05.18.08
Posted in New Israel Articles, Articles at 12:33 pm by Laura
I always wanted to go to the Haritun Cave. A natural wonder located right in Gush Etzion’s Tekoa, it is the largest cave in the Middle East. With all the opportunities I have had over the six years since I’m here, it somehow just never worked out. So when I heard that a group was organizing a trip to Herodium and the Haritun Cave, I jumped at the opportunity.
There’s nothing like going on a trip that someone else organizes. The fact that this trip was planned for singles and young couples did not daunt me in the slightest. While I am not single, and ‘young’ is even questionable, I thought I’d pair myself with my 18 year old daughter Shira, our average age definitely pulling us into the ‘young couple’ category; well sort of. And so, joining the 35 singles and young couples, I was able to reclaim my youth for the day… Read the rest of this entry »
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04.10.08
Posted in New Israel Articles, Articles, Journal II at 10:29 am by Laura
I can’t resist a challenge. When it comes to something I wouldn’t even dream of volunteering for, why is it that if someone asks me if I can do it, it becomes a challenge? With my ego at stake, my mouth can’t help but say yes, while my brain is shouting, NO!!!
Such was the case when my son’s 8th grade teacher told me about a planned reenactment of the Exodus story before Passover. Set to begin at the ridiculous hour of 4:00 AM the following Tuesday, they were arranging to have some parents first tell the stories of their personal “exodus” – their Aliyah - and would I consider telling my story? In fact, they weren’t even sure that the event would take place, or that I would be ultimately approved for the task. They were just wondering, in theory, if I would consider it.
Well, far be it for me to be the one to refuse. Figuring it was unlikely to come to be, and not really thinking beyond that moment of gratification (”they picked me!”), I said yes.
Within a few days, the reality created by uttering that simple word hit me like a ton of bricks. The Exodus event was indeed going along as planned, and they all agreed that I should tell my story. My stomach went on a roller coaster ride as they confirmed the date with me – and told me that I should plan on speaking for a half hour! Certain I had misunderstood, after all, at 4 AM, who will have that attention span? (Myself included!) Most importantly, how in the world was I to speak continuously for a half hour IN HEBREW??? But no, a half hour was what they meant. Not wanting to sound like I thought I was incapable (read: not wanting to be honest!) I said sure, no problem. Then I freaked out.
With only a few days to prepare, I dove into it, Hebrew dictionary in hand. After all, this is my story, how difficult could it be to tell it? Of course, I needed to know my audience – and I did not. With all the public speaking I’ve done, I’d never spoken to a group with any of these criteria: born in Israel, kids, or Hebrew speakers; and this group was all three!
With my notes written up in a mix of Hebrew and English (I had to make sure I understood what I was saying!) I prepared for a long night. At 4:00 AM Eitan and I drove to the community center where the school was meeting. It was a cold, dark, misty night; a perfect setting for a creepy movie – or a reenactment of the Exodus, I suppose.
When we arrived, I searched in the dark for Eitan’s teachers, Baruch and Hila, among all the sleep-deprived parents milling about with their kids. It’s amazing how every woman looked like Hila in the dark! But Hila herself, I could not find.
Finally the kids spread out in a somewhat disorganized fashion, and parents began telling their tales to select groups. By the time I found Eitan’s teachers, the stories were mostly told and they were beginning to line up for the hike. Baruch asked me how long I was planning on speaking. I thought he was joking, since they clearly asked for a half hour. Thinking he must now be regretting that plan, I offered to speak for 5 or 10 minutes, since they obviously no longer had time for more than that anyway. Baruch wouldn’t hear of that – he said he didn’t want to waste this opportunity, and would I mind coming to their class on Wednesday to give my story “the attention it deserves”?
I was shocked – but (of course) I said yes. Anyway, it would have been a nightmare trying to read my notes in the dark, and a worse nightmare to try and speak without my notes. I was more than happy to put off what I was terrified to do!
Of course, it could not be put off forever. On Wednesday I arrived at my son’s school, basically shaking in my shoes, thinking of all the things that could go wrong: I won’t be able to put sentences together, the kids will be totally bored, I’ll use the wrong words to a disastrous result; The sky was the limit to all the potential calamities!
Finally, I began. No, I did not suddenly find my inner-Hebrew speaker and speak fluently without a hitch. There were plenty of hitches. But somehow I spoke well enough. I made sentences that more or less made sense. And most importantly, the kids were totally with me! From the beginning, till the very end, - nearly 40 minutes later! – the kids were attentive, participated, asked questions, and seemed to really get something out of it.
I spoke to the kids about the challenges and the rewards of making Aliyah. I spoke about the different kinds of Aliyah: that made by people escaping oppression vs. the phenomenon of Western Aliyah, of people leaving behind great lives to live in the Land of Israel. I spoke of the expectations of Aliyah and the subsequent realities that take their place. Most of all, I spoke from my heart, and I spoke from my soul. My Hebrew was far from perfect, I stuttered and stammered and I threw in lots of English words. But when I was done I was certain of one thing: They got it.
At the end, Baruch asked me if I had a final message I wished to leave them with. That was easy: After 2000 years we’ve been given the opportunity to return to Israel, a challenge embraced by many. But these boys, all except Eitan, were born in Israel. They must always appreciate what a tremendous privilege this is and never, for even a moment, take for granted that they live where for so many others, for so many years, it has been but a dream.
The enthusiastic applause from every boy told me everything I needed to know.
© 2008, Laura Ben-David write to: laura@aliyahbook.com
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Laura Ben-David began writing when she made Aliyah in 2002, and hasn’t stopped. She is the author of MOVING UP: An Aliyah Journal (Mazo Publishers), the entertaining Aliyah chronicle.
For more stories go to Movin’ On Up! – the Aliyah blog.
Click to be on Aliyah Journal mailing list.
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03.18.08
Posted in New Israel Articles, Articles at 9:21 am by Laura
With the focus on the region of Sderot lately, dozens of wonderful campaigns have cropped up to support the people physically, economically and emotionally. People are sending thousands of Purim treats to the region, while thousands of others have bought Purim treats from the region to give to others. With the Purim treat market covered, and the main focus being the city of Sderot itself, our mayor, Shaul Goldstein, thought to do something different. So he coordinated a Shabbat at a kibbutz in the region; a secular kibbutz. While I admit that I was a bit surprised, after being assured that there was a synagogue and the food would be kosher, Lawrence and I presented it to the kids as a fait accompli. I was taken aback when my sons said they did not want to go. But kids, I countered, we are doing a great thing going to support people who have been under a barrage of kassam attacks!
And why exactly, responded my son, would we want to go someplace that has been under a barrage of kassam attacks?
He had a good point. I tried to explain that safety would be of the utmost concern, and the mayor would not be bringing his citizens to danger. Deep down I wondered as well, but in the end, four out of five of my kids agreed to come along. We were going to Kibbutz Miflasim for Shabbat.
Driving there, we passed Sapir College in Sderot. I pointed it out to my kids as the place where the most recent kassam casualty, a student at the college, had been killed. At about that point, we noticed the surveillance balloon, floating high overhead and realized just how close we were to the Gaza Strip.
With just minutes to spare before Shabbat, we pulled into the kibbutz parking lot. We were hurriedly shown to our little guest house. It was, um, there. At least there was a clean toilet. The kids’ room consisted of four, fairly flat mattresses on the floor, and our room had a bed and a closet. We set up the rooms with the bedding we brought (and had nearly left at home! Thank G-d we remembered!) By the time we were done, those mattresses on the floor actually looked inviting.
Friday night, after synagogue services, we all met in the dining room. “We” consisting of a wide demographic variety. There were those of us religious Zionist families from Gush Etzion, around 20 secular, left-leaning kibbutz members, plus 15 American men on a Jewish Federation mission from Metro West, New Jersey. We were an interesting mix.
At dinner they seated each family with a couple of men from New Jersey. The men were amazed at the story of our Aliyah. We were amazed that they’d all left their wives behind for this trip. What did we all have in common? Well, we were all Jewish. And we were all there. And that, it seemed, was where our commonalities ended. That may be so, but it was enough; we were all there because of love for our fellow Jew, a love of Israel, and perhaps a spirit for adventure.
After dinner, my family beckoned me to ditch the activities, since the American group had left, and the proceedings would be entirely in Hebrew. However, as a big fan of dessert, I had to wait until I had eaten mine. Dessert went along with a Hebrew activity, so Shira and Lawrence lingered with me, while the boys returned to the guest house. In a move highly reminiscent of childhood birthday games, we were told to circulate the room until we were with strangers. Lawrence, Shira and I stuck to each other like glue, but we still managed to find some strangers. Than we sat down with our new companions and began to introduce ourselves – in Hebrew of course.
Two of the people were husband and wife, he being the only religious person on the whole kibbutz, and she being entirely secular. We were somewhat stunned as she described how she had always voted (left-wing) Meretz, and had strongly supported the expulsion of the Jews from Gaza. Living in such a homogenous society as I do, I sometimes take it for granted that people see things the way I do (i.e. not that way). She then further astounded us when she said that her entire outlook changed when the first kassam rockets fell. Until that time they could maintain the illusion that peace was on its way. Now they have no such illusions. Her perspective and her candor were truly eye-opening for us. By the end of the evening we were fast friends.
On our Saturday walking tour, as we strolled through the tall grasses and wildflowers, it occurred to me that I had no idea what would we do in the event of incoming kassams while we were walking. Then I realized that we had no idea what to do in case of incoming kassams even while on the kibbutz. I’m still not sure if its that the kibbutz is targeted less, as it is so small compared to the vast rolling hills all around, or that it is targeted less because it is not a major population center or if they simply neglected to mention it.
Our tour took us to the Black Arrow memorial, which commemorates the daring actions the Israeli soldiers took in the mid 1950’s in an effort to halt terrorist acts from the Gaza Strip - then under Egyptian rule - and from the West Bank - then held by the Jordanians. From the Black Arrow we could see an incredible panoramic view of the coastal cities, from the southern tip of Gaza on up to Ashkelon. I noticed the smokestacks in Ashkelon, a landmark that is visible more than an hour away, and a kilometer higher, in my hometown of Neve Daniel. It reminded me how small Israel really is, and how no one is ever really too far away from anything.
Our tour guide at the site was a feisty man in his 70’s. He could remember when people of the kibbutzim in the area would shop at the shuk in Gaza; when the Gazans and Israelis would give each other rides home; when Arabs from Gaza would visit his kibbutz and the men would great each other with hugs before sitting down to a cup of coffee together. Now the children of those men would look upon each other with deep suspicion at best, through their gun sights at worst. The people of the region seemed to share a profound disappointment at the turn of events. They had truly believed that peace was but a few parcels of land away, and their convictions had been utterly shattered. At the same time, we did not see despair. The people were filled with hope; hope that strong leaders will rise and make a change; hope that together we can make a brighter future.
We gained tremendously that weekend. While our purpose in going was to give to the people there, I think we got a lot more than we gave. From the cultural, religious and political melting pot that was our Shabbat, to the deepening of our understanding of the people in the region. We came out of that Shabbat with new friends, new hopes and a newfound appreciation for the differences in people that make each one unique. Not to mention that every one of us – boys included - had a lot of fun.
© 2008, Laura Ben-David
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03.14.08
Posted in Journal II at 3:10 pm by Laura
My bubble has been burst. The other day I got a ticket for not yet having my seat belt on. (I was just about to put it on, honest!) I stoically endured the shame of it, as I waited for that inevitable ‘only in Israel’ punch line to occur. Like, perhaps the police officer would choose not to mar my upcoming Sabbath with a ticket, and let me off with a gentle reminder that my safety was his ultimate concern. No such luck. He gave me the ticket, and when, in my last ditch effort that I meekly uttered ‘Shabbat shalom’ to him, he looked sharply back at me in surprise as if I’d insulted him. I was crushed.
On the drive back home I pondered the meaning of this. I came up with this: I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, I was caught, and I need to pay. The cop was doing his job. Yep, they do that in this country too :-)
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03.10.08
Posted in New Israel Articles, Articles at 4:45 am by Laura
By Laura Ben-David
The following was my response to the tragedy at Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav:
Who doesn’t enjoy a classic Superman movie? Or a lazy afternoon flipping through a Batman comic book? How about a cartoon film of one of the countless superheroes to grace the silver screen? Superheroes, whether bestowed with supernatural powers, or simply a super-intense desire to root out bad guys from the world, had one thing in common: they were good, and the bad guys they fought were evil. No ifs, ands or buts. No ambivalence, no gray areas, no room to waffle or wonder. A clarity that provided comfort and security; a clarity that is too often absent in reality. Often, but not always.
A few days ago the news in Israel broke that seven boys and one young man were murdered in cold blood. They were not soldiers, they were not bearing arms, they were not in any real or perceived military installment, and they were not sheltering terrorists, militants, suicide bombers, rocket launchers, spies, thugs or even juvenile delinquents. They were simply students, studying Torah in the library of their yeshiva. People from every corner of the globe were stunned at the senseless cruelty of the act; at the brutal loss of life, at the suffering that the bereaved family and friends will have to endure as they relive the nightmare, and try to carve out a future without their son, their brother, their best friend. After all, who wouldn’t be touched by such atrocity, such pain, such primal human suffering? Unfortunately, plenty of people.
Hard as it is to imagine, while most people were horrified at the news of innocent lives cut Read the rest of this entry »
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02.11.08
Posted in New Israel Articles, Articles, Journal II at 4:38 pm by Laura
Protests in Israel are so regular; you wonder that people notice them at all. More often than not the issues are politically charged, and opposing sides are holding counter-protests across the way. In fact, you may not want to mention anything protest-worthy with the stranger sitting across from you on the bus, lest it come to blows. Unless, that is, the protest has to do with Sderot.
Sderot, the beleaguered Israeli city that has been under constant rocket attack from the neighboring Hamas-controlled, Gaza Strip, has the unanimous sympathy of the rest of Israel; ‘unanimous’ being a word that is not often heard in this country. For many, however, Read the rest of this entry »
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01.02.08
Posted in New Israel Articles, Articles at 7:32 am by Laura
It began with a steady stream of people heading into the unassuming building on King George Street in Jerusalem. As the stream of people grew into a crowd, they began to make their way up four flights of stairs to the place where it would all be happening. There, in the bustling, filled-to-capacity theatre, was an eclectic mix of young and old. Students, housewives, professionals, retirees; all came together to help create something new. The energy in the room was palpable. There was a deep anticipation of something never before experienced. As the band struck up the music, the drumbeat captured the crowd with its lively rhythm. Finally, the moment we’d all been waiting for, the studio audience went wild when, for the first time ever, it was Tuesday Night Live in Jerusalem!!
What is Tuesday Night Live in Jerusalem, you ask? Why, it’s the first ever Israel-based Jewish TV show broadcast around the globe! While you won’t be watching it on Tuesday nights, it certainly won’t be live, and chances are good you won’t even be in Jerusalem when you’re watching it, for those of us fortunate enough to be at the very first taping, it was all of those things. And it will be so for the hundreds of lucky individuals who come every other Tuesday night for the tapings of what’s likely to become a niche hit.A lively mix of comedy, Torah, Jewish values, and, most of all, Israel, TNL is co-hosted by best-friends Jeremy Gimpel and Ari Abramowitz, who, among many other things, are international lecturers and guest speakers, and reservists in the IDF. A perfect complement to each other, they demonstrated a charisma that both the camera and the audience seemed to love. The interactive opening show put a big focus on being here in Israel, and Read the rest of this entry »
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12.03.07
Posted in New Israel Articles, Articles, Journal II at 3:18 pm by Laura
When trying to explain to people the uniqueness of Israel and Israelis, I find that a story speaks volumes. This story, however, speaks a whole bookstore.
One evening, on our way back from a trip, we stopped at an unfamiliar falafel store in Jerusalem. We were hungry and tired, and looking forward to some quick food, and then our return home.
We glanced around the place, determined that only falafel was sold there, all the while the proprietor watched us expectantly. As I moved toward the counter he asked, “Do you want falafel?”
Seeing as there was nothing else on the menu, I said, “Yes, just deciding how many.”
He replied that unfortunately there was no pita left, but would I like him to run to the store and buy some? Not seeing any other way to hold the falafel balls and salad together, Read the rest of this entry »
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08.16.07
Posted in New Israel Articles, Articles at 4:06 pm by Laura
Shortly before our Aliyah to Israel, we crammed in a bunch of good ol’ American things that we knew we wouldn’t do again for a long time. What sticks out strongest in my mind was the Yankees game we went to in a sticky, New York heat wave, just days before our departure. After all, baseball games were as American as apple pie and in Israel I can make a pie, but not a baseball game. Until now.
This summer the Israel Baseball League (IBL) held its inaugural season with six spirited teams made up of multi-national players. The teams, roughly modeled against six Major League Baseball teams, have drawn fans from all over Israel, but especially from the US-expatriate sector who are tired of football games that are actually soccer, and crave a little bit of that all-American pastime.
As a baseball fan myself, I was very excited about the new league and couldn’t wait to take my kids. Yet somehow the summer was slipping away until I suddenly realized that the short, two month season would be over before I had gone to even a game. Then Nefesh B’Nefesh organized a special price for one game; the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox vs. the Modiin Miracle were playing. I grabbed it and told my three boys we were going.
Having been to a number of MLB games in packed stadiums, I was not quite prepared for the “down home” feeling of an IBL game. Though I hardly expected Yankee Stadium, I did know that Read the rest of this entry »
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08.06.07
Posted in Articles at 4:25 am by Laura
Two weeks days ago I embarked on a memorable journey, with 1000 others, to Eitam Hill, against strong resistance by our own army. Today, I went to Eitam Hill with my family and friends and had a nice picnic. Two weeks ago we trekked for over an hour along rocky, difficult terrain, zigzagging to avoid being stopped, to get to Eitam. Today, we drove in our cars, on the main trail, right up to the main hill. Two weeks ago people were dragged away from Eitam, manhandled, and humiliated. Today, we relaxed there on blankets, played Frisbee, and ate hot dogs. Two weeks ago a man was arrested for daring to bring an Israeli flag to the Israeli territory known as Eitam. Today, our young children laid the first stones for a synagogue there. Just two weeks.
Read the rest of this entry »
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