. This was easy because I simply asked him to get in. As he worked his way to the sink I put the container in the sink and let him fall in. I covered the container and took him outside. The walk was uneventful and I let him go with a stern warning. this doesn't happen so much in suburban NY/NJ.

Chag Sameach! Happy Birthday Israel

Today was great. Our first Yom Ha'Atzmaut as Israelis was fun. On Tuesday night we went to friends in Armon HaNetziv (East Talpiot). We decided to stay close to home. I went to the shul for maariv. There is a special tefilla for Yom Ha'Atzmaut and I haven't been to one of these services in years. It was cool.

I also met Ayelet's grandfather's brother, Uncle Simon. He was excited to meet me. We schmoozed for a while and will try to get the whole family to meet him.

Then I went back to the party we made. After the bbq we went down to the Mat"nas (community center) to join in those festivities. The kids got light-up thingies and we walked to a good vantage point to see the fireworks. We learned that the 10:45 show was coming off of that building. So we got good seats and waited. Finally, a little after 11 they started. We got a few minutes of fireworks and that was it (video coming soon). Netanel fell asleep right before they started, but he woke up for part of it. Odeliya was quite impressed by the show. We got home and plopped the kids into bed. Then we spent an hour online before falling asleep.

Today we went to Herzliya with the Berkey family. they Berkeys are long time friends of Ayelet's. There was a nice group of people, most of whom I had never met. We went to the beach for a while and then back to the boat for the rest of the party and bbq. There was good food and good people. What else do you need? As per the Berkey's custom the party was at their boat. Since it is currently in drydock for repairs we ate on the ground, but the kids went onboard to watch a movie. We were promised that next year things would be back to normal.

We paid for the good times with travel time. The trip to Herzliya was uneventful, but involved a bus and 2 hasaot (shared taxis). We also met someone that lives in the Golan who is happy to help us in our search for a moshav. The trip home was crazier. We got a ride tothe train station. We had to wait about an hour for the train to Tel Aviv for a 10 minute trip. The next train to Jerusalem was about an hour and half later. We had fun on the platform, and made some friends, but we were all done with travelling. I got the kids to fall asleep on the train to Yerushalaim. It was not hard. After this long day they were exhausted. Upon arrival at the Malcha train station we had to wait and jockey for a cab home. Basically, we realized that we need a car. But the travelling was worth it for a great time.

Something occured to me last night during the special tefillah:
In the tefillah for Yom HaAtzmaut we read the psukim from B'ha'alotcha about the trumpets for war and the shofar for praise. Blow it over your todot and zevacim. It is known that a korban todah is meant for pirsum. You have to invite others to your meal to help you finish it before the deadline. This is a modern day bbq. Friends, family, and meat. As such, mongal is the original Jewish food: roasted meat shared with others. And it is fitting that this is the national pastime on Yom Ha'Atzmaut. When we celebrate Israel's birthday we also must thank God for the miracles surrounding the creation and continued existence of this state. As we eat meat and celebrate we should blow or remember the shofar and give credit to the true Source. It wasn't Herzl or Ben-Gurion that gave us a state. Rabin, Peres, Sharon, Yoni Netanyahu, etc. all helped. But God made it happen. Thank God for giving us back our homeland, such as it is. To paraphrase Rabbi Jonathan Schwartz of Hillside, NJ, Israel is not perfect, but it's ours. It's ours to fix." Which is why we moved here. We want to be part of the process. The future of Am Yisrael is here, and we're getting in on the ground floor.

For those of you that think that Israel is too messed up to be worth keeping I am reposting something I wrote via email a few years ago. This was written right after the girush, the explusion of Jews from Gaza. Here it is:

It seems that a lot of the dati leumi community are disheartened and are not sure if we should still be celebraying Yom HaAtzmaut. I'd just like to put it into a Biblical perspective:

After Yetziat Mitzraim Bnei Yisrael spent 40 years in the midbar. The generation that entered the land had spent all, or most, of their lives living under God's direct care. And still they sinned.

After conquering the land, Bnei Yisrael became a loose confederation of tribes, but they were centered around the Mishkan. They had the benefit of a navi and kohen gadol to lead them. And yet, Tekufat Shoftim was not a high point for the nation. Nationalistically, we were constantly reconquering our land. When we weren't fighting a civil war.

Finally, after 40 years in the midbar and 400+ years in the land, the Yishuv HaAretz seemed to sprout into a geula. We were a united people as one nation with a strong, religious (dati leumi?) king. We had neviim, kohanim, and leviim. We also had the Beit HaMikdash, where even the other nations came to pray.

But still, after seeing God's revelation, seeing the miracles of conquering the land, overcoming the lull during Tekifat Shoftim, the high point of unity and observance seemed to last only 40+ years.

My point is that if they had trouble building the perfect Jewish society based on Am Yisrael, Torat Yisrael, and Eretz Yisrael after 400+ years of trying, who are we to get disheartened after only 61. We lack the guidance of a Navi or Kohen Gadol. We do not have a clearly annointed king approved by God and country. So really, things could be worse. At least we're not mailing prostitute parts to the Galil to prove a point.

Of course, we need to keep trying. The State is not perfect. But it's ours to improve. We should celebrate the miracles involved in getting it, and be grateful it is still ours.

Hoping for the speedy coming of Mashiach and a time when we can all celebrate together,
Yoram

Hail the Victorious Dead

Today was Israel's Memorial Day. It is a very different affair from the American version. Their are no sales to coincide with the memorials. People go to work (at least for part of the day). Everyone knows someone that died fighting for this country. It may have been in a war or from terrorism, but everyone here is connected to someone that now lies in a military cemetery. So it is a solemn day. There are 2 moments of silence, one in the evening before Memorial Day (Yom HaZicaron), and one at 11 a.m.

We did not make it to a ceremony today. There really aren't many geared for children. But we did make a point of being outside. We were on a terrace overlooking David Raziel Street in our neighborhood when the siren started. I stood there with Netanel standing at attention beside me and I thought of the boys and girls, men and women that have died. I thought of the funerals shown on the news, in pictures, on YouTube. I saw in my head the proud soldiers in neat uniforms crying on each others shoulders over the loss of a dear friend and comrade. And I cried.

When the siren started a bus winding upt he hill pulled over. On eor two other cars stopped as well. But many other cars continued on their way, most of them cabs. Maybe they were driven by Arab cab-drivers who don't care about Israel. But it made me mad. They have more freedom to drive their cabs here than they would in Jordan or Palestine. They get more rights and liberties. I don't care if one of the mourned soldiers killed their brother. Let them pull over and cry for their own family. But stop your car and pretend to show respect. That's my feeling as a proud Jew and Israeli.

We remember the fallen and hope that we need not have any more sacrifices. May God grant us peace speedily with security and faith.

Back Home

We've been back for a week and a half. Pesach was nice. It was good to spend time with my parents and the kids enjoyed their cousins too. Now, after a week back in the absorption center we realize that we need to get out of here. It would be more bearable if we could open the windows at night. Unfortunately, the lights being on attracts a huge number of flying things of all shapes and sizes (no locusts yet). Screens seem to be not int he works for this institute.

We are still working our plans to move up north. We'll be going to Moreshet for Shabbat. It's a lovely yishuv (town) of about 200 families in the Western Galilee. We had fun there on our first visit and are looking forward to it. Here's to getting settled in a nice place... and hopefully the right one too.

Today we went to the zoo with my parents. It was awesome. I am always impressed with the Tisch Family (not only) Biblical Zoo here in Jerusalem. The kids also had a blast; climbing, running, looking at animals, etc. Video will hopefully be posted to YouTube (and Facebook) soon. the bears were quite the show-offs. Also, the (I think) new walkway over the anumals of the savannah is really cool. We were about 5 feet from a giraffe, at eye level. Odeliya dropped her pacifier into the ostrich and rhino pen. After replacing it with the spare (always carry a spare) she and Netanel tried to get the ostrich and giraffe to go get it back for her. The ostrich tasted it and moved on. The giraffe just ignored us.

At one point the giraffe did his business and Odeliya commented that he needs a change. Maybe she's ready for potty-training.

After the zoo we went to the mall for dinner. It's so cool to be able to eat int he food court at the mall. I don't know if I'll aver fully get used to it. I hope not.

So to sum up, it's good to be home.

Shabbat Shalom.

Round trip from Israel

We have made our first round trip flight with Israel as the base. It was sooner than we had expected, but for years Ayelet and I had talked about the day when our flights would have Israel as home. It's was a very cool realization as we landed at ben Gurion airport.

Our trip to the U.S. was caused by my brother-in-law's wedding. We stayed for the first days of Pesach, since my in-laws would not let us leave so close before the holiday. they miss us too much. We did manage to spend the end of Pesach here in Israel. We were with my parents in Katamon. It was the first yom tov we spent together in several years. It was also our first yom tov as Israelis. It was cool to keep one day, especially since the kids were strung out enough at that point. My sister, also back from a tour in the U.S, was also there. 5 jet-lagged kids is a lot.

But now we are back and it's time to get to work: nose to the grind-stone seriousness. The people in Yonatan want to meet with us (yay!), Ayelet is moving her business along (http://www.wholebodybirth.com), and I am calling in contacts for my ideas as well. I hope to launch several new products over the coming months. Anyone want to help? Email me if you do.

Now I need to do a little unpacking and get back to the kiddies.

Shavia Tov and Shabbat Shalom.

Business building

We've been in Israel for 2 and a half months already. I have trouble believing it. I still can't wrap my mind around Sundays, but in a good way. On Sunday night I smile when I realize that I have an extra day left in the week. This could be because I am not going to a daily J.O.B.

It's clear that we need to start doing something and bringing in some income. We are finally getting clear on what we want to do. Ayelet is very clear on her mission. You can read all about it on her website: http://www.wholebodybeauty.com. Please join her mailing list and make comments. In a nutshell she is a perinatal health mentor, i.e. she helps educate women and families about all things regarding childbirth. The goal is fact-based decisions (not fear-based) and happy births.

I have been less sure of my path. There is so much open to me, but nothing was jumping out. Also, not being settled was eating away at me. I kept coming back to The Organized Office (http://www.efficientandorganized.com), which is the business I started last fall in the U.S. Basically, I go into a company and help them tweak their procedures or office setup to get their business operating at peak efficiency. I had stopped marketing myself for a little bit, but I kept thinking about it, visualizing myself doing helping people. So I am officially back in the market. I can help companies of any size: large corporations, non-profits, solo entrepreneurs just starting out. And I will bring my relaxed, positive attitude with me.

And we are also working on a new venture that inspired Ayelet the other day. More information is coming soon, but we are going to use the skills we have learned and our growing network of business coaches to help people start their own businesses and live their dreams. This is still in the planning stages, but anyone interested can contact us now and get a special rate.

The world is opening up before us. We are preparing to move to a beautiful town in the Golan Heights, we are building businesses doing things we love, and we are spending time together as a family. May God guide us to help discover our part in the Master Plan and help us fulfill our mission.

Some older suff

Ok, I know that there about 4-6 weeks of our Aliyah Adventure missing form the blog, and that these are the first weeks after we arrived. I will try to fill these stories, but I make no promises. For now (it's late and I didn't get a Shabbat nap today) here's a quick little anecdote: on election day we went to the Israel Museum. It was a nasty day with lots of clouds and wind and even a little rain (this was before the heavens opened during our trip up to the Galil and Golan.
In one picture of us in front of The Shrine of the Book, a.k.a. the giant Hershey Kiss you couldn't see the building because is blends in with the fog .

Odeliya said, "It's windy?" I confirmed that it was very windy and she said, "'Top it windy."

I thought it was very cute.

Jobsearch

I had a meeting with Terem today. Terem is an organization that provides immediate health care. This helps relieve the strain on hospitals emergency rooms and local health clinics. It also helps relieve strain on patient's nerves, because they get quick care. I met with a director and the head of nursing to see if my EMS skills will be useful there. It was exciting since I would get to use these skills again. We found that I need further training, beginning with a Magen David Adom course to transfer my U.S. license to Israel. They gave me the name of the guy at MDA and I walked right over to his office, but he was not in. I left another voicemail and I will have to keep trying.
Even if we move up north very soon I want to take this course because I want to be able to work/volunteer as a medic wherever we live. If I could expand my training it would be even better. Step one is to keep bugging the guy at MDA until I get certified.
In the meantime, Ayelet's website is coming along and soon she will be able to relaunch her business here. Stay tuned...

Go North Young Family, Go North

When discussing Aliya Ayelet and I both felt that the northern part of the country was the right place for us. We had both come to this conclusion individually before we had met. For various reasons we thought it smart to start in the Yerushalaim area and to move up norht after a little while. After the first few weeks living here we decided to check out communities up north and see if it made sense to come sooner rather than later.
To that end we rented a car and spent the last week (including 2 Shabbatot) driving around the Galil and Golan. We met with Michele, the head of Nefesh B'Nefesh's Go Norht! initiative, made contacts using a book put out by Kehillot Tehilla, and went up.

First of all, it rained more than half the time and everything was green. The different shades of green, the fields and orchards were just beautiful. Also, the hills and valleys in the Galil are breathtaking, especially set against the gray sky. As we drove up on Friday we saw bracha-worthy rainbow. That night we witnessed a lighning storm as well (up close and personal). we got to make all 3 brachot in one day, although the rainbow came first. Maybe it's a sign.

We looked at 3 yishuvim and 2 cities. the cities were mostly just as places to rent while we continue our search. We are focused on a yishuv. We like the small town or settlement type of living. We think it will be great for Netanel to be able to run around everywhere and play with other kids. Already he loves running around the merkaz klita with less supervision. To be able to do it in a place with multiple playgrounds, grass, and more kids would be awesome.

We spent the first Shabbat in Moreshet in the Western Galil. It's very nice and friendly. We also checked out Mitzpe Netofa near Tzomet Golani and Moshav Yonatan in the Golan. We learned that many people have a pet cat and/or dog.

We really fell in love with Moshav Yonantan. It is located in the Golan, about 10 minutes from Katzrin. It is literally in the middle of nowhere. The town consists of about 80 families. It started as a farming collective but went private. Now all residents get full membership and voting rights, but only the original members get to share in the profits of the farming. The moshav owns cows and also hosts cows for other towns. They supply much of T'nuva's milk. Also there are apples (Jonathan apple to be specific) and other crops. The town also owns a share in the Golan winery and the makolet sells wine at a discount. The people there are sweet and down to earth. It's great hearing people appreciate the rain because their livlihood depends on it. Kind of like our lives, but the connection is much greater here.

Walking around felt like being back in camp. There were tons of bikes left around without being chained up. Supposeldy in nice weather the kids just run around and are in and out of houses. Unfortunately we missed that part, but Netanel did make some friends.

As for income, the Galil and Golan are covered with Industrial parks and many people have home-based and telecommuting businesses/jobs. The consensus was that almost anything you want to do is possible up north, so our entrepreneourial spirit will be nurtured here. The drawback is that a car is pretty much required.

Towards the end of the week we went to Nahariya. Living there would be comparable in cost to Yerushalaim, but it is a nice place to visit. And we did get to go tot he beach (Wednesday and Thursday were gorgeous: warm and dry). The kids and I had fun getting our feet wet. Thursday we went to Tzfat and walked around. As olim chadashim everyone gives you brachot and wishes of support.

We spent this part Shabbat in Yonatan. Our hosts for sleeping (we ate each meal somewhere else) have a dog that is not so friendly to kids that like to jump on dogs. When we came into the house after Shabbat the dog came over to us. Ayelet was holding Odeliya. Odeliya tucked her feet in, away from the dog and said, "My toes."

I think this post is log enough to make up for the lack of contact til now. Hopefully I'll keep you posted and events upfold regarding our request to get into Yonatan, securing the house available for rent and getting our lift out of storage in Ashdod.

Shavua tov,
Yoram

The Adventure Continues

I know it's been a while since my last post. There is just too much going on. We are settled into a sort of routine. Ayelet and I are in Ulpan Morasha in Yerushalaim. It's a great program. We came to Israel relatively fluent and we still have learned a lot in two weeks. Odeliya is in a daycare in the same building as our ulpan and she is enjoying it. Netanel is in gan near the absorption center.

The absorption center is alright. It is basically a large dorm. We have a small one bedroom apartment. The people here are nice. the kids have a lot of fans. But we would still prefer to have more room(s), more privacy, and to get our stuff from the port in Ashdod.

Here are some things to remind you why Israel is the place to be:

• We went to the Kotel (Western Wall). There was a class there for their siddur party. My siddur party was in the beit midrash in my school and Ayelet went to her lunchroom to get her siddur. These kids get to go to the kotel.
• There are signs in the supermarket saying "Chag Sameach" for T"U BiShvat. And you can wish the same to everyone you pass.
• The bus driver owed me some change. When he had gotten the necessary bills he passed it back to me, and I got it.
• Another new immigrant asked a bus driver where he was going. He used improper Hebrew. The bus driver patiently corrected him and then told him.
• Random people help you with baby strollers, babies, gorceries, etc.
  

I'm out of specifics for now. But are all things that I have witnessed and/or experienced in just over one month. Israel is amazing, despite what the news may say. There is much to improve in this country, but I hope that we keep this attitude of areivut, unity.

Here at last

It has been a long time since our last post. Things have been insane. We are in Israel at last. Internet access is sketchy, but things are shaping up. I plan to do some serious blogging over the next few days, as there is much to say. For now I just want to give my thank yous.

First of all, we need to give thanks to God. Our experience has not been as smooth as I may have hoped, but things are moving along and everything is going to be good. Also, I need to thank family. My parents and Ayelet's parents helped us so much with packing and getting to the airport. We would not have made it from stpo to stop at check-in without them either. So thank you to Imma, Abba, Mommy, and Daddy. Also thanks to my sister for many dinners, advice, and general support. Thanks to Tammar, Ami, and Dov and families for meeting us at the airport. Thanks to Ayelet's sister Shoshana for inviting us for our first Shabbat.

Thank you also to Nefesh B'Nefesh for making this porcess so much easier. Also to every pakid (clerk) who dealt with us patiently as we asked our scatter-brained, broken-Hebrew questions.

We are getting our bearings and things should go much more smoothly now. Netanel is in gan. I am meeting with people to secure employment. With God's help this will go smoothly and we'll be back on our feet soon.

That's all for now, but I hope to right more soon.

Later