בנשמה

Seven days to go. We spent the morning doing a test pack. What's that you say? Mostly a step to make sure we could fit what's left into eight bags (even though we are allowed fifteen - - but that's insane). We threw out what we didn't need and narrowed down even more. Took photos of things we wanted to remember. The test pack idea was brilliant. This included making sure everything would fit into the cars taking us to the airport. My job was to make sure we could live a month without many of the usual things. Today was hubby territory. I would recommend to couples making aliyah to consider this step. Time feels a bit more rushed and precious. What we are doing surreal, exciting and crazy. Somehow in a day we also snuck in one playdate at a home front lake, pool time, Kupels bakery with friends from Malden, then to the dollar store to pick up coloring books and a flying helicopter toy that ended up being a disaster. Shabbat we had guests, very close...

I joined Brandeis 7 years ago and overtime I've seen 45 colleagues come and go. I never thought the day would arrive when I'd join that list. But on occasion I wondered when the time would come and under what conditions. This morning, I drove over for a farewell. The excitement over our move was felt in the halls but sadness too, as it marked the end of a chapter and entering another. As my boss said "if it were for any other reason, Tamar, I'd be angry." Since I don't want to forget the kind words shared with me, I'll post them here: "I wish you and your family all good wishes. You are a truly talented woman and a joy to know. Thank you for all of your help over the past few years. It has certainly been a great  pleasure to work with you. May you have the best of everything."- Lydia A. "BNC will miss you. You have advanced us a long way on the technology path and have taught many of us older members to be comfortable with n...

It's been calm. Really, I promise. After spending the weekend in West Hampton, we are excited to find quick davening in Israel. We returned home to take apart the swing set which for me was bittersweet. I was told by our sweet girlie not to cry. Of course when it concluded she was upset she had nothing to play with outside and asked for chalk. Crisis averted. Last night the kids spent time helping me fill up a suitcase with tuna packets (lighter than cans), cheese its (nope, cheetoes are not the same), brownie mixes (they cost $1 a box at Walmart!) and rolled up a variety of ziplock sandwich/gallon bags. I also purchased reusable sandwich boxes that I hope will cut down on waste. Sounds smart. We'll see how that turns out. We are ordering appliances today and hoping that on Wednesday our beds in Israel will be shipped (or is that next Wednesday?) Currently weighing our luggage to not exceed 50 pounds 👍 So far so good.

Saying goodbye is hard. My mom would share stories how when she came from Israel to the United States in the 1970's she had three suitcases to start a new life and didn't speak English. Becoming a citizen was a journey and dealing with government issues...not seeing family... not fun. A few reflections on what we've felt and done contrary to "not your mama's aliyah." 1) Accessibility - We have been in touch with a concierge service tamarimconcierge.com that helps select all appliances in advance, stock your fridge, get high speed internet up and running. This is something new and from what I understand there are now simcha services that will help organize bar and bat mitzvahs for US clients visiting Israel. Brilliant. We will see how this goes. But who wants to arrive to Israel and then shop for appliances, schlep around and deal with those nuances? Here's to hoping it's as good as it sounds! So far, they've been helpful and I'd recommend t...

Husband here. We are about three weeks from our aliyah date and things are finally starting to coalesce. Nefesh B'Nefesh has a timeline  of how you are supposed to plan your aliyah, but it is pretty bare bones (IMO) so I thought I would help and elaborate on a bunch of the things that have to get done. Our timeline went something like this: December 2018 (7 months before Aliyah): 1. Decide to make aliyah. I'd have to read back in some of the archives of this blog to see what my wife had written, but it was pretty much a spur of the moment decision to make aliyah in Summer 2019. A lot of things (some social, some financial) all came together to just make it the right thing to do. Feel free to plan for a longer period of time though. Some people need that. 2. Do some timing. The major question here is whether you are going to go early in the summer or late in the summer. If you're going to be looking for a job, go earlier in the summer, so that you have time to get se...

Today was a busy day!  The lift company we decided to go with was Strand. They sent three men, the one in charge Italian. Walter became an American citizen 5 years ago and lives in NY. He's never visited Israel even though he packs so many families up. We had many nice discussions about being flexible, going for the adventure, that the only people that can't complain to you are dead (and those are your best friends - - I have to think more about that one). He loved our two month old baby and FaceTimed his family to see him. Walter wants to return to Italy but his wife doesn't want to - - their daughter living on the third floor in the same apartment building. He lives in a family owned apartment of some sort. Oh and he thinks America wants to rule the world like Nazi Germany spreading democracy (that was interesting). But it's not Trumps fault.  Overall, fascinating conversation.  Buy the movers water bottles. Walter was a talker and made the day much more en...

Shavuot gave us somewhat of a nice break. Tomorrow the movers come. Our house looks like a blizzard hit it. There are zones for what's going and what's staying. The big Amazon shopping spree was completed. We purchased more folding chairs from Costco (an "I wish I brought" friend who made aliyah hasn't found nice folding chairs in Israel) as well as plastic wrap, press and seal, Ibuprofen, allergy medication, foil and garbage bags. In time we will identify the new brands that we like. From Walmart (#willmiss) we got Oral B toothbrushes, batteries, toothpaste, clothing for the kids, brand new tupperware, lunch boxes, plastic bins to pack things I'd like to know what they are/protect. I also picked up baggie twists from the grocery store since I was warned they are non existent in Israel (ziplock bags can be expensive so people buy open ended bags and then I suppose that's where the twists come handy - - so I bought reusable sandwich boxes, just in case)...

Today we sold Cool Runnings, my beloved 2009 black Honda CRV. When we decided to move to Boston ten years ago, having all wheel drive was a must. We packed items in that car to move to and from Malden. Visited the Catskills, Teaneck Nj, Sesame Place, Maryland, Maine numerous times. The trunk was amazing and bh fit three children. It was the largest first check we ever wrote out as a couple and I still remember shvitzing in the car dealership. "It still hasn't sinked in," Josh says. We wished good health to its new owners. And no, I didn't watch the car drive away. Peace be the way, our four wheel vehicle. Thank you for helping us get places. Now onward to handle Elan the Elantra.

This past Sunday was really nice. Though it took forever to get out of the house (due to taking out to the street 10 cans of paint - - see ya!) we made it to the park and afterwards went to ice cream. As we enjoyed what may be the last of Cresent Ridge in Sharon, a bunch of our friends showed up impromptu style. I love when that happens. Watching babies we have seen born crawling on the grass, friends sharing their summer plans and running around, was a special moment. "Do you want a party?" one asked? "No, I'm afraid I'll cry," I reply. In this hour or two sipping my mint chocolate chip shake, I couldn't help but wonder if this type of moment will happen for us in Beit a Shemesh (not that it happens often in Sharon - - except for when you go to the lake). Do people knock on your door or walk in just to hang out in Israel? Will I find myself at a local restaurant and a group of friends will join our table? How often will we get to see our friends in ...