Israel Update #8

Hi everyone,

It has been an eventful month, and I should have sent an update a long time ago, but things are hectic as usual. I am continuing to adjust to working at Citi again. The most difficult part for me is the hours, as I am away from the house from about 7 AM till about 7:15 PM (on a good day), and that doesn't leave much time for the family. Besides that, things at work are going pretty well (although I can't find a good pizza place). My boss told me this week that she wants me to go to India at the end of the year or the beginning of next year. I am not too excited about that, but I guess I'll deal with it and bring a lot of captain crunch in order to survive. Caryn has been continuing her studies at Ulpan, but I think she is nearing the end. She enjoys it (to some extent), but she has no free time, so she will probably make a change. Ilan and Gali's Hebrew continues to improve, and Ilan is insisting he speaks better than me. Tiki seems to have reverted back to the terrible twos, as she has been very mischievous lately. Eitan is almost walking, but is very attached to me and Caryn, and is quite fussy when we're around. He is very cute though.

We experienced a lot of holidays over the past month. For Passover, we were in a hotel in Acco in northern Israel for the entire 7 days. I as able to get off from work, so we got to spend quality family time. Even better was that my parents, all my brothers and sister in laws, and all their children were there, so it was truly a magical week. Our extended family numbers 22 people, and it was great to be together for an extended period of time. They came the week before Passover, and they each did their own things for the first week. On the Friday before Passover, some of us went on a family trip to Jerusalem, and it was really nice guiding my brothers around and telling them which buses to take, where to get off, etc. It was one of those moments where I was excited to be living here. On Shabbat, we were all in Beit Shemesh, and we got to spend some time together, which was nice.
On Monday, the day before Passover, work was only a half day (another perk living in Israel), so I was able to leave the office at 1 Pm and take a train up to Acco. It was a nice train ride mostly up the coast of Israel. That night, we had a private room for the Seder, where all 22 of us celebrated together. It was a great night, and all the kids really contributed (especially Raphael). Our pace was a little slow, compared to the rest of the Israelis and we finished about 1 AM, which by Israeli standards is quite long (not that short by American standards either).
The first day of Passover, was nice and relaxing, although it was difficult to get up for Shul in the morning. The food was pretty good also. In the afternoon, I got a small nap, and the family hung out, talked, threw the football around, and spent quality time together.
The hotel we were staying, Palm Beach, is located on the beach, so we relaxed and went to the beach on the first day of Chol Hamoed (the intermediate days of Passover when you are allowed to work, use electricity, etc.) The kids also went swimming in the pool, and it was a generally relaxing day. I drove around Acco in the morning with Eitan looking for a newspaper (I didn't find one). In the evening, i took my nieces, Eliana and Ariana, and Ilan on a shopping expedition. I have not been shopping with teenage girls before. Suffice it to say, I plan on letting Caryn to the shopping when Gali and Tiki become teenagers. Wednesday night we had a family soccer game, which was a lot of fun and very entertaining. Just about everyone got hurt at one point, but nothing too serious. The best moment was when my nephew Raphael was playing goalie and my brother Bobby kicked the ball high in the air towards his direction. His reaction was to scream and duck, which caused everyone to laugh hysterically.
On Thursday, the whole extended drove to Maalot to go paddle and row boating. That was mostly enjoyable, but not without it's share of whining. Around the lake was like a carnival atmosphere, except that almost all of the food was not Kosher for Passover, so that was a little disappointing, especially for Gali who really wanted cotton candy. The kids also got to jump on some inflatable jumpy things, which they enjoyed. On the way back we stopped at a mall in Nahariya, which was also nice. We had the best meal of the trip Thursday night, as they had barbecued food, with steaks, so I was in heaven. On Thursday night, I convinced my parents to watch Eitan and Tiki, and we went with Ilan Gali, and about 10 other family members for a family bowling trip in Haifa. We all had a lot of fun, although our bowling skills could use some improvement.

On Friday, Me Eitan, Tiki, my parents, David and Michelle and their kids all drove to Nahariya to walk around the City. It was a very pleasant afternoon. Shabbat was very nice, but I was already starting to think about how the vacation was going to be over soon. On Sunday, we went back to the beach and swimming pool, and Monday we celebrated the last day of Passover. Overall, it was a truly magical Passover, and one that we will remember for ever. Naturally, we are all very grateful to my parents for bringing us all together.

It was difficult to say goodbye to everyone, but it was a little easier because my brother David and his family were staying through Saturday night, so we got to spend another few days and Shabbat with them. It was really nice to spend that extra time together.
The following week on Sunday night was Yom Hashoah U’Gevura, which is the annual Holocaust Remembrance day in Israel. Even though the Holocaust ended 65 years ago, it is still a very emotional day for all of Israel, and it was especially meaningful to be here on this day. There are approximately 220,000 survivors of the Holocaust still living in Israel, so it is especially important to hear their stories first hand, while we still have the opportunity. There was an emotional candle lighting ceremony, and in the most moving part of the evening, a survivor of the concentration camp Auschwitz, movingly retold her story while lighting the second candle. This was right after a moving reading from Elie Weisel’s book Night, regarding his experiences at Auschwitz. She spoke how everything that wzas just read was true, as she had personally experienced it. This was not planned and she spoke from the heart. It was very emotional for everyone, especially when she concluded by saying that she had 22 grandchildren and that was her revenge on the Nazis. She concluded with the words Am Yisrael Chai (the nation of Israel lives), and those words never meant more to me than they did on that night. We concluded with the singing of Hatikva (Israel’s National Anthem), and it was again an extremely moving moment for me, both because it is song of triumph that we survived the horrors of the Holocaust, and moved to Israel to rebuild the Jewish People. It was also the first time that I had heard Hatikva sung publicly since we made Aliyah. The following day, there was a siren throughout the country at 10 AM, and no matter what everyone is doing, they stop for two minutes, and stand quietly at attention. Even on all the highways, all of the cars and buses stop, and people get out of their cars and stand at attention. I got to witness this looking out my window on a busy Tel Aviv street.
The week after that, was Yom Hazicaron (Memorial day for fallen soldiers, security forces, and victims of terror). That was also on Sunday night, and I went again with Jonny and his children to the ceremony for the City of Beit Shemesh. There was even a government minister there, and a member of Knesset (Nachman Shai). It was a moving ceremony as well, although not like Yom Hashoah. During the ceremony, they show every single person who was from Beit Shemesh that we are commemorating. That makes it a lot more personal. This ceremony was entirely in Hebrew, so it was a little harder to follow. We again concluded with Hatikva, which no matter how many times I hear and sing it, always moves me when it’s sung publicly.
The next day, on Monday, was a half day at work. There was another siren at 11 AM, which coincides with ceremonies at all the military cemeteries across the country. It was also a moving event. Amazingly, in the evening, the country shifts from mourning to celebration, as at night Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) begins. I went to ceremony where the first part still deals with memorializing those who have fallen in defense of Israel, and the second part of the ceremony celebrating Israel’s rebirth. It is amazing how Israelis can switch emotions so quickly.
Tuesday was a day off, and like America, everyone barbecues on Independence day. We went to Jonny’s for a very tasty barbecue, and we all enjoyed the one day of the year where everyone has off, and there are no extra religious requirements. Essentially, it’s our only Sunday of the year. It was really nice just spending time with the family.

That’s about if for now. Caryn, I and Eitan are going to Modiin for Shabbat, while the older three kids are going to Jonny’s for Shabbat. Hopefully it will be very nice. I hope everyone is well and I look forward to hearing from you. I apologize if I do not respond timely or ever, but I will try.

Kol Tuv,
Zumi