4th Day Chol HaMo'ed Pesach
Day 4 of the Omer
Today, I am celebrating 19 years since making aliyah to Eretz Yisrael. When I came, I had to leave two married daughters behind and my two boys were in their mid-teens (a terrible time to bring kids on aliyah). There was no Nefesh b'Nefesh, no bands or dignitaries to greet us. In fact, no one met us at the airport. We knew no one here. It was just us and Hashem.
Shimon Peres was Prime Minister. Buses were blowing up in Jerusalem and Israel was still at war in southern Lebanon. Our absorption center was located in Karmiel, in the Galil. Everything in the north was in Hebrew and Russian. Almost no one spoke English.
Those were the days. Would I do it all over again? In a heartbeat!
Despite the fact that you can get the equivalent of everything the Diaspora has to offer as well as a superior alternative, Eretz Yisrael still has two things that the Diaspora doesn't - no matter how frum your small corner of it is...
Hoping to meet you here, too - Next Year in Jerusalem!
Working on it.
ReplyDeleteBeginning Of Passover In America Marred By Vandalized Synagogues, Anti-Semitic Threats
ReplyDeletehttp://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/04/08/3644203/beginning-passover-america-marred-vandalized-synagogues-anti-semitic-threats/
- a voice in the wilderness
I remember that time -- very intense.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I always said that if I hadn't made aliyah when I was young, I never could have done it later, so kol hakavod to anyone who does it later AND with older children!
Mazal tov, Devash.
--Dassie
Thanks, Dassie!
DeleteHow very auspicious of this post, Devash. I and my husband are literally contemplating him going to Israel and checking it out- what places for parnossah, residence etc....
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting topic to say the least. We have an older boy who is definitely not interested in going with us. We also feel that Moshiach's arrival is so much sooner than later.
I have been here 20 years. It seems like 5 minutes. I LOVE THIS PLACE!
DeleteI LOVE ISRAEL AND OUR PEOPLE!
I had everything in the USA that I did not need. Here I have everything I need and nothing like I had before. I would not trade a second of this for 100 lifetimes outside Israel. If your a Jew come home now.
Ceaser
Hit a bit of a wall in my case on the aliyah plan front, managed to gain a Israeli passport on the one hand yet am looking after one of my parents (who is suffering from MS).
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you made it! I'm glad I made it!
ReplyDeleteLet's pray that others make it, too!
:-)
Amen!
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to wish Leah and her family, and Jesterhead and his family, and all those dealing with aliyah issues tremendous bracha and hatzlacha.
--Dassie