In Praise of

I want you to know that I stopped everything I was doing at my law office to respond to your email immediately. That is how much I love Rabbi Weiss as a tour guide.
He really made our trip. We had been to Israel before the trip that we used him, and decided at the last minute that at least for one of the days that we were in Jerusalem that we should have a tour guide. We contacted him, and he Thank G-d was available, and he did something that I had never experienced with tour guides and that is to really understand the type of things that we had previously seen, what we wanted to see, what we were hoping to get out of the experience, and then he sat down to work, and crafted a very unique itinerary for us on some out of the way places that we never would have known about, or seen. It was amazing. Then on the trip, he was so pleasant and funny and personable, and really know his stuff. He is a true mentch. How many times can you get a rabbi that is a tour guide? He loves his job, and it really comes out. He really wants to make sure you have a great time, and appreciate Israel. I am very honored that he is using me as a reference. Go with him, you will not regret it.
Please forward any additional questions to me, and also, let me know how the trip was after you go with him.
All the best.
Brian Lebensburger
blebensbu@aol.com

We really appreciate all you did and for making our trip so enjoyable. Please feel free to use our name as a reference.
Leah and Harvey Paretzky
HarveyIP@aol.com

He’s a wonderful fun human being and bright, informed and interesting. We’ve known him for 20+ years. We toured with him primarily around Jerusalem. I’ve been to Israel almost 20 times and he still taught me a lot and kept my interest (and I’m a tough customer!).
Marty
shenkman@shenkmanlaw.com

Yoni and I had a wonderful time with you.
Shana Tova !
Michael Kram

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge of Jerusalem and Jewish history with the AACI February Pilot Trip group on Friday. It was an excellent way for us to finish off the day and begin Shabbat -- inspirational and interesting.
Wishing you all the best, and look forward to seeing you again.
B'vracha,
Ilene

I am now back home. I just wanted to write you to thank you for the wonderful and memorable day that you gave my family. Your help in choosing the sites to visit and your expertise were quite impressive. It was PERFECT for my family and their interests.I would be MORE than happy to talk to anyone that calls or emails me and I will gladly give you a glowing reference! The day with you was the highlight of the trip! Thank you for making our trip so much fun!
Best Regards,
C. Montrose
Chicago, IL

All five of us concur that we had a great time with you. We truly appreciate your efforts and valued your comraderie. Also please thank your wife for her warm welcome and the opportunity to meet at least some of your family.
A warm handshake,
Jeff

Thank you very much for the tour you gave us. It was excellent. My girls have been to Israel a few times and at Masada 2 or 3 times and they both said that your tour was the best. You showed and taught a lot more than they experienced before.
Mendel

Just wanted to say thank you. The family had a wonderful time yesterday and spoke super highly of you. They said they would recommend you in a second to anyone else.
so thank you!!!!
Leah

I had the most amazing time in Israel. I can definitely say that it left a huge impact on me that has changed my outlook on life.. So thank you so much. It definitely surpassed my expectations.
Regards,
Kaley

Got home safe and am back in the real world working. Thanks for everything. I had the best time ever and really learned a lot about myself.
Benny

I wanted to thank you again for a great trip, its something I will always remember.
I hope to stay in touch,
Jared

I wanted to tell you how pleased we all were while with you in Israel. The girls really had a great time and learned a lot. Looking forward to returning again in the near future.
Best regards,
Stephen Sugar

You made our trip very special.
Suzette Diamond

We wanted to thank you again for everything and want you to know that the kids said the best time they had in Israel was when they were touring with you. Thank you for helping to make the trip for us meaningful and fun.
All the best
Heather and Isaac Hagler

many many thanks for all you've been able to show us and teach us...pesach and yesterday.........it was truly a fullfilling day for both of us.........all the best to your family.......and you will be highly recommended on teaneckshuls..........till we surely will meet again........shabbat shalom.....
bob and evelyn

We had a GREAT time while we were with you in Israel. Thank you again for being our guide while we were there. Right from the get go of meeting you on that first Monday morning it confirmed our feelings that we made a great decision in taking Gingy's recommendation to use you as our guide. We have mentioned your name to a few friends already. Whether something comes of it or not - who knows. Only time will tell. Definitely feel free to use our name as a reference. Thanks again for being our guide.
We have many great memories of our ten days in Israel with lots of pictures to keep it fresh. All three of our children really enjoyed seeing Israel with you. Whether it was the first, second or even third time seeing a site they still learned something new.
As for Giselle and me - we're doing well also. We had a great time with you and look forward to our next trip to Israel.
Steve and Giselle Lander
Cleveland, Ohio

Thanks for helping us make our trip to Israel so great! We had an amazing
time & hope to be back soon!
Allison & Elliott

Larry and I are continuing to relive our Israel experience. It was great having you for a guide.
Betty Goldblatt

Thanks again for an amazing time in Israel...it was a truly life changing experience!
Ashley Sokol

Thank you again for the wonderful experience! You have changed my life forever. I will see you soon : )
Andrea Lederman

Thank you for showing us the state of Israel. It is so beautiful. I really miss everyone from our trip. Thank you for going above and beyond and welcoming us into your lovely home.
Josie Rosenbaum

We had fun, I learned a lot from you, and thanks for inviting us all for Hanukah, it was very nice. See you soon.
Robert Sedaghatpour

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, you really made our experience that much better . Hope to see you soon. Shalom.
Alberto Corkidi

Thanks again for taking us on a wonderful trip. Going on birthright was a truly life changing experience for me and I have tried to bring some of it with me in my life at home. And thanks again for welcoming us into you home. It was a great part of the trip to have Chanukah with your family.
Thanks again!
Sincerely, Brandy Graff

Thank you so much for your guiding us. Everyone had a great time.
The Sheffey Family

I just wanted to thank you once again for the most wonderful trip. I learned a lot, even though it was my fourth time.. the kids
had a great time and BH many kids (much more that usual) are signing
up for classes and coming for Shabbos. This was really one of my most
"eidel" groups. Thank you for you dedicated "avoida".
Yasher koach for everything and much hatzlocho in the Holy Land!
-Eli
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Rabbi Eli Gurevitz
Chabad on Campus
Serving the Tri-Co Community and beyond
670 Dayton Road
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
p. 610.525.8672 e. rabbielig@gmail.com
www.trichabad.org
Where every Jew is family

A road map can guide you around Israel, But a real guide can teach and educate you as to what you are seeing as you drive around Israel.If you want to learn and gain insights as to where you are, then no one is better than Mordechai Weiss. We loved our visit and your willingness to share your knowledge and views of what you observed in Israel. As regular visitors to Israel,and committed Jews, we wanted to gain some insights as to what was occurring today and where you thought Israel was going in the future.You did that with care and diplomacy, we all gained knowledge by listening to your commentary We loved our experiences with you. Thanks again.
Peter and Susan Kolben
Wayne, NJ

Rabbi Mordechai Weiss was my group's guide for 1 1/2 weeks. He was outstanding. Not only was he totally knowledgeable of all aspects of Jewish and Christian culture and history, but his pleasant, enthusiastic demeanor made our short stay in Israel even more meaningful. We were very fortunate to have him as our guide and I would recommend him to others wholeheartedly.
Dr. Ed Friedland

I recently returned from a trip to Israel together with a family from my community. We used Rabbi Mordechai Weiss as our tour guide, and I would highly recommend using him. We were a group of 14 people ranging from 1 years old to 80 years old and he did an amazing job both in planning appropriate places to visit as well as in keeping everyone’s interest throughout the trip. Mordechai was a pleasure to deal with, and as I was, the family I was with was extremely impressed with his knowledge, warmth and mentchlichkeit.
Rabbi Mendy Lewis
Old Tappan, New Jersey


We can not thank you enough for making our Jerusalem family trip a once-in-a-lifetime event!
Your insight and passion coupled with your vast knowledge and unmatched enthusiasm, made the tour experience deeply personal and meaningful for each member of our intrepid (and disparate) group!

I have already recommended you, and Melissa and I will tirelessly sing your praises to any and all who will listen. My mother thought you were compassionate, brilliant and kind, and Henry will certainly have many flattering stories to tell!

Melissa and I will always remember how you "were there" for Michaela when she developed her medical emergency, and how you handled my mother's mobility needs with a gentle and calm patience. We all thank you deeply for leading us, educating us and generally putting up with us!

Please share this humble note with any and all interested individuals. Todah rabah!
Sincerely yours,
Bruce R. Kastin, MD

I just wanted to thank you again on behalf of the Muhlrad- Schuster gang for showing us such a wonderful time, for your kindness, and for sharing your vast knowledge of the Holy Land with us . The trip was exceptional and we will never forget how we were able to see so much of the country in such a short time. All our friends and family who have inquired about our trip are surprised about how much we accomplished. We hope it won’t be long until our next visit and we will certainly keep in touch. Thank you again!
Rachel Shuster

We just got home and it's 5:20 AM Israeli time and I am exhausted, but I had to thank you for such a wonderful trip. I couldn't ask for a better guide. Not only were you incredibly knowledgeable on the cultural, religious, historical, political and geographic aspects of Israel, but your easy going temperament was delightful to be with.
I know the Pollners and the Schwartz's share my sentiments as well.
I will definitely recommend you to my friends as well as to my travel agent.
Israel is such a unique place and we will cherish our memories of our time spent there with you.
Thank you so much again for all you shared with us. I'll forward you some photos of all of us with you when they are ready.
Sandi & Mitchell


The politics, history, religion, & culture of Israel are unequaled. The places we saw, the people we met not to mention the food and the night life are without equal. For us, our own personal Rabbi brought it together in a way that made it even bigger and better. I wanted to thank you for the wonderful experience you gave us. We loved every minute of it. I will value my Kippa and my nourished membership in the Jewish community. I look forward to my next visit to Israel and my next visit with Mordechai.

Shalom
Mitchell

To be continued ...

I did it!

Not that I'm one to make excuses (usually), but I realize that it's been awhile since I've sent out a nice long juicy e-mail. I met a birdwatcher this past Sunday up in the Hula valley. She was keeping an eye on the 25,000 cranes who are there hanging out there until they make their way up north in a few weeks. She claims that neither animals nor humans are lazy (just smart!). Anyway, that would mean that my lack of communication would not be due to any laziness on my part. Yeah.

I guess the craziness began between Sukot and Chanukah. It was the usual stuff, plus dealing with our infant Menucha Rachel's whooping cough, making preparations for our son Mendel's Bar Mitzvah, when our community was struck with the tragic death of 4 of our children in a car accident, three of them 12 years old. In our entire community of 300 families, their were only 17 seventh graders to begin with. Now there are 14. I would like to say that it hit our family especially hard because of our closeness to the familie's who lost their children and because these were our son's very best friends, but everyone in our small close-knit community feels that way. Mendel's Bar Mitzvah, just one month after the deaths, was a rollercoaster of emotions. Ellie started to bawl like a baby when one of the mothers entered Shul during Mendel's Bar Mitzvah speach. What can I say? No words can describe the deep, deep pain we are all suffering as a result of this tragedy.

Ellie's father came from the States for the bar mitzvah, and then stayed on for our daughter's wedding. My mother flew in from Iowa and Moishy flew in as well for a too brief visit. Moishy needed to cut his trip short. His mother-in-law Neema Zazon of blessed memory, a very, very special person, passed away after battling cancer for years only a few hours after Moishy returned from his visit to Israel.

Enough with the bad news! The newlyweds are doing great. They are living in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Nachlaot. Our children Yaakov and Mazal are expecting their first this summer. (That was another story. Mazal required surgery last month, during the Jerusalem snow storm. Baruch Hashem, baruch Hashem all is thank G-d well. But it was a scary moment for us all). The kids are doing fine in school. Bat Sheva successfully completed her first 3 bagruyot. These are the SAT like exams all High School students are required to take in order to graduate. Only 18 more to go! Mendel is having a difficult time. Both the school and the community are providing special help for him and for the entire 7th grade class from Mitzpeh Yericho.

Two years ago, especially with the encouragement of my father-in-law, I started a tour guide course in order to receive a license from the Ministry of Tourism. It is a difficult course, hundreds of classroom hours studying history, archeaology, religions, geomorphology, etc. in addition to visiting hundreds of sights around the country for in-depth studying. The truth is, I loved it! It was a great course with really great lecturers, the best people in these fields and a real learning oppurtunity. Our class of 25 students, made up of old and young, religious and secular, Jewish and not Jewish, congealed into a close-knit group of very good and close friends. It was a wonderful experience, albeit challenging. Besides all the exams and material that had to be digested and internalized, there was also the issue of time, and about making a living until the course would end. Here and there I did some unofficial guiding and some part jobs. But two years is a long time, and we thankfully received much assistance from our friends. And so with the final exams from the Ministry of Tourism looming, I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The written exam, a very intense five hour exam, went well. I scored 94.5 the second highest mark in the course. In January, I took the even more difficult oral exam, and to the surprise of all, least of all myself, I failed. For almost one hour you are questioned by 4 examiners on everything under the sun. Crusader sights along the coast. Napoleon's invasion of 1799. Pagan Temple remains in Jerusalem. Instructions for entering the Dead Sea. In addition, you are required to present a 10 minute performance that you could give at a sight in Israel. I chose the Northern Palace of King Herod on Masada. Anyway, I flopped. My presentation was boring, and my answers were too bullet point; not enough depth.

If you fail the exam, you can retake it in 6 months. Absolutely no exceptions. Six months! I tossed and turned in my bed all night. My course director assured me that he would spend time with me to prepare for the next exam. In the meanwhile, I would lose out on the business I was hoping to generate before the summer.

The final set of exams in January were postponed due to the snow storm. On Tuesday February 12 (my birthday) my course director called to inform me that for his first time ever, he successfully appealed my exam and I could come back to take the oral exam again on the rescheduled day. For the exam, I dressed up as King Herod and performed for 10 minutes describing the Temple King Herod built. It wasn't boring. They loved it. The exam went great. I even knew abouut Muhammed's whisker which is kept in the Al-Jazzar Mosque in Akko. So now I am finally licensed. Full steam ahead!

More good news. Ever since making aliyah almost five years ago, with the encouragement of my good friend Adam Brown, I have sent out these regularly sent emails as a way to stay in touch with our close friends. Some of the fans of these emails have even suggested that I put it all together for a book. Easier said than done, but I found a co-publisher http://www.simchapublishing.com/copublishing.htm . The book is scheduled for distribution in the Spring of 2009. Among the nice things they wrote after reviewing my manuscript was; "I’ve read about half a dozen aliyah “diaries” over the last few years and I can say unequivocably that yours is one of the best I’ve ever read."

They will also handle all the marketing, which is crucial. The exposure should also be great for my tour guiding enterprise.

I am looking for a sponsor to dedicate book. Are you interested?

That's it for now. All our love. Please visit soon!

Mordechai

Family

What was it that my dear friend Daniel said to me years ago, that the definition of a dysfunctional family is any family which has at least two people in it!? Such a complex subject. Of course the mother of all family stories is the Bible itself; Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel, Noah and his sons, Abraham & Lot, Isaac & Ishmael, Jacob & Rachel, Dina & her brothers, Joseph & his brothers, Moses and Aaron, and of course the travels of the Children of Israel for 40 years in the desert before entering the Land of Israel. And that's just the tip of the iceberg from only the first five books of the Torah!

So why am I writing about family today? My parents, may they live to 120, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary yesterday. An attempt was made initially to somehow organize an appropiate celebration in honor of this once in a lifetime milestone. The thing is that we are 15 siblings, scattered throughout the United States and Israel. My parents live in Iowa. And so instead of having a party somehere on this globe, my brother Yaakov organized the next best thing, which was a surprise family conference call to our parents.

We actually have a family email group which helps us all stay in touch with each other, in addition to the weekly call to our parents. But to have all 17 of us simultaneously on the phone line was really something quite powerful. The phone call itself went on for over three hours. Each one of us shared our childhood memories and blessings to our parents, and theirs to us. I mean just think of it. Fifteen children. It's really something, and the moment spent together was very special.

So what's so complex, you ask. I am 22 years older than my youngest sibling. My oldest daughter is close to his age. The reality is that while we are one family, I am in fact a lot closer to some of my siblings than to others. Cosidering that I also left home to study out of town at the young age of 14, you can understand to some extent the impact of that.

The thing is though, that when we speak to each other through the family, as we did last night, the family as a whole filters out those differences. That was the beauty of the phone call, almost like a group therapy session. Maybe that's what it was! The true beauty of family is this ability to retain your unique identity and yet communicate and relate with someone else who may be very different from you. Maybe you are even angry or have issues with one or more in the group, but as a family together sharing the love and common bond which we have, the differences can be spoken about with an air of respect.

My family, quite a large one, can be a microcosm of the global family at large. When we truly internalize that with all our differences, we are all at the end of the day part of the one family of G-d, only then will we too be able to relate to each other not with warfare, but in peace.

Mazal tov Mommy and Daddy.

From the Mouths of Babes

Before making aliyah, my wife and I attended weekly Ulpan classes offered by our local Jewish Federation. And just in case you're wondering as to whether or not those infamous Ulpan classes really help much, you'll need to ask my wife (in English). My instructor was Ishai Ron. In Israel he practiced Law. He was in the United States on one of those temporary missions from Israel, together with his wife and their 10 year old daughter.

At our very first lecture, our class translated and discussed the meaning of Israel's National Anthem, the Hatikva. When Ishai brought up the "Post-Zionism" argument as to why the Hatikva , a song which expresses the yearnings and hope for the establishment of a Jewish State, would seem to be in our day and age, after the establishment of the State, "out of date", I kind of sensed as to where Ishai's leanings were coming from. Undeterred, I invited Ishai with his family to join us for a Shabbat dinner. He graciously accepted, and despite any apprehensions we both might of had initially, in the end we all enjoyed a wonderful family evening together and became the best of friends.

Over time, our relationship only strengthened, the Lubavitcher chassid and the Israeli kibbutznik. I enjoyed family visits to his home in Fair Lawn, and I even had the honor of taking Ishai to his very first NY Yankees game at Yankee stadium in the Bronx. When it was time for Ishai to return back to Israel, he informed me of his decision to commence studies for the Reform Rabbinate upon his return to Israel. His hope was that with this way he would be able to reach out to the secular Israeli.

I am reminded of the time I took my good friend and study partner, Rabbi Bruce Block of Temple Sinai in Tenafly, to visit the Lubavithcher Rebbe ob"m. I remember the impact of the Rebbe's words to Rabbi Block. After being introduced to the Rebbe, the Rebbe blessed Rabbi Block with the words, "to use your influence to bring Jews closer to Judaism."

So now, five years later, this is exactly what my friend Ishai is striving to do. We have stayed in contact all throughout this time. I recently attended his ordination in Jerusalem. Before the ceremony, he introduced me to his Rabbinic sponsor, and said to him half jokingly that I was the one in fact to blame for the decision of his to enter thr Rabbinate.

It was what Ishai said to me next that really touched me. We were reminiscing about when we first met. Ishai recalled how during that very first Shabbat dinner with our family, he heard from my 10 year old daughter Bat-Sheva her 'dvar torah' presentation she had learned in school, based on a teaching from the Ethics of our Fathers, " To judge every person in a favorable light".

That teaching made such a strong and everlasting impression upon him that he chose it as his life motto for his ordination.

One Of Our Children Has Died

One of the most unnatural events in this world is the death of one's child. You are born, you age, you die. King Solomon himself declares in the Book of Ecclesiastes; "Everything has its season, and there is a time for everything under the heaven: A time to be born and a time to die". We marvel at the beauty of springtime even knowing that the trees will be bare come winter. We mourn upon the death of one's parent even as we know that death is part of nature. It is natural to bury one's parents after they die. It is unnatural to have to bury one of your children.

I have been asked countless times over the past four years why I decided to move to the community I reside in. I live on a "Yishuv" in Israel. The very first time I visited my Yishuv was when I was vacationing with my wife and children. It was during the heat of the summer. We stayed over in the Yishuv for a few days. We had visited many places in Israel, but this was our very first experience with a Yishuv. Something clicked. My wife and I both commented to each other at the time that if we were ever to decide to live in Israel, this would be the place we would choose to make our home. There were a number of reasons for this, but the overall feeling was that this would be a really great place to raise our children. There was something about the attitude of the people, something about the atmosphere of the Yishuv, that you could just sense how precious and important the children were.

A few years later we did in fact move here and have not been disappointed from our original impression. In fact, this feeling has only strengthened over time. After living here for even a brief time, it begins to sink in that every single child living on the Yishuv is considered exactly like one of your very own. People treat and care for their neighbor's children in the same exact way they treat and care for their own. This is not an exageration. And so therefore it's no wonder that at any given time on any given day, your child can be found in any number of homes around the Yishuv while at the same time any given number of neighborhood children can be found in yours. That is life on a Yishuv. The Yishuv is one of the most "children-friendly" places you could ever imagine living in. During the week, you are constantly picking up in your car neighborhood kids on the street who need a lift somewhere. I get a real kick on Friday night, mostly before dinner is over, when the parade of children into our home begins with the first knock of the evening at the door and the chorus of response from the house "ken!" (yes) and the first friend of many more to follow enters. You lose something in the transalation. Eventually a group of kids will congregate outside our home, making enough noise to disturb someone's peace.That's how it is here.

At this time every year, a few weeks before Chanukah, the streets of the Yishuv are filled with the sounds of our children busy preparing for the annual youth groups presentation. For weeks, almost every night, children are preparing dances and acrobatics and all kinds of presentations that will culminate at the grand outdoor presentation after the conclusion of Shabbat. The preparations themselves are really something that enlighten your heart to watch and listen to.

But this year, the sounds of preparation have been silenced.

Life on our Yishuv also means "tremping", hitchhiking back and forth to school or to work or to wherever. Everyone does it, adults, kids. It's just a part of life here. A few days ago, a couple of kids, 12-13 year olds, were on their way home from school. They were only a few minutes away from home when their car crashed on the slippery road, killing three of the kids and the driver and seriously injuring a fourth.

In a single moment, four of our children, two of them brothers, were killed.

It would be so easy to just say that the entire community is in mourning. Not one, but four of our children have died. The wound is still so fresh. One of the parents had rushed to the accident scene to help, not realizing that his very own child was there laying dead on the highway. How can you possibly describe the sadness? Parents in mourning. Grand-parents, siblings, friends. Our children! The tears flow wherever you go. In the homes of the mourners. On the streets. In the schools. In the aisles of the local food store. Everywhere. You see groups of children, of all ages, walking from house of mourning to house of mourning. The flow of people into our neighbor's home is non-stop. We are not all sitting shiva, but we are all in mourning over the loss of our children.

I also have a 12 year old son. These were his best friends. They were in our house, he was in theirs. They went to school together, played basketball together, went to karate together, played Risk together, and were preparing for the big outdoor presentation together. But the presentation has been postponed. So has my 4 year old's birthay party. How can you have a party, how can there be a presentation when we are all in mourning and some of the performers have died? We are relative newcomers here. How many friends already does my son have here?

My 10 year old son saw a bus this morning on our way to school. We had travelled by bus to the cemetery for the four funerals. That was a long day. My son upon seeing the bus wanted to know whose funeral it was today. My 8 year old daughter asks whether or not they know for sure that our neighbor's child is really dead. My four year old daughter spoke about the death of her brother's friend to her pre-school teacher.

The social workers here, the psychologists, the school, all have there hands full. As if they weren't busy enough until now. And they will be plenty busy for quite some time. Wherever you turn on the Yishuv, there is another sign posted directing you to another home of mourning.

I ask myself how it is that rain, something we pray for so much, could also somehow, someway, sometimes be a part of something so tragic. It's as we say, that we want rain, but that it should come in the right way, in the way that it will be a source of blessing. For me personally, what comes to mind is the statement in the Ethics of our Fathers; "You are forced to Live". I, like the rest of my family and community right now, feel such a heavy load upon us. It's in the air. You can cut it with a knife. We are all forcing ourselves to live on, to somehow lend some comfort to the parents and families of those who are in mourning over this tragic, tragic loss.

Only with G-d's help do we have the necessary strength to succeed.

Mordechai Weiss
Mitzpeh Yericho

Why did you move to Israel?

There is a unique phenomena that many Jewish American tourists experience when they visit Israel. Inevitably, some Israeli, either the tour guide, a family member or a complete stranger will spring upon you “the” question. “Why don’t you come and live in Israel?”
On the surface, the question seems to be innocent enough, even endearing. After all, isn’t living in Israel the fulfillment of a dream the Jewish Nation has dreamt about for thousands of years? But considering all the security and economic hardships Israelis endure, the question could be rephrased, “Why don’t you come and suffer along with us?” It’s no secret that hundreds of thousands of Israelis have left Israel due to its hardships, and more would surely follow if only they could.
What makes “the” question even more interesting is its uniqueness to Israel. I resided in the United States for 45 years. I was born there, my children were born there, my parents, my wife, my grandmother. It’s a wonderful, wonderful country. In America I enjoyed unbridled religious freedom and great opportunities for employment. And yet, not ever did it dawn on me to encourage a visitor to my country to immigrate.
If America is the melting pot then Israel is the family pot. Which other country in the world can claim that practically all of its citizens are blood relatives. The Jewish People are all the children of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel. That alone entitles you to citizenship in Israel. Even our enemies are cousins.
And so when an Israeli asks “the” question, it’s similar to when your mother asks you to live close by together with the rest of the family. Sure it may be more difficult with special challenges to face, with more intra-family disputes to contend with, but at least you’ll be with the family!
If there is one thing that I can claim some expertise in it’s family dynamics. Being the oldest of 15 children and having 12 myself is lots of family experience. Coming up to half a century, I am son, father, husband, grandfather, uncle, nephew, cousin, son-in-law, father-in-law and more, besides having been a first grandson as well. I’ve observed from up close marriage, divorce, re-marriage, birth, death, sibling rivalry, celebrations, tragedies, rifts, relocations, mother-daughter relationship and much more.
Life in Israel is all about getting along with your extended family. I live in Mitzpeh Yericho, a lovely community of about 300 families. We enjoy spectacular vistas of the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea. One of the number of reasons we decided to call this place home is its close proximity to Jerusalem and the affordability of real estate. It was while vacationing here a number of years ago that my wife and I, as we observed the ancient Bedouin shepherd ritual of tending to their flocks of goat and sheep, that we commented that if we were ever to move to Israel, this would be the place where we would live. In our eyes, this was Israel.
On the occasion of our first anniversary here, I emailed the following to my friends: My wife and I can still recall vividly our very first day of living in Israel. After the exhilarating group flight of Olim with Nefesh B’Nefesh and our reception at Ben Gurion airport, all 11 of us with our 40 pieces of luggage herded into two awaiting vans to transport us to our new home in Mitzpeh Yericho.
It was a blazing hot summer day. Mitzpeh Yericho has two seasons, summer and Hell. The mid-day desert sun was blasting at full force. We were all totally wasted from our very long journey. As we alighted from the vans in front of our still under construction new home, all we could see was sand, sun and sky. It was like entering the twilight zone. Goodbye civilization (Teaneck, New Jersey), hello Mitzpeh.
No sooner had we crossed the threshold that our new neighbor Akiva arrived with a cluster of grapes he had grown in his backyard. On his footsteps were the rest of the curious neighbors with food in tow, coming to meet the American family who had decided to join them in the midst of the Intifada. By the next day, our younger children had already made a bunch of friends. From early morn’ till after dusk, we hardly saw them as they quickly acclimated to our new lifestyle. So is life on a Yishuv. It was a lot easier for our younger children than it was for our teenagers. Summer was fun, even before the swimming pool was completed, but school would soon begin.
For the first few weeks we did without sinks, closets and appliances. It was all part of the adventure. We loved both the big and the little things you experience in Israel, such as Mezuzahs on the doorposts of the stores in the mall and giving birth in a Jewish hospital or the extra half-liter of soda you receive free in honor of the holidays. Nothing can compare to celebrating the holidays in Israel.
Our first year involved great adjustment. It was a year of great joy, with the birth of our second grandchild and subsequent birth of a daughter three days later. It was a year of sorrow, following the death of my wife’s mother, of blessed memory. At times it was fearful, especially following terrorist attacks in neighborhoods frequented by our children.
But we are finally home. We love our community and have been welcomed with open arms. My wife is finally able to force the words “I live in Israel” out of her mouth. In our neighbors’ eyes, we will always be “the Americans”. At least we now have a child who will not have to take Ulpan.
You come to Israel for one reason, but stay for another.

What a country!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV6K08RFRQs