בנשמה

Probably mentioned this before, but every summer Israel pretty much shuts down camps and smaller children programs,  making vacation a must. For those who don't get out, day trips often happen instead. If not that, then camp Saba and Savta or the older kids take care of the younger ones. Luckily, in Beit Shemesh, we have a camp that goes till almost the last week of August. Israelis claim it is rather a costly camp,  but we still have not sprung out of the dollar to shekel translations in our head. We probably should. Anyhow, this year we booked a vacation right after Pessach (if you don't do this early, things book up solid) with friends visiting from Fairlawn Nj. We decided to stay at Tzipori Village, a tzimmer in the Galil. Tzipori is a very cute area. Loads of trees. Grass. The village cottages for guests was built 30 years ago by an Oleh from Brooklyn. His dog Robert is cute. The cottages are two floors. The main floor has one bedroom,  powder...

Our 10-year-old son claimed one Shabbat day: When I get married, I will buy land in Even Shmuel and build a huge house there. Drive around in my Tesla and live the dream.  This yishuv, comprised of 250 families, is sometimes found on the oleh list. Its Ulpana for girls is one that is sought out in the country. There are approximately 45 Anglo families with the rest of the yishuv being Taimani or Sephardi. Indeed, the houses are beautiful there, ranging in different sizes. Some even have inground pools and others above ground. The yishuv also has a library and pizza store -- think heard falafel as well, but unclear. Other than that, as we sat outside in the yard, we realized the difference between cities that offer amenities and living in such a remote area. One couple that we met over the recent Shabbat stay shared that when they made aliyah 7 years ago, they landed in Ramat Beit Shemesh -- it was unclear if they first rented in Dolev, Shiloh and bought a house in Ganei Ha'Elah. Th...