בנשמה

It has been a busy week, and it is only Wednesday! With work starting here on Sundays, the rhythm is different and it takes a special shift of mindset. There's more excitement and anticipation leading towards Shabbat awaiting those days of rest.  We pre-ordered chopped liver that will be shipped to our house and learned of really helpful services that do not exist in Massachusetts. For example, other than what was just noted, there is a truck box of sorts that opens on Thursday and Friday. It is called...wait for it..."The Shabbos Store" where you can buy fresh kugels, chicken, chumus and herring with different flavors. The pizza store down the block from us we also learned offers free delivery and purchase of dough (this we plan to purchase in order to help reduce waste! Recycling is different here). Real kishke is also available in Israel and that no doubt will be a part of our chulent recipe come the winter (of the places we ate so far on Shabbat, chulent was ...

Husband here. So I would say the best word to describe transitioning from "vacation" mode to "living" mode is "weird". You learn a lot about a culture in how they handle the every day necessities of living life. Some of the weirder things that have happened in the past 7 days: 1. We had to buy a new refrigerator when moving in, as the Israeli custom is that rented units come without appliances. No big deal, our concierge helped us get that all set up prior to our arrival. One thing I couldn't figure out though was how to put the fridge into shabbat mode so that the lights don't turn on when you open the door. Thinking that it was just a combination of buttons to push, I called the appliance company to have them instruct me as to what to do. Ends up I need a technician to come out and set it up, which meant we couldn't use our refrigerator last shabbat (not a big deal as we were invited out for all of our meals). Anyway, this past Tuesday th...

Yesterday our lift arrived. It was amazing seeing such a huge container and consider the massive journey it went through overseas. As much as we were happy to see our belongings again, we felt slightly overwhelmed. We learned that less is more. A few observations: 1) The movers complained and argued for at least half an hour. I kid you not. They were upset by our three staircases and hot weather. We waited patiently for them to sort that out. In the end you have to tip and pay them extra (not sure why this isn't included in the $8,000 lift cost). They took all  of the cash Josh had available in his wallet. We might have been able to negotiate but really wanted to move on with our day and unload the boxes.  2) Do not pack baking sheets unless you are buying an American oven. While we could store the sheets for another point in time, it simply isn't worth it. Again, the question if we live like Americans in Israel or live here like Israelis. 3) Forget the paper...

Husband here. First of all, I must say that I am struggling with the proper way to identify my nationality. Am I Israeli? Aren't all Jews, "Israeli", on some level, being descendants of Jacob? "Israeli Citizen" works, but makes it very clear we are foreigners, which we also aren't. I'll keep working on it. Anyway, things are going about as smoothly as one could imagine and/or hope for from my perspective. There is A LOT of administrative stuff that has to happen, and even though we rented a car for two weeks, it seems like the various places we need to visit to establish ourselves here will stretch a bit beyond that. Things we haven't even started are getting our driver's licenses converted, changing our water bill (this can only be done at the "other" mall, for some reason), and probably a few other things that aren't critical or time sensitive. What are some of the things that have gone right so far? Top of the list is the ban...

After spending a very nice shabbat in Meitar, in Southern Israel, we decided to brave and test the real grocery shopping experience. Not worth it. Osher Ad, one of the largest chains was like a zoo. There must have been some very good deal on linens because that aisle, unlike the rest of the store, felt like a tornado had hit it. Here's what was surprising, to add onto the shopping etiquette (or lack thereof) - 1) The bananas are brown. A friend had warned me of this prior but I didn't want to believe her. 2) Hand soap isn't really sold with pumps. Rather just a basic cap. 3) There is no grape jelly. 4) We could not find raspberries or fresh strawberries. This is a travesty. 5) Regular elbow shaped noodles are huge. 6) Diapers are half the cost than what they are in America (score!) 7) There's tons of junk food. Everywhere. Since kosher options are lacking in the USA I actually feel that we are healthy compared to what we are seeing in the stores. 8) Yoplait ...

At least, I think it's day four. Hard to know with the heat. We woke up this morning and went to Jerusalem. We decided to take busses rather than the rental car. Goodness has the place changed! The entrance to the city is nothing like I remember, except for ear pops from pressure. I didn't see the welcome sign or army vehicles on the side of the road from when Jerusalem was occupied. There were vans with protection against rocks that were clearly in bad shape. Little Jewish children were escorted on. We made it to the kotel and there were so many different types of people. I/we felt extremely responsible for the children and not sure how my/our parents kept their cool in one of the largest epicenters of the world. As a single, I didn't care and could walk fast. With three kids, it was different. There was intense security and I never thought I'd see the day to tell our eldest "watch out for the gun" as a soldier dragged it by. He seemed amused. Watching ou...

Driving here is actually terrifying. Let's get that straight. This morning we signed up for a Rav Kav which is like a Metro or Charlie card. To get the first one is free, otherwise if you lose it, the cost (if I remember) is 10 Shekel. Getting it was very easy. You simply need your Teudat Zehut and Oleh card for everything. It's a little strange when compared to the United States. I'm not sure yet which system has it better, worse or it's just different. After that, we checked to sign up for Kindergarten. The lady wasn't there. We waited. Waited. And waited some more. In the end, we decided it best to send her an email and make a proper appointment. Have yet to receive a response. If you're not stressed for time, it isn't a big deal. In fact, it is interesting to see just how different these offices operate. A few things we've learned: 1) It's extremely helpful to know Hebrew in this country. While there are a lot of Americans, the government...

Full disclosure, not to expect that every day will have a post. Although that might be fun, like how I counted all the traffic circles that drove the husband crazy. Haha. But driving in Israel, lord, it'll be a while till I'll try it. Thankfully everyone slept last night. At 2 am we heard crying from our eldest, that he misses Sharon and a particular friend who will try to video later today when the hours match up. This stage is hard because while you do meet amazing neighbors, it's the kids who make new friends and then parents have what groups to connect to. We'll get there, it just takes time. We are taking it easy today. Enjoying the central ac in the house (one floor doesn't work). Later we might venture to Super Hatzlacha where we understand Snapple and other American products are available. Around 4 pm our time we will eat dinner by a friend and hopefully a playdate. Josh went to Rabbi Rosner's shul where people introduced themselves unlike the other s...

Not sure if it's day 1 or 2 but we had a very packed schedule. After eating breakfast, we rented a car. Keep in mind that you should bring your passport, driver's license and entry visa. We were not told this prior, but luckily the rental place is just down the block. The visit to the misrad hapnim was great. Our documents are super organized and they loved that. Take everything. From there we went to a bank to open up a joint account. The clerk told us he processed many new immigrant accounts (the day we arrived, there were 47 immigrants registered ahead of us - from Russia). It's really crazy that Israel pays people to move here. The clerk was also funny and found a way to open an account while I didn't have my new teudat zehut (it will come in the mail in three weeks). So far no road blocks. Israel also processes a biometric record of both pointer fingers. It wasn't entirely clear to me what they needed it for. Overall the Israeli process is more intense than t...

The plane went over Israel and the scenery didn't exactly look familiar. The kids said "there's Yerushalayim" and "I see our house in Beit Shemesh." It was so sweet to hear. Upon approaching the gate, the crew alerted us over the plane intercom that we have someone waiting for משפחת ווגל. We received VIP service to help us with our bags and went straight to the misrad haklita. A woman from Ukraine was really great and funny helping us through signing a bunch of papers. We chose to take a ride (covered by the Jewish Agency, I believe an aliyah perk). It was a wise decision to come right to the house. Kids didn't sit in car seats - רק בישראל. We had no issues retrieving our bags, rather disappointed that our sim cards did not work. Olim receive one free per family, so one phone is now hooked up but not mine. Luckily we have wifi. But this created a mix up since many numbers were on my p...

The door of 19 Pine road locks with keys inside. That's the moment it hit us. The magnitude of our decision and changes ahead. It was the strangest feeling to drive away. I realize what an exchange of stability we've created. But in time, hope we find our new normal.  As my mind wandered at Cafe Eilat with several bathroom trips (sorry, yes, but didn't need the medication I was given!), I was so thankful that two of my sisters drove up for the day. Not only did we really end up needing three cars for our luggage, but their encouragement, hugs and smiles reinforced the feeling of pride, ideals of the Jewish nation and that all will be ok. They didn't cry, upon my request, and hugged me as tears streamed as I continued to process the pros and cons.  Saying goodbye was definitely hard. But the emotion is very different, especially when you know there's support. I don't know where I'd be without my sisters. "Pave the way, find a job for us ...

"Mommy, who is Louis Brandeis?" I look at a poster in the synagogues social hall. Of the twenty or so, our son questions this one and I tell him "that's the place mommy worked at." " Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done .” Yep, our journey is very much like that.

Arrived in our mailbox just in time.

July 4th we visited my savta, who is roughly 93 years old. A survivor of the Holocaust, thanks to Oscar Schindler and the miracle of escaping Auschwitz twice, she saw the worst cruelty of man kind. When my father was young, and they couldn't leave Poland, the options were Israel or the United States. There were restrictions to leave after the war and permission to leave took years. One set of grandparents chose Israel and the other the USA (my parents were first cousins). Since my father passed away, my savta's memory declined rapidly. Sitting with her, she mostly spoke Polish, as my Uncle translated for us. She immediately recognized me and said my name, only to a few minutes later not know who I was, but that very first moment, I won't forget. We told her we are moving to Israel. She asked why. I told her it's the land of the Jews. She seemed unimpressed and told me there's enough people there already, they don't need me. A few minutes later she...

There's nothing like watching your 5 year old, sitting on the grass, as two Got Junk trucks haul away what once was your swing set, washer/dryer and planks of wood (never knew the past owner left them for us). It was the first time we looked at each other and nearly cried. When asking her what she thought her response was "wow! Those are big trucks" and "I'll miss Sharon." Then she skipped along. Independence. Every day we have been getting rid of one more thing that we were dependant on (or so we thought). How fitting that we experience that feeling going into July 4th. Watching the fireworks at the lake was spectacular. It was very much like a release, as friends joked that we are going out with a "bang." Sharon police had massive guns that I showed the children so that they recognize that in Israel, it's not unusual (they even put up road blocks and did not allow liquid into the area - - five years ago, at our first la...

Last night I got to thinking about empty chairs. The people who sat in them. The new makoms people look for and really that hard emotional feeling that tends to rip your heart out. It's the same way you can pass by a house of a friend who once lived there, and they are gone. We said goodbye to a Sharon congregant on his way to vacation this morning and in that shul row also sat a man who committed suicide (his unveiling is today - - we had no idea that he was in such  distress - - that was an awful oversight), another fighting cancer, one who swapped his seat due to aveilut, and an elderly gentleman who changed his seat for better comfort than sitting in a corner. And then there's my husband's seat. Next Monday, it will be empty and filled someplace else (with so many shul options in Beit Shemesh, not sure where). Emptiness is a hard feeling. It's different than missing someone. The people you miss you can contact, follow up with and while the friendship wo...

Ask our 7 (soon to be 8) year old son how he feels about moving to Israel and he raises his thumb to the middle. It's not up, neither down, but parve. As a member of an Aliyah 2019 group on WhatsApp, here and there the topic changes from how to apply to a visa to how to help children through such a huge transition. It's not easy. This past shabbat our son declared "I'm going to miss everything about this country." Pretty bold statement. But who can blame a child who has never been there? These reactions are what make us not cry, rather keep a healthy perspective in check . It is hard. Especially when others around you ask how everything is going and really, it's been good - so you smile, and walk past when you can to avoid anymore emotional talk. A few tips of what we have been doing to help the kids: 1) Limit screen time. Yes, it's hard with so much packing and rearranging that you can't have the TV as a babysitter. We got r...