tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40511572731862770752024-03-24T23:54:57.086-07:00Jordana Takes Tel AvivLife is just one experience after anotherJordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-44916866517543038632020-12-24T08:21:00.001-08:002020-12-24T08:22:30.987-08:00Jordana in 2020<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The last time I posted a blog was in January. And while that may sound weird, considering the downtime we've all had this past year, let us also consider what we've largely been doing: Nothing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">For posterity's sake and in case my kids ever read this blog on their iPhone37s one day, we are T- minus 7 days from 2021. And while I assumed we'd be entering this new year filled with optimism for better times ahead, I can't help but be tempered by the reality that I'm last on the list for a vaccine, we need 70-80% country-wide compliance before things can return to normal, and mostly- we have no idea what normal actually means.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">So maybe a yearly recap then? In January I was traveling (<b>lol</b>!) through Europe, not a care in the world. I came back with a wicked case of laryngeo-tracheitis which upon reflection I wonder was early-adoption Covid. I think everyone I know who was randomly sick in January or February 2020 thinks they were patient zero for Covid, but I digress.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQguR8nJK6Rp6vE2Exgd2MrkWlEA1TPTx5DPzTQcifdNT6IlwMnhy5QAMFm8RiR3AARylstShRZuUlUveNKDuG8t-eAcPGHD75OP6yl030fqbcrNNUPcvY_FQ9xLCgBj_EAu9BSNm-vw7/s206/81965218_10157746282930516_4252578404034936832_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQguR8nJK6Rp6vE2Exgd2MrkWlEA1TPTx5DPzTQcifdNT6IlwMnhy5QAMFm8RiR3AARylstShRZuUlUveNKDuG8t-eAcPGHD75OP6yl030fqbcrNNUPcvY_FQ9xLCgBj_EAu9BSNm-vw7/s0/81965218_10157746282930516_4252578404034936832_n.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;">This gal traveling in Portugal has no idea what's coming</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I remember watching a Facebook video about a virus in far-flung Wuhan, China which looked out of a science fiction/horror movie. "Wow," I thought, "It must really suck to live in Wuhan." Never did I expect it would suck to live... literally everywhere.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Then came Purim and rumblings that the virus was spreading. Did I go to shul and a party? Yep! Was I on a committee to host a dinner the Friday night following that the rabbi didn't want to cancel because he was sure it would all be fine by then? Yep! Was that the beginning of life as we knew it? YEP!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In short order, life shut down. It was during the first lockdown that I really understood the breadth of the pandemic. Of course there was the physical toll (more on that later) but the emotional, economic and mental tolls were never something I foresaw. And it was that mental and emotional strain that caused me to flee a country that had Covid "under control" (Israel) to join the hysterical masses in Covid-ravaged New York to be with my family. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">To Cliff's Notes the next part of the year: I flew in an empty airport, essentially holding my breath in fear for 10 hours before joining my parents in a house where we all wore masks. Around each other. We had a lovely, low-key Pesach after which I discovered that there was essentially no way for me to get back home. Flight after flight got canceled, resulting in nine incredible weeks in NYC. And by NYC I mean the four walls of my house because I basically saw nothing and went nowhere.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">All that said, those nine weeks were bizarrely some of the most incredible I've ever had. Tragically, my grandfather Henry Sealine passed in the beginning of my stay. I was able to say goodbye to him and attend his funeral which probably would have been difficult in the best of times but certainly impossible during a pandemic. I was able to be there for my mother during a shiva week where no one else <i>could</i> be there for her. I was able to watch my nephews and grocery shop and help out in a way I generally can't living so far away.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">And my sister's family was under the same roof en route to moving houses, so I had nine weeks of unadulterated family time, which I know will <i>never</i> happen again. So that was definitely the peak in a year chock full of valleys.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUrcl561vxtuUzKmyQMkeuV8abhWkmFYv7TifPw8AmAz0qtyHI1OQ9XqtWrNOsftfU71ryl2qpt5E3cUPMN0350t0qWUn-vFXWh_XwHFwYZijz0cp6nFoVJoVcFdE6gd8xuQlUzQanx20/s828/101696315_10158273020610516_4054748740047601664_n-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="828" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUrcl561vxtuUzKmyQMkeuV8abhWkmFYv7TifPw8AmAz0qtyHI1OQ9XqtWrNOsftfU71ryl2qpt5E3cUPMN0350t0qWUn-vFXWh_XwHFwYZijz0cp6nFoVJoVcFdE6gd8xuQlUzQanx20/s320/101696315_10158273020610516_4054748740047601664_n-1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;">Did I force my family to take this photo because I never get to be in family photos anymore? Sure did!</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Finally I came home and by that I mean to my apartment. All the time. As someone I refer to as "Covid-careful" (too careful?) I turned into someone totally new- a homebody. Pre-Covid I was out maybe 4-5 nights a week. I was <i>social</i>, guys. Suddenly I was always home. Parties were paused as were big Shabbat dinners. Weddings were on Zoom and so was wine club. Meeting new people became difficult so dating became even more so. Tel Aviv, the Israeli city that never slept took a long nap (for me at least- I saw some people raging on Instagram and well- it's their lives!) Summer passed me by unnoticed and Fall was largely uneventful but punctuated by High Holidays spent praying alone due to a second country-wide lockdown.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Here we are in December and heading into yet <i>another</i> lockdown (an idea so <i>amazingly</i> beneficial it has to be tried again!) Truth be told, I was unaware the second lockdown had ended. Just passing closed restaurant after shuttered bar- I didn't really see the point of this lockdown but then again, I'm not one of the super-geniuses running our government (can't wait to choose my favorite super-genius in the upcoming "yearly election!")</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I'm now chilling in bidud (quarantine) because I recently went back to the States for an even shorter period of time than I will be in said quarantine. And why would I make such a crazy sacrifice? Because my delicious nephew was a bar mitzvah and some things in this world are worth the aggravation of Covid flights, 4 Covid tests, a 2- week quarantine and month-long jet-lag. This was one of them. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDlrCYJ5lP_rx4GfgxLhleC5MiUPTwugHyqnRZ7tNC-j_xVaOYISIJPJB5skJ3jeZjafLAL-8ULteNqUlJWtuoId3rA5FxO4pql0pRNQCv60PlCwE5HIxpzoN5Ydlvv2kLbVfVMJRGsvB/s1075/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDlrCYJ5lP_rx4GfgxLhleC5MiUPTwugHyqnRZ7tNC-j_xVaOYISIJPJB5skJ3jeZjafLAL-8ULteNqUlJWtuoId3rA5FxO4pql0pRNQCv60PlCwE5HIxpzoN5Ydlvv2kLbVfVMJRGsvB/s320/unnamed.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;">Me and my favorite Bar Mitzvah young man</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">So here I sit- a few days before my bidud birthday and on the precipice of a new year. One that the optimist in me hopes is better, while the science-lover in me waits patiently for the vaccine. And until then I will wear my mask, eat my sushi at home, a raise a ros<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">é</span> l'chaim to 2021- may it be the happiest, healthiest year yet!</span></p>Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-37988679555003308802020-01-26T08:29:00.001-08:002020-01-27T06:22:16.121-08:00A Land of Our Own<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">. One of the two days in the year (the other being Yom HaShoah) where the world has the opportunity to reflect on the horrors of the Holocaust. I think, for Jews, that opportunity comes up a lot more often. For someone like me, who has a mild to moderate obsession with the history of the Holocaust, I reflect quite regularly.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I spent last week in Europe, mostly traveling alone. I went to Lisbon, Frankfurt and London on my yearly "mental health break" where I see the world and just <i>breathe</i> a bit (if you can swing it, I highly recommend it.) And in between scavenging for kosher food, seeing the sights, sailing on those ubiquitous European rivers and shopping (<i>"Zaras across Europe!"</i>) I did what I always do. I designed my usual "Jordana's Jewish tour" of whatever city I traveled. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">In Lisbon, I saw a tiny community, a Chabad that is currently closed until March, no real kosher to speak of (Gd bless their </span><a href="http://portuel-kosher-portugal.pt/" style="background-color: white;">one outpost)</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> and a generally empty synagogue. Portugal has a storied (read: </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">horrible</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">) history with regards to their Jewish citizens. In deference to Spain, Portugal expelled, killed or forcibly converted all their Jews in the 1500's. Jews weren't allowed back into the country for hu</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">ndreds of years. Today, the Lisbon Jewish community is around 300 and the Porto community ("much bigger!" exclaims my tour guide) hovers around 400. There is also a belief that due to the widespread phenomenon of hidden or crypto-Jews, as much as 35% of the Portuguese have Jewish blood. That's great. Didn't stop me from having to send my passport in advance to be able to be let into the bulletproof gate surrounding the synagogue that, when built, wasn't allowed to face the street. Because Christianity. Moving on to Frankfurt.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I'm sure it's unsurprising that I may have felt some trepidation as a Jew in Frankfurt. In this particular instance, I came for one full day and stayed with a close friend who observes kosher. Which was <i>wonderful</i>. While my hostess took care of errands, I went to the open Jewish museum (the main one is undergoing renovation) which focused on the Judengasse- essentially the Jewish street right down the middle of the Jewish ghetto-home to all of Frankfurt's Jews for hundreds of years. And, of course, the museum was guarded by two burly, heavily armed soldiers right out front. Because, Europe.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Can you tell I was nervous to photograph the guards?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The museum is free and beautifully done and maintained. I saw relics of a time and a place long-gone. I also read stories of regular pogroms, and regular blood libels and absurdly high taxes, and forced money-lending jobs, and displacement, and otherness and Jews essentially being at the mercy of whomever the king or kaiser happened to be at the time. And this, my friends, was one hundred years <i>before</i> Hitler.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Then I went to London and well, I love London. I've seen so much of it so when my host suggested I spend the morning of my last day at the permanent Holocaust </span><a href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/the-holocaust-exhibition-a-guided-tour" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">exhibit</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> at the Imperial War Museum, I jumped at the chance (it's like she was in my </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">brain</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">!) And as I walked through the impeccably done exhibit, I wasn't focusing as much on the stories and displays as I was on my fellow visitors. I was watching them read and ingest so much of what I already knew and have seen (I've been to Yad Vashem alone well over 25 times.) I hoped they made the connection between anti-Semitism before the war and some of what they heard about in the news today and hoped they'd try to be part of the solution.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">A lot of what I thought about was those who try to deny Jews the right to their homeland, specifically anti-Zionist Jews. I had to wonder- have they been to a Holocaust museum? A European synagogue with soldiers armed to the teeth posted outside? A memorial to a ghetto where Jews were made to be outsiders, endlessly wandering with nowhere to call home? Have these people ever really understood the rootlessness, the all-consuming fear that must come from having <i>nowhere to go</i>? Or have they lived their whole lives in the warm embrace of an America or a Canada where they're just as accepted and just as integrated as anyone else in their neighborhood?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">I'm grateful to the United States for providing Jews with a safe place to settle after thousands of years of crusades and pogroms and expulsions and Holocausts. But </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I never take the miracle of Israel for granted and I always feel the luckiest to live here, on my own terms. I wasn't forced to make aliyah (<i>quite the opposite!)</i> and</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> maybe it just takes a quick trip to Europe or a special day like Holocaust Remembrance Day for me to realize that "Never Again" is only a reality because Jews will never be homeless again. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">In unending appreciation to the blessed US soldiers who liberated the hell that was Auschwitz, the saintly righteous among the nations, who risked their lives for other human beings, and the State of Israel, for providing a safe haven for all Jews from all places, whether they choose to live here or not. May G-d watch over you and keep you safe.</span></div>
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Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-18675906365769859292019-11-11T23:47:00.000-08:002019-11-11T23:47:15.647-08:00Perspective<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I keep making excuses for my lack of productivity on this blog. The goal was to write about my aliyah. Well, that is <i>old news</i>. There comes a time in an olah's life where it switches from "oh! You just got here!" to "oh! You've been here for a while!" and I truly do not know what the delineation is, but it's happened. And the reason I have time to blog today is because the Tel Aviv municipality has canceled non-essential work for a <i>Siren Day</i>! Gone is the era of snow days. In this country, only an election or an incoming rocket will cause businesses to close. Not to mention we're having the warmest Autumn in <i>nine years </i>so snow isn't only not an issue, it's nowhere on the horizon. But the funniest part of this all is that I've been here long enough that this isn't even my first siren experience! That happened a <a href="http://jordanatakestelaviv.blogspot.com/2014/07/red-alert.html">few days</a> after I got here.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03NAl_FdIuTRbfZ_NFZNaCVyLql-jqjMeL_CgKRUwCv7W4UcUCqwsjbuztR3slJDzlt7K1aF6xTfe9gRoYEcagJVGV8WCBWyXPJjkK3ttl35IzLRGbAtuonfbGu9ZHEYrFoWWTsjRWiH4/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="188" data-original-width="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03NAl_FdIuTRbfZ_NFZNaCVyLql-jqjMeL_CgKRUwCv7W4UcUCqwsjbuztR3slJDzlt7K1aF6xTfe9gRoYEcagJVGV8WCBWyXPJjkK3ttl35IzLRGbAtuonfbGu9ZHEYrFoWWTsjRWiH4/s1600/download.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This is the Iron Dome- Gd bless the Iron Dome</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My mother calls me in a panic, wants to make sure I did the siren the right way. In the fortified room, in the basement, stayed there an extra 15 minutes to be safe. I didn't but I say "yep!" I take care of myself pretty well. It makes me laugh to think she's worried about me, here in the Jewish state. I face the enemy we know, in this case Islamic Jihad who are angry we've killed a leader of theirs. Meanwhile, my family sits in New York City, often referred to as Jew York City for its enormous Jewish population, now facing religious threats much like the rest of the country where I once lived. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I recently went to NYC to visit my family and meet my new baby nephew (he is SO <b>poopoopoo</b> I <i>literally can't <b>even</b></i>!) and my mom and I went to shul for Yom Kippur prayers. My mom kept glancing at the door, which made sense because she really can't wait to get out of shul. We were in the basement group service, whereas the other two services were upstairs near the front entrances. My mom turned to me and said "I don't like how that entrance isn't guarded" like the other two upstairs were. "Doesn't it make you nervous?" Now, by nature, I'm not a worrier and my mother is the definition of one (Jewish moms, yadda yadda) but for once I thought her anxiety might be founded.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I left America, the <i>goldene medineh-</i> the promised land for a people that was tortured by every country in the diaspora where they fled. Europe, North Africa and the Middle East all became inhospitable to their Jewish populations and it seemed like America was the first country to break that mold. And honestly, I would never compare America to what Jews are facing elsewhere in the world in 2019. I don't generally worry for my family's safety. But I do hear about a new incident (or ten) every day- a swastika on a synagogue, a vandalized cemetery, a beating of a Hasidic-looking Jew, a BDS resolution, a bomb threat, an anti-Semitic outburst on a subway- that makes me wonder if the clock is ticking on our time in the US.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEg78KdjPY8d1O7kEY2wj_lEvjgef-AeqJgmmSu7ue804-9aNugW0bMq6EmtrOaOa9WlfNjv2MuNLGtnN_TlFwXnpUKpxtywp5P97U_qjgQdgoCHt1lrd7lgl93RgB4672HlI7YGll7js8/s1600/Untitled-17-640x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEg78KdjPY8d1O7kEY2wj_lEvjgef-AeqJgmmSu7ue804-9aNugW0bMq6EmtrOaOa9WlfNjv2MuNLGtnN_TlFwXnpUKpxtywp5P97U_qjgQdgoCHt1lrd7lgl93RgB4672HlI7YGll7js8/s320/Untitled-17-640x400.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Jewish cemetery in Nebraska vandalized, November 2019<br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br />I hope not. I don't want anyone to feel scared to threatened, least of all my family and friends. I don't want anyone to have to hide their Jewishness or their support for the Jewish state. And as much as I want people to make aliyah and come home, I don't want them to do it because they have to. I love my family intensely, but they don't want to move here (try as I might to badger them about it in nearly every conversation.) And if they ever <i>do</i> come, I want it to be running toward, not running away. So as I sit here on my unexpected Siren Day off from work, I think about how funny perspective is, with my mom terrified of rockets falling on Tel Aviv, and me feeling like I'm living in the safest country in the world to be Jewish. Perspective.</span>Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-64792862115532135542019-07-18T04:05:00.000-07:002019-07-18T04:39:22.916-07:00Five Years On<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">About two weeks ago was my 5th anniversary of Aliyah- or Aliyaversary as the Olim call it, proving we can’t have nice things. Whatever you call it, five full years have passed since I began this grand adventure of living in Israel. And let me tell you, it’s been an adventure! I have experienced the highest of highs and definitely the lowest lows of my life here. I have started and left jobs, met new friends, deepened relationships and let some go. I have moved house and city. I have (slightly) improved my Hebrew and (definitely) improved my Israeli knowledge. I have watched too many of the cohort I arrived with “go back home” wondering how, how, <i>how</i> they didn’t consider Israel their true home!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So if I may take this wealth of information I have gleaned after living here a half-decade and share some do’s and don’ts for making Aliyah. Because it’s true- it’s the hardest thing you will ever do, but also the <b>best</b>.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">5 Years of Living the Dream</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do- make a plan</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Depending on your age, the plan will differ. But if you’re younger or unmarried and unclear where you plan to live “forever,” give yourself a soft landing- an Ulpan, an unaudited college course, a coffee shop part- time job. Something that allows you to start out slowly and get your bearings here, while you still have money coming to you from your Aliyah. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Don’t- make Aliyah while on vacation, Birthright, for a guy/gal you really like</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I hate telling anyone not to move here but Israel is definitely a magical place, especially for visiting Jews. Don’t get swept up and try to extend the best vacation ever or “see what happens” with the hot soldier from your Birthright. I’ll tell you what happens. 99/100 times, it ends with you on the plane crying about how Tal ghosted you. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do- grow a pair</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Please excuse my crudeness! I could have said “toughen up” but the sentiment remains. Israel is tough and Israelis are tough. Does that mean it’s not for you? No. Does that mean you have to be “rude”? Also no. It means that when you move to Israel, a little assertiveness may just save your life. There’s nothing rude about not letting people cut you in line and there’s nothing rude about telling your waiter you haven’t gotten food in 30 minutes. There’s nothing rude about asking for a lower price in the shuk and there’s nothing rude about wanting the girl on the bus to wear headphones instead of blasting music on her phone. Standing up for yourself may feel difficult for someone say, from Vancouver (kidding!) but it will make life here exponentially easier.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Don’t- have FOMO</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Living so far away from your native country, you will be bound to miss a lot of things. I think we don't realize how many things we <i>have</i> until we're missing them. And while you may be able to fly in for the odd wedding and 90th birthday party (or if you're British, something even less major like an anniversary or a Pidyon haBen- seriously, Brits head back to England <i>a lot</i>) you will be missing engagements and births, graduations and Bat Mitzvahs. Not to mention Labor Days, Chanukas and <i>Thanksgivings</i>! Oh, how I miss my Thanksgivings! That said, you will also be front and center for the important events- those that take place in Israel! Your friends and family will hopefully decide that there is no better place to celebrate a big moment than in the Homeland, and you'll be one of the only people who will get to witness the blessed event! Plus, you'll be making new friends and all of <i>their</i> smachot will be here! Problem solved.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And with the advent of Facetime and Skype and even Instagram video, you can feel like your there while in your bed in pajamas. It's kind of even better! Plus, with social media being what it is, aren't we all in a perpetual state of FOMO anyway?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do- calibrate expectations</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Spoiler alert- people in America (Canada, England, Australia, France) make more money. For the same jobs. And often less hours. This is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad <i>fact</i>. Sure, I’ve heard there are rich Israelis, haven’t met too many personally though so introduce me! But by and large, we make less, our houses are smaller, we have fewer cars and the stuff we want generally costs the same. So what do we do? We adapt! I was a <i>total</i> shopaholic in NYC. Now, I buy less and I’ve survived. We budget. We buy what’s most important. And some things are cheaper now, too. Travel to Europe- could I ever afford that living in the States? Buying produce at the shuk. And how much have I saved taking the bus?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You adapt to having less here and realize that your life can still be as fun, comfortable and rich (see what I did there?) even without all the tchotchkes of America (et al.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Don’t- expect New York in the Middle East </b><b>(Or Toronto, Sydney, London or Paris) </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Oh, your sushi is better in Brooklyn and your nail salon is better in Hendon? Tough toenails! We are in the <i>Middle East </i>people! And while it's not a Third World country (although some may lead you to believe that) we did have smoking breaks in the middle of movies like, 5 years ago. So while you may be used to the luxuries of life, some things you will have to do without. And if you ask enough people (although ask friends, not Secret Tel Aviv for better intel) you can find your <i>new</i> favorite sushi place, manicurist, and English-speaking dermatologist!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do- learn Hebrew</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Take this from someone who hasn't. Well, as any of my friends (and dates who force me to speak in Hebrew) will tell you, I speak Hebrew. Just not well. And just not willingly. Just not how I hoped I'd speak it. I didn't take Ulpan as seriously as I should, nearly all my friends are Anglo, I've lived in two English-heavy cities and I usually force my dates to converse in English (I'm worth it, it's fine.) But don't be me. L'lamed Ivrit. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Don’t- just leave because it’s hard</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I once heard a shiur (and I never remember anything from them, so this should be good) and the rabbi said that the opposite of pleasure isn't pain, it's comfort. And nowhere does this strike me more than in my Aliyah. I left what is the <i>epitome</i> of comfort in America- easy money, my entire family, friends from childhood, a car, a mall as big as a small city, and on and on. Comfortable, yep, but was it actual pleasure? I came to a place where a trip to the bank takes half your day and you fully want to throttle your bus driver, mailman and landlord over the course of one day. That <i>said</i>, the work that goes in to Aliyah, the effort and the blood, sweat and tears, only makes being here more pleasurable. It is always more enjoyable eating a delicious cake you baked than one you bought, wearing a sweater you knitted than one you got at Zara. There is no feeling of success greater than a quick and painless trip to Misrad Hapnim or finding your way from Tel Aviv to the Golan by yourself. You put effort into your businesses, your schoolwork, your relationships- things that matter can be hard, but the payoff is huge. That is Aliyah- a less comfortable life, maybe, but certainly a more pleasurable one.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And lastly...</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do- Understand that the future of the Jewish people is here</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I get it. America has been very welcoming to Jews and there is probably no better place to be Jewish outside Israel than the tri-state area. All that said- what's happening in America, and Europe and South Africa, this "rise in anti-Semitism" is real and it's not new. And it won't be the first time and history is nothing if not cyclical. That doesn't mean you should make Aliyah because you're scared. It means you should make the idea of Aliyah, of living in the Jewish state, of starting or continuing your family here more of a reality and less of some nebulous nice idea that will never actually materialize. And if you really can't imagine doing it yourself, you should raise children in a way where Aliyah is a value and a goal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Aliyah and life in Israel is for every Jew, not just the crazy Zionists like me. You just have to plan well, come with a positive mindset and work really hard to make this the best life you can. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And I hope you will, so that in 5, 10, however many years it takes, I can wish you a Mazal Tov on <i>your own</i> Aliyaversary!</span></div>
Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-16788230417201710062018-10-29T00:59:00.000-07:002018-10-29T01:03:10.167-07:00A Jew’s LifeAs usual, it takes something huge to actually motivate me to blog, and I had been moving in that direction for weeks before the events in Pittsburgh shoved me all the way there.<br />
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Let’s start with the basics: my brothers and sisters (or in the case of many of the victims, zaidys and bubbies) were murdered, in shul, for the crime of being Jewish. They were murdered like the 6 million. They were targeted like Jews were murdered in Russia, Spain, England and on and on for literally thousands of years.<br />
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They were murdered like the Jews in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercacher_kosher_supermarket_siege">Paris</a> and the Jews in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nariman_House">Mumbai</a>. They were murdered like the Jews in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre">Munich</a> and the Jews in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMIA_bombing">Argentina</a>. And for sure they were murdered like the Jews in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Jerusalem_synagogue_attack">Har</a> Nof and <a href="https://www.jpost.com//Israel/Constant-terror-in-Sderot">Sderot</a> and Tel <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2016_Tel_Aviv_shooting">Aviv</a>. A Jew is a Jew to those who hate us, and if you want to spend your time quibbling about embassies and settlements and right and left, kindly show yourself the door, because I’m tired.<br />
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I believe in semantics, the words people use. When I go back to the USA to visit and people say “oh, you’re going home?” I say “no, I am home. I’m going to see my family.” And they roll their eyes and mumble something about my raging Zionism and we move on. Why do I say that? Because here is home. Here I am not “the other, the (((Jew)))” here I belong.<br />
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I lived in America my whole life and loved it. My house has an American flag, I scream-sing the National anthem at baseball games, aggressively follow Team USA during international competition and know American history like the back of my hand. My dream vacation destination as a child was colonial Williamsburg.<br />
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Why am I mentioning this (other than giving you a glimpse into a weird hyper-patriotic kid?) Because I don’t blame this tragedy on America whatsoever. It’s not Trump’s fault (sorry, but that’s just wishful thinking on the part of those who blame him for the sun coming up.) It’s not the alt-right, or Antifa or the Klan or the Nation of Islam (although they all really hate Jews, to be fair.) Because Jews are killed everywhere in the world at every point in history, and it would be pretty odd to blame those tragedies on the alt-right, even though the motive is always exactly the same.<br />
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A lot of well-meaning people ask “what can we do” to help eradicate anti-Semitism. Certainly ensuring it has no place in government or on campus or in the media is a great start, but there is no way to actually end anti-Semitism. It’s an irrational bigotry- we’re hated because were too religious and too secular, too wealthy and too much on welfare, too educated and too ignorant, too assimilated and too separate, too left-wing and too right-wing. We are whatever it is bigots hate in nation-form, and that’s pretty hard to eradicate- or at least it hasn’t been done in over 3,000 years.<br />
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Which brings me to my final point. The last acceptable anti-Semitism is also known as anti-Zionism (I’m lookin’ at you, Jews and non-Jews alike.) This tragedy happened in Pittsburgh to a conservative synagogue and you still hear people blaming the embassy move and Gaza. And if that makes you feel better, if it makes you feel safer and absolved of guilt, you enjoy that. But Israel wasn’t just not a factor in this tragedy, it is the only known defense the Jewish people have against a world gone mad. Most Jews know it, our enemies know it and jeez Louise, anti Zionist Jews, you better get to know it too!<br />
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It is the main difference between the Jews of 1933 and the Jews of 2018- a strong country with a strong government and a strong army. And you can call us a country of land-thieves with a hawkish government and a brutal army until the cows come home- but we are the main factor in this entire world ensuring “Never Again” is a reality.<br />
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So while I hope that the Jews of America are safe in the “goldene medina” for as long as they want to stay there (and that includes the people I love most in this entire world) we must always remember that we are one nation, with one heart and only one homeland to call our own. Come for a visit or come to stay, but come Home soon.<br />
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And to the families and friends of the victims of this tragedy,<br />
"May God comfort you among the other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem."<br />
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<br />Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-90924497227545720572018-06-12T11:33:00.000-07:002018-06-12T13:57:17.867-07:00A Peace Summit on the 480<div style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> I just met Lenny, an American Jewish philosophy professor, on the bus from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. We chatted <b>the entire ride. </b>Lenny informed me that he was here in Israel as a member of the <a href="https://meretz.org.il/english/">MERETZ </a>delegation from the States, and essentially he was here to make peace between Israel and its neighbor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Now, normally, I don’t engage too deeply with people on the <span style="font-weight: bold;">complete</span> opposite side of the political spectrum. And before you yell at me, hear me out. I am right- wing. Quite. Duh. I’m not really that middle- of- the- road, nor are my opinions “developing” or “fluid.” I also like people and want them to like me. And one way to ensure someone won’t like me is to have a screaming match with them about politics. And therefore, I try not to engage to the point where this might occur.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Back to Lenny. He said he was here with Meretz. I kept my eyes from rolling straight back into my skull, because I’m an adult. Then Lenny said, “well, we’re both Zionists, so we can build on that!” I paused. I asked him, “Does Meretz really consider itself Zionist?” He responded affirmatively and I realized that, like their religious observance, generally people think that their Zionism is the correct way to do Zionism. So that was a good starting point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Throughout the ride we found lots to agree on- the miracle of Israel, the fact that academia has become an impossible place to be a Zionist, the incredible people who live here, the shameful lack of assistance for some olim that causes them to leave.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> We disagreed on more. The African refugee/migrant problem (semantics play an issue). Changing demographics- he believes Jews will soon lose their demographic majority, I don’t. We were on the same page about BDS until he told me he won’t buy from “the Settlements.” I told him to please change “settlements” to “Jews” and be aware that he is boycotting Jews. Boycotting Jews like the Germans did in the ‘30s. Then he said his father was a survivor and we just agreed on a lot of Holocaust stuff for a bit and got back on track.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> He tried to make me believe that the conflict was about land, while I think it’s religious. I begged him to please not equate Bibi with Abbas (Meretz despises no one on earth more than Bibi, I learned. His name came up many times, as he is apparently the root of all evil in this country. Who knew?)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> At one point I tried to turn around and get back to my 12 waiting games of Words With Friends. Lenny kept the conversation going. And I realized this. Lenny is an idealist, I am a realist (although he’d say he’s a realist and I’m a pessimist.) He genuinely wants everyone to be happy and content here and I worry mostly about the Jews in Israel and our safety and well-being. He believes we have peace partners (it’s not his fault, I’m <i>certain</i> Palestinian reps are telling Meretz reps whatever they want to hear) and I think that’s just a fantasy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> So much of what divides us is our vocabulary. Lenny always called them “settlers” and I call them “citizens.” Lenny only calls Judea and Samaria “the West Bank.” Lenny talked about the “hilltop youth”- a not large group of nationalists who have become a bogeyman and a convenient parallel for Muslim terrorists. Lenny called the Africans “refugees” while they have also been referred to as “migrants.” We come from such different places- he in secular American left- wing academia, me in Modern Orthodox right- wing Israel advocacy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But at the end of our trip, we talked about what we agreed upon- a strong, safe, <b>Jewish Home</b> for us all. We shook hands, wished each other well and I can only assume he’s writing a blog post about me as we speak!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Good luck with everything, Lenny, and keep fighting the good fight!</span></div>
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Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-70262235836034272452018-05-17T05:26:00.000-07:002018-05-17T06:13:40.387-07:00The Five Stages of Dealing with Anti-Israel Social Media<span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
If you're anything like me, you've gotten sucked into the news lately, and if you're pro-Israel, it can be a maddening ride, especially on social media. So like any other grief- like situation, let's get through these 5 steps, and come out the other side.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>DENIAL</b>: “Who are all these people on the internet calling my beautiful, kind and brave country everything from murderers to Nazis? Can’t be! They don’t know what they’re saying! If they only knew! They don’t mean it! It’s the optics- as soon as they hear the other side, they’ll understand!”</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>ANGER</b>- “<b>THESE VILE ANTI- SEMITES!</b> How dare they?! Who do they think they ARE? What would THEY DO if someone ran at them with a machete?? Et tu BETTE MIDLER?? <b>CHELSEA EFFING HANDLER SHUT THE EFF UP!”</b></span></span><br />
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<b>BARGAINING</b>- “We’ve sent aid to H</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">aiti! We sent provisions to Gaza- that they destroyed! We tried rubber bullets, tear gas and threats to the rioters, but still they come! This is Hamas- Hamas are terrorists! We’ve made so many concessions! Oslo! Gush Katif! </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;">CHERRY TOMATOES!</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>DEPRESSION</b>: “I can’t do it. I can’t handle everyone hating me. Maybe if I apologize more, maybe if I capitulate more. I can’t handle the back and forth- “liking” pro- Israel posts and angrily fighting the trolls. So many anti-Israel trolls! Where do they come from and why don’t they like us? <b>Why can't they see?"</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>ACCEPTANCE:</b> “Wait a second. This wave of hatred also happened in 2012. And 2014. This happens every single time Israel has had the nerve to defend its people. And the haters will always hate, no matter <i>what</i> we say, or how many times, or however eloquently or loudly or calmly. So you know what? I’m gonna shut off Facebook, call my friend Dudu, fire up my electric scooter and go get a falafel while listening to Netta! <i>Yalla BYE!</i>”</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-31309953427402839212018-04-18T03:55:00.000-07:002018-05-21T00:01:59.256-07:0070 Years Young<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So it's Yom Hazikaron in Tel Aviv. Tonight, I heard the siren on the bus for the first time. I had always wondered what people riding on a bus did when the remembrance siren that sounds all over the country goes off for a full minute. Well, I don't know what every bus does, but ours stopped mid-street, everyone got out of their seats (driver included) and we stood solemnly, many with tears in our eyes, thinking whatever the siren made us think about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Normally, I do the (insert number here) things I love most about Israel, but this year I'm going to take a bit of a break from that for several reasons:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">1. I have been pretty sick with intense allergies since I got back to Israel. Weirdly, one of the reasons I loved Israel <a href="http://jordanatakestelaviv.blogspot.co.il/2016/05/the-68-reason-i-miss-israel-most.html">in the past</a> was because I didn't have the killer seasonal allergies I did back in NYC. Whoops, guess I do!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">2. After the month away and the allergy plague I was dealing with, I also have to work! And be social! Sadly, the list-making fell by the wayside. And</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">3. Making a list of over 50 of <i>anything</i> is <b>hard! </b>If I told you right now to make a list of the 50 things you love most about your mom, it would be tough, lemme tell ya. Well I did that twice in a row and starting today I will start collecting 71, don't you worry!<b> (Feel free to contribute ideas!)</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just decorating my new balcony!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So instead, I will write a love letter to my country and its people:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Dear Israelis,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Thank you for your warmth. Thank you for inviting me and hugging me and caring about me like your own family. Because honestly, I am. Thank you for inviting me to dance and joining me in lchaims! Thank you for dealing with (and not dealing with) my Hebrew and my accent. Thank you for building this amazing place in such a blindingly short period of time. Thank you for making the desert bloom, and helping the world every time it needed it (and being so gracious when the world rarely thanked you.) Thank you for your sons and daughters, and the incredible sacrifices they have made to ensure Israel can endure under incredible pressure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Dear Israel, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Thank you for being our sanctuary. Thank you for being the one place in the world where a Jew can be proud to be a Jew, where wearing a kippa won't get you punched, where a kosher meal is just around the corner (and then around the next one), where the calendar is lunar and the holidays have been celebrated by my people for centuries. Thanks you for taking in the survivors of the Shoah and the refugees from the Middle East, the tribes of Ethiopia and and India and the persecuted of the Soviet Union. And though some in America may forget (willfully or not), I will not forget the home you have given to millions of Jews in need, Jews truly escaping from exile.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Israelis,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">You are impatient and you are generous to a fault. You are aggressive and you love fiercely. You are argumentative and you are innovative. You hate so much about this country and love it fully. Sometimes you leave because the golden streets of America (or Canada, or London, or Australia) call you, but you <b>always</b> know that <i>this</i> is your home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Israel, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">You are beautiful and complex, you are so young and you are ancient. You are left and "hard right." You are vegan and you barbecue for every occasion. You are ultra-Orthodox and you are the most progressive country in the region. You are Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, but you are also Haifa and the desert and the mountains and Tzfat and Judea and Samaria and <b>all </b>of you is home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Dearest Israelis,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My blessing to you is limitless success and wealth. May we build together a land so full of material wealth that American Jews come <i>here</i> to build their fortunes! May you continue to grow in number and in joy- may we unify as a people in a land as we were always meant to- one Nation with one heart. And may our differences not tear us apart, may they teach us more about one another. May we realize that we, <b>each other</b>, are the greatest gift we have. And may we celebrate many more smachot together.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Dearest Israel,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My blessing to you is safety and strength. May our holy army remain safe from harm, and may our enemies see no fruits from their terror. May G-d continue to watch over His people and His country, so that in the next 70 years and beyond, we know only peace and happiness. Thank you for welcoming me and thank you for being my Home.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Chag Haatzma'ut Sameach to everyone!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-50235899854996810852018-01-31T01:12:00.004-08:002018-05-21T00:04:28.303-07:00Goodbye to the City of Gold<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm sitting here in my first Israeli apartment, surrounded by boxes and bags, waiting for my moving truck. This is the first time I've properly sat here all week. I've been collecting boxes, shlepping and folding, throwing (not enough) things out and taking full cars of <i>stuff</i> to the new place. And my apartment is doing this crazy magic trick where I move more and more things out and yet it never looks less full. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3R3zEKVKvAlt1BiKB9pDFB3w6yLhoCRy-CGIAWificiOYbn6xdlo4geqfbDKJgT0FJsP-UBQCbuvWA5vTB841YXOvuTzQjLNpwMW66WL0DAyHsASOv_BrdWVnXCqI1twUvZmMzKGU3pU/s1600/IMG_3355.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3R3zEKVKvAlt1BiKB9pDFB3w6yLhoCRy-CGIAWificiOYbn6xdlo4geqfbDKJgT0FJsP-UBQCbuvWA5vTB841YXOvuTzQjLNpwMW66WL0DAyHsASOv_BrdWVnXCqI1twUvZmMzKGU3pU/s320/IMG_3355.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About 1/10 of my never-ending box-stravaganza</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I remember moving in here 3 years ago with around 5 big duffel bags. It is insane (and highly embarrassing) to realize how much I've accumulated these past years. But I had to turn this empty box into a home, and that I did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am moving to Tel Aviv today. I know it seems totally crazy, especially to you readers who don't know me or to those I haven't spoken to in a while. I have been the consummate Jerusalemite- heck, I even named my blog after my city! And I was certainly <a href="http://jordanatakestelaviv.blogspot.co.il/2014/09/a-tale-of-two-cities.html">no fan of Tel Aviv</a> in the past. But over the past years, that's changed. I know I don't blog as frequently as I did or should, but I'm a different Jordana than the one who made Aliyah. I'm still an observant Jew (that's a common question when people ask how I could possibly move to Tel Aviv.) I'm still a fervent, full- throated Zionist (and a right-winger, about to move to the city of the Left!) I'm still committed to staying in Israel for the long haul, with no plans to move back to the States (sorry, Mama.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But this is where my road is taking me- a new city, new friends (keeping the old ones though, because I picked some good ones here in Jerusalem), a new job (pending!), a lovely new apartment with a new incredible roommate (after 3 years of living alone!) and oh yeah- the beach!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_l4wpNj4AbH-FY-mLaYBG4oX6lNBugIiLcCy1ZcWXAZTdhkMxYuWtiEFFLlL8ddNrpbS2jxF_5MD7AI34B9629_okjdFtWygVWQbjaopMfu5q9csU4ckjaGoc40VwbE0xDoOE66fK0Fo5/s1600/IMG_0432.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1600" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_l4wpNj4AbH-FY-mLaYBG4oX6lNBugIiLcCy1ZcWXAZTdhkMxYuWtiEFFLlL8ddNrpbS2jxF_5MD7AI34B9629_okjdFtWygVWQbjaopMfu5q9csU4ckjaGoc40VwbE0xDoOE66fK0Fo5/s320/IMG_0432.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's true- I do!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I leave behind the city I love most and the birthplace of a thousand stories. In my years visiting, Jerusalem was my anchor- it was where I landed and the place I knew best. I can get anywhere, find anything in this city. There is nowhere more diverse, beautiful, frustrating and real. I know that I will miss this city, its people and its stones every single day. I know that I will come back to visit, at first a lot, and then less. I know that when my Tel Avivi friends laugh about Jerusalem- its religiosity, its conflict, its otherness- I won't join in. I will be the defender of the Holy City in the White City- because if they only knew Jerusalem like I know Jerusalem, they'd fall in love too.<br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But it's time to go and start fresh now. It's time to feel the sand between my toes and sip <i>cafe hafuch </i>on Rothschild. It's time to stay out til 3 am and then hit up the huge kiddush in shul on Shabbat afternoon. It's time to hang out on rooftops and turn on the air conditioning! It's time for me to make the move. And find a new blog name too, huh?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrwT7YGBqXSS49mNNlSyd1fA0yRFfi5xIFV4XP_GBh1c7byFnSi794Z5hDaeVpG88J259qXP1e9oCfpeYxdgAHV_9duKYFJ10hBow5EQooZhWUOAL9hL1rQjsuw_XJqyzXFidcYXL0e3f/s1600/IMG_3362.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrwT7YGBqXSS49mNNlSyd1fA0yRFfi5xIFV4XP_GBh1c7byFnSi794Z5hDaeVpG88J259qXP1e9oCfpeYxdgAHV_9duKYFJ10hBow5EQooZhWUOAL9hL1rQjsuw_XJqyzXFidcYXL0e3f/s320/IMG_3362.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saying goodbye to the Cabana</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If life is a book with many chapters, and I'm on to the next one. Keep reading to find out what's in store!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Xoxo,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jordana (originally of) Jerusalem </span></div>
Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-72287492597092290172017-12-07T08:27:00.000-08:002017-12-07T08:27:02.518-08:00Hello from Jordana in Jerusalem (, Israel!)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Depending on whom you ask, what happened yesterday was either the greatest thing ever, the worst catastrophe since Hiroshima, or no big deal. Reactions range from "Trump is the messiah" to "This is going to cause untold danger for you" to "Okay, so what?" To the first person I say, "Relax, bro. Appreciate the good vibes, but he most certainly is not." To the second I say, "thanks for your sudden concern for my personal safety! Where was this concern during the last knife intifada?" And to the third response, I say, "Perk up, buddy! This is great!" And here are the top 5 reasons I think so:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcurfoTOjocTZk5S9O8gueLOzkfcORo_ELCpkK8juSj1aVGmLK32BRANuvX2HecnnLkuKQ2ndQTHDgFDoYwYpTaHuW7yPcp53Y1CJLxapT3mcBmRtJmmIAZMETcgJzP9gXUqnsbIC66ijY/s1600/IMG-2409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="609" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcurfoTOjocTZk5S9O8gueLOzkfcORo_ELCpkK8juSj1aVGmLK32BRANuvX2HecnnLkuKQ2ndQTHDgFDoYwYpTaHuW7yPcp53Y1CJLxapT3mcBmRtJmmIAZMETcgJzP9gXUqnsbIC66ijY/s320/IMG-2409.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some think this is cheesy. Luckily, I love cheese.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> 1</span>.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><b>Pragmatics</b>- I was just talking to a pregnant friend who said, "Finally my baby will have 'Jerusalem, Israel' on his passport. Do you know how much I'm hurt every time some anti-Israel consulate official smirks when he hands me a passport that says 'Jerusalem, nowhere?' Happy that won't happen again!" And it's true! Although this move changes little legally, I know when my future babies are born (please Gd poo poo poo!) they will be from both the city and country they were born, at lease vis a vis their American passports!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> 2</span>.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><b>Ripple Effect</b>- Already the Czech Republic followed suit in recognizing our capital and Hungary and the Philippines want to move their embassies to Jerusalem. This recognition by the United States, like everything else they do, gives other counties the strength, cover and precedence to do the right thing. Can't wait for the day when we learn in the history books about that crazy time when Jerusalem wasn't considered the capital of Israel!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> 3</span>.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><b>Legitimacy</b>- Enough arguing with leftists over "status of Jerusalem." By nature, arguing with true leftists is a fruitless endeavor (don't think I'm blind to the fact that them arguing with me is <i>almost</i> as fruitless.) But it's always nice to have this moment, this little legal feather in my cap. And as much as they insist that Trump isn't their president (hi guys, Obama was mine and as you may remember, I wasn't a fan. And yes I know, you <i>really</i> hate Trump a lot) he is officially the president, he let the waiver lapse, and ultimately, the law passed <b>in 1995 </b>(under President Bill Clinton) will be implemented. In short, a law that was put on hold <b>for over 20 years</b> is now going to be implemented. So that's awesome.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> 4</span>.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><b>Return to sanity</b>- Jerusalem as capital is reality. When I was little, as a native New Yorker, it bothered me that small-town Albany, and not New York City was the capital of New York. It annoyed me that Washington DC, a city from <b>no state</b>, was the capital of the USA. I was 10. But it didn't change the fact that Albany <i>was</i> the capital of NY and D.C.<i> was</i> the capital of America. So it's great for America to get on board with the facts. Wikipedia knows it. Siri knows it. Google knows it. Weather.com knows it. Now we all know it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> 5</span>.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><b>Shows us where we all really stand-</b> Like I mentioned before, while I can appreciate people suddenly caring <i>so much</i> about my safety and well-being, you actually really don't. This whole situation is showing me that people believe we should give into bullies, kowtow to terrorists, and put the anger of our enemies before the fulfillment of our own people. A friend wrote on Facebook that the international condemnation of this move highlights the real racism. It is a "racism of low expectations." It is expecting, rightfully, that anything done that does not adhere to treating the Palestinians with kid gloves will be met with death and destruction. And somehow, that's okay with them. It's bizarre. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've been hearing a lot about this not being the "right time." I would like to know when that time will be. Can anyone reading this tell me a time in the near (or distant) future, when the enemies of Israel will be open to this move? At what magical future time will Jordan, Turkey and Abbas all say, "You know what? It's really time to recognize Jerusalem- <b>call off the rage!</b>" That time ain't coming, kids, so let's let <i>this </i>be the time.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And for you sweet souls who believe this outrageous move put an end to "any hope for a real peace agreement"? Please message me privately, I have a huge bridge I'd like to sell you! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Okay, so I have to get back to my job, here in <b>Jerusalem, Israel</b>. If you need me after 6, I'll be at my apartment in <b>Jerusalem, Israel</b>. And if you want to send me a letter, please send it straight to Jordana in <b>Jerusalem, ISRAEL. </b>K, I'm done!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">G-d bless you and G-d bless Jerusalem, Israel.</span></div>
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Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-12824121471771104802017-07-16T09:34:00.001-07:002018-05-21T00:03:05.443-07:00My Friend Made Aliyah<div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I
couldn't think of a flashier title, because the one I chose is so full
of emotion, I didn't want to mess with it. Last week, a close friend of
mine names Ariella made Aliyah, and it was just about the most exciting
thing I could imagine. As I celebrated 3 years here on July 1, I thought
of the changes in my life that have happened in that time. Nothing
huge. No wedding, no babies, not elected to Knesset (yet). And as of
today, I'm still Jordana IN Jerusalem! So what, really, is the big deal
about 3 years here? </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Everything.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At
three years, I have watched my ulpan and Aliyah friends decide that
Israel wasn't for them, and leave. I have seen more people come to
Israel to try and make it their home too. I have seen holidays and
festivals, birthday parties and smachot. I have been to concerts and
funerals, I have seen babies born here, and witnessed pretty much every
Jewish life cycle event after that. Three years in the scheme of a
lifetime is short, but it is enough time to outgrow my Aliyah "honeymoon
phase" and the sparkly title of "olah chadasha" (new immigrant.) </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although
I probably still am a new immigrant, most days I feel completely at
home, in a way I never did living in New York for decades. I walk the
streets here or traverse the country in the knowledge that these are my
streets and this landscape is my own. I never feel like I'm visiting,
like this is a stop on my journey. I consider myself unendingly blessed
to feel that this was truly my destination.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So
when I tell you that my friend making Aliyah was one of the most
exciting things to happen, it's not hyperbole. Let's not kid ourselves,
life is hard sometimes and moving to a whole new country and culture
will be tough (we've talked about this <a href="http://jordanatakestelaviv.blogspot.co.il/2015/01/looking-for-right-one.html">here </a>and <a href="http://jordanatakestelaviv.blogspot.co.il/2014/12/deep-breaths.html">here</a>) but the only
consistent bummer is being away from family and close friends. I pray
regularly that my family will join me here, but it doesn't seem to be on
the horizon. And although sporadic visits from family members and my
yearly pilgrimage back to NYC are great, they will never be a substitute
for living near family. So when a close friend like Ariella told me a
few months back that she was going to make Aliyah, I was elated!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Not
to get into the back-and-forth about how Aliyah should be EVERY Jew's
ultimate goal (because I don't want to argue with you) but the idea that
someone I love, in a similar social situation, with a similar
background and the same attachment to her family was making Aliyah just
like I did was extremely validating and exciting. She would ask
logistical questions and always preface or end conversations with "sorry
to bother" and I would respond "this is no bother! I wish I could have
this conversation with every one of my friends! I'm so proud of you!"</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nZNJ8YtThAgIwCYmjalAAAACO6HDG8Bo1Q72hd-AKLvXLNtsFoiuvhz_Y16JBEzvreKrV4KREuX2ytA-GxH9FaYEpRj0zERppET1l5sKQRPZ4GWh69xQ2nyX-C665c0mOL33owALIn-L/s1600/IMG_9952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nZNJ8YtThAgIwCYmjalAAAACO6HDG8Bo1Q72hd-AKLvXLNtsFoiuvhz_Y16JBEzvreKrV4KREuX2ytA-GxH9FaYEpRj0zERppET1l5sKQRPZ4GWh69xQ2nyX-C665c0mOL33owALIn-L/s320/IMG_9952.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some Israelis riding the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv bus!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So
when she finally made Aliyah last week, it hit me harder than I
thought. It was my friend, taking a huge step and hopefully succeeding
in building an amazing new life in Israel, of course. But it was also
seeing someone else, realizing a 3,000 year long dream, leaving the
diaspora to come home and showing everyone back in America that this is
the goal we should ALL have, we should ALL strive to achieve. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This
is what 3 years has taught me. It has been HARD and it has been
wonderful. It has been LONG and it has gone by in a blink. It has been
LONELY at times, but I have made new soul connections. It has been
DIFFERENT to what I expected and so much more. And it has showed me, an
American from New York with a tiny bit of jappiness, that there is more
to life than Target and Bagels and Co. and that a new goal in my life is
to help my friends and family come home- to Israel.</span></span></div>
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</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And
when that time comes, I will tell you everything you'll need to know.
I'll stay on the phone with you as long as you want, answer all your questions. I'll calm you down
and build you up. I'll sit with you in Misrad Hapnim and give you the
name of a great manicurist/real estate agent/pediatrician/handyman. I
will do whatever it takes to have you here with me and Ariella and the
rest of your Jewish brothers and sisters. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I promise!</span></span></div>
Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-30922521166360081712017-06-04T06:48:00.000-07:002017-06-04T08:47:38.214-07:00On Parades and Aliyah<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I may have mentioned that I grew up in a super pro-Israel household. The Israeli flag flies outside our door. I toured the country top to bottom at 13 with my family. We ate falafel at shul every Yom Haatzmaut. And most importantly, my family attended every Salute To Israel Parade down Fifth Avenue in New York City, every year of my life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was rolled through it as a baby in my stroller, flag flying behind me. I was a spectator most of my childhood, due to the chareidi nature of my elementary and high schools- Bais Yaakov of Queens may not have marched, but the Brown family most definitely attended! In 11th grade, I switched to a Zionist high school and was able to march for the first time. All my new friends yawned and complained about having to march <i>again</i>, but I was unbelievably excited. I even marched proudly again in 12th grade, when a large segment of my senior peers opted out. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And in the college and post-college years that followed, Parade Day was one I always looked forward to, painting my nails blue and white and planning my outfits and coordinating meet up spots with my friends, some of whom I would only see on that one magical day of the year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I think I've also mentioned that it was never my lifelong goal to make Aliyah. For much of my young adulthood, my goals were: getting a well-paying job, finding a fellow pro-Israel Jew to marry, settling down in some orthodox Jewish enclave and raising pro-Israel children, who would then hopefully repeat the cycle. Nothing on that list isn't exactly what 99% of my friends were hoping to accomplish as well. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But about 6 years ago, when I began to become interested in Israel as a place to live, rather than a place to visit, the Parade changed for me, too. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Deciding to move to Israel is a seismic, fundamental shift in character. It is a change in every way you can imagine, and my own move shocked everyone who wasn't intimately involved in my Zionist activism in the few years that preceded it. If you didn't see me during the years I took those 12 Birthright groups to Israel, you would think I was the same Jordana who sang "Hatikva" at my Young Israel's 5k run-walk for Israel".</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But once I decided that Israel was the place I had to live, <i>because</i> I am a pro-Israel Jew, I began to feel something odd at the parade. This isn't going to be a blog where I berate everyone for not making Aliyah- I'm sure that will come someday, but not today. This is just my view as Jordana in Jerusalem, and maybe a bit of food for thought as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Supporting Israel is great. Visiting Israel for Sukkot is great. Donating to Israel is great. Singing hatikva in your Young Israel is great. Hanging the Israeli flag outside your home is great. Cheering on Team Israel at the World Baseball Classic is great. Eating a shwarma on Main Street that Dudu sold you is great. Painting your nails blue and white is great. Dancing to Omer Adam at your house party is great. And going to the Salute to Israel Parade is <i><b>great</b></i>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But it is not the goal, or at least it shouldn't be. Even if you think Aliyah isn't for you- it's so hard<i> (it is</i>), you'll be poor <i>(you will</i>), it's too far (<i>sooo far)</i>, you don't speak Hebrew (lo <i>norah</i>), the people are mean (yeah, but they're also so nice!) and every other excuse I've heard a million times, it should be an ideal. Something you wish you could do, you hope to do someday. I promise you, ten years ago, Aliyah was not in my plans. But it was always an ideal, something I wished I could do. And ten years later I did!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Just think about it, and have an amazing time celebrating our country at today's parade!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsxdXtelt7oGjvn0octfrlOCT3vHiL6WPxrEs8GHg4D_JgRLx43YCTF9VRqBYZGhLayCfnuad7pjTiFxoVvHWtnQgLIDqqsP8cU3H-1tXHLe2Pb4wictA3ztuPV29DnbL-laIWlb-2NS3/s1600/25A48107-A92C-4E4D-B68B-E0EB068C47A4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsxdXtelt7oGjvn0octfrlOCT3vHiL6WPxrEs8GHg4D_JgRLx43YCTF9VRqBYZGhLayCfnuad7pjTiFxoVvHWtnQgLIDqqsP8cU3H-1tXHLe2Pb4wictA3ztuPV29DnbL-laIWlb-2NS3/s320/25A48107-A92C-4E4D-B68B-E0EB068C47A4.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My last parade before Aliyah</td></tr>
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<img src="webkit-fake-url://6c02daf6-f98c-4169-accb-525a742f77b2/imagepng" />Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-51450221703288359822017-05-03T05:07:00.001-07:002018-05-21T00:03:49.185-07:0069 MORE Reasons I love Israel!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Well, kids! It's been <b><i>ages</i></b> since the last time I blogged. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me "When are you writing a new blog post?" I'd have... like 40 dollars. And most of that would be from my mom. But here I am, back in action, special for the best holiday of the year- Yom Ha'atzmaut! I can't say that nothing has happened in my life since September 2016, of course it has. But nothing that moved me to write a blog post, I guess. But now that I'm back here, maybe I'll stay! Aliyah starts with excitement and new and different and then a few years in, it's normal. It's your life. Sure, the bank is always an experience, but you've already been to the bank 100 times! So hopefully I can get back into making quality content on this blog- even if I have to just make stuff up- <i>just kidding!</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As yesterday was Israeli Independence Day and this year I actually spent it in Israel (unlike <a href="http://jordanatakestelaviv.blogspot.co.il/2016/05/the-68-reason-i-miss-israel-most.html">last year</a>) I thought I'd give 69 more reasons I love this Land- one for every year since our Independence. Only, it's a bit hard to come up with so many new things! Not that Israel isn't truly magical every day, but it can be hard to quantify all the little things that make this so great. So I came up with a bunch and asked people (basically everyone) I knew to contribute. And here they are:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u><b>The 69 Reasons I love Israel Most</b></u></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1) I love that I could watch the American presidential election go down from the sidelines, because if I lived in NYC I know I would have been completely immersed. And probably gone crazy.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2) I love that I've met my mayor six times.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3) Unlike my family in NYC, I love my mayor.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4) I loved watching everyone running the Jerusalem marathon in different colored t-shirts denoting worthy Jewish charities.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">5) I love that delicious kosher options are exploding all over Israel-so many that visiting friends don't even know where to start and need to plan return trips to try them all.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">6) I love all the amazing musical artists coming to perform here, knowing Israelis are among the best and loudest fans they have (see you soon, Aerosmith and Britney!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">7) I love that Israel wants to help the Jewish nation grow- providing IVF and fertility services for women who are struggling to conceive.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">8) I still love the vibe of the shuk at night- a learning about my history and culture with the graffiti-ed murals painted on all the stalls. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">9) I love the National Israeli Baseball Team, who came out of nowhere to make the whole country so proud when they rocked the World Baseball Classic.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">10) I still love Cofix- even though they raised their prices! (from 5 to 6 shekel!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">11) I love how Israel won 2 Olympic (bronze) medals and the country celebrated more than America and her 121 medals ever could.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">12) I love how excited Israelis are about Ama're Stoudemire- they love basketball and America so no matter what he does here for his team, he's a hero.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">13) I love that my quest for the ultimate Israeli breakfast continues another year (Adraba in TLV and Nocturno in Nachlaot are favorites for this year.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">14) I love the unity I'm seeing from our ally, the USA. I'm excited for the strengthened friendship Nikki Haley and David Friedman seem to be spearheading.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">15) I loved seeing the desert bloom this winter as the South hosted the Darom Adom (Red South) festival.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">16) I love how handy and well-equipped Israeli guys are- they can pitch a tent, start a fire, change a tire and make a mean poika (kind of a beach stew) without breaking a sweat.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">17) I love spending Shabbat in Tel Aviv! I know, right? I have the privilege of having shabbat dinner with 150 young professionals of all stripes and then enjoying an incredible Shabbat day kiddush every time I go!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">18) I know it might seem odd, but after many years, this year I went to my first Henna- twice! I love Hennas! I love the pageantry and the food and the music and the culture of my Sephardi brothers and sisters.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">19) Speaking of smachot- I love Israeli weddings! Most of them may not be as lavish as the ones in the States, but they are so beautiful! The backdrops, the views, the mix of guests- every wedding holds the potential for the best night of the year.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">20) I love photo magnets! Apparently this hasn't caught on in the US just yet (I think you do photo booths?) but it's super fun to get photo mementos of being all dressed up with your friends and blanketing your whole fridge in magnets.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">21) I've said it before but I love wine festivals! And since last year, I've discovered that Herzeliya also has a white wine festival- so that's basically a dream come true!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">22) I love the normalcy that comes with living here almost 3 years. Life here now is normal, and I love knowing that I'm where I'm meant to be.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">23) I love that I live in the center of Jewish world- it's so fun always bumping into someone you know from back in the day or getting to see friends and family from the old country when they make a visit here.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">24) I love the left- wing Israelis. I know that seems odd coming from me, but defending my position and my ideology in a productive and meaningful way both opens my mind and strengthens my own beliefs.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">25) I love that the rhythm of the country is based on Judaism. Weeks, months and years- Israel moves to a Jewish beat.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">26) I </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">love that losing your wallet often ends with its return and your faith in humanity rejuvenated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">27) I love how here in Israel, my third cousins are just "cousins." I feel just as close to them as I do my first cousins back in the States, because they have taken me into their family so fully and lovingly.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">28) I love that Tinder in Israel is basically JSwipe and Jews are able to meet other Jews and start Jewish families and have Jewish babies. Makes me smile.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">29) I love ending a fun night out with a 3 AM shwarma. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">30) I love that even the graffiti is Jewish- Na Nach Nachman Me'uman! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">31) I loved the way the country stops on Yom Hazikaron and Yom Hashoa. A lot has been said about it, but I agree. It's beautiful and important.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">32) I love how different Yom Hazikaron is from Memorial Day in the States. I love that Israelis consider it one of the holiest days of their year and grieve so fully for their loved ones. It hits home for everyone here, and it's palpable.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">33) I love Yom Ha'atzmaut! Don't get me wrong, July 4 is super fun but for me it doesn;t compare to Israeli Independence Day. And the celebrations are non-comparable too- Israelis GO WILD for their tiny country built on miracles! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">34) I love that you know the next Jewish holiday because of what is on sale at the supermarket (like donuts before Hanukkah, dried fruit before Tu b'Shvat, and cleaning supplies before Pesach!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">35) I love that little kids will tell you we must save water "for the Kinneret"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">36) I love that this country actually utilizes the Hebrew (lunar) calendar! In the US, I probably couldn't even tell you the lunar month. Here, you can write the Hebrew date on your checks!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">37) I love that Israelis are called Sabras- prickly on the outside but sweet on the inside is the perfect fruit-based analogy.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">38) I love how I get to know different cultures, both Israeli and of my fellow olim. Anglos/English speakers are diverse, we're not just Americans! I now know lots about the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and South Africans (my fave!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">39) I love that most of my most important phone apps were developed in Israel- where would we be without Whatsapp, Moovit, and Waze? (Probably friendless, stranded and lost!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">40) I love when Birthright season begins- I pray now more than ever, Jews in the diaspora will see how incredible Israel is and spread the word.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">41) I love Wine Wednesday. It's a charity initiative in Tel Aviv where young professionals get together (Usually on a gorgeous rooftop) to raise money for a worthy charity and drink wine with friends. It's the best way to give back! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">42) I love that when Israelis get married and move away, they're generally generally still nearby. Makes me a bit sad that I can't say the same (although my parents can always make aliyah and join me- keep praying, friends!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">43) I love when people say that I'm so lucky that I live here, and I get to tell them that they too can live here! And the government will even give them money to do so!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">44) I love that Israel revived a dead language. What was for so many year only utilized in Torah study is now a thriving and ever-growing language representing the Jewish homeland.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">45) I love that cab drivers will always have a guy for you. It is amazing how they can truly see how perfect Dudu and I would be for each other after 7 minutes in a cab.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">46) I love the sign on the bus that says what day of the Omer it is.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">47) I love having one day of chag. When I lived in the States, I swore the extra day made the chag extra beautiful. I lied. Make that one day beautiful.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">48) I </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">love that Aroma gets in on Jewish holidays like giving gelt on Chanuka and funny face wrapped chocolates on Purim.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">49) I love the aggressive love Israelis show you once you finally establish that it is, in fact, coming from a place of love. It's like a country full of people who want what's best for you, whether or not you want the same.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">50) I love that Shabbat dinner isn't just for the Orthodox here- that so many Israelis consider this beautiful custom an important tradition.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">51) I love all the budget airlines that allow cheaper travel. I have flown to more countries in 2 years than all my life in NYC, and on extremely sketchy airline (one was actually called JetAirFly.com- I kid you not!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">52) I love that the buskers here play Jewish songs.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">53) I love the siren before Shabbat, letting you know the country is about to slow way down.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">54) I love the Bar mitzvah celebrations in the Old City- a cacophony of shofar blowing and bongo playing accompanying the 13 year old and his 50 closest family members and friends.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">55) I love that Israelis call their friends "neshama" or "soul."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">56) I love borrowing money from someone behind me on the bus and having them tell me to give it to tzedaka instead of paying them back.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">57) I </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">love that the municipality decorated the side streets of downtown Jerusalem all summer, making our beautiful city even more so!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">58) I love the Israeli folk dancing in public places- Israeli senior citizens staying fit and young by cutting a rug on a Tuesday evening.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">59) I still love the light rail- even when it gets held up for 17 minutes for suspicious objects, it's still a super quick and comfortable alternative to the bus and it has made Yafo street pedestrian and therefore an excellent place to stroll.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">60) I love that I have the ability to connect with other Israelis anywhere in the world. Whether is was my pub-crawl guide in Amsterdam, my waiter in Paris or the owner of my bagel store in NYC, being Israeli gives you an instant connection to other people around the world. Israelis are a roaming people, but it's certainly special to find a piece of home so far away.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">61) I love Jerusalem stone- its is strong, and beautiful and everything in this city is composed of it. Every time I see it in the States and hear how hard it was to get it and how expensive it was to import it, I think "My city is just covered in the stuff!"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">62) I love the fact that the news has someone translating everything into sign language and so do Yom Ha'azmaut concerts! Watching someone "sing" hatikvah in sign language is so moving!63) I love that I don't have a car and I'm surviving just fine. I basically lives in my car in Queens and thought that this change would be horrible- it hasn't and I make it work. Maybe one day, though...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">63) I love that the Israel haters bother me less- I live here, I see the good, I know the truth. I can see for myself how wonderful it is, I don't need their approval or acceptance. And I'll never get it any way, so why be upset about it?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">64) I love how people say "Shabbat shalom", not "Have a good weekend." This may be due to the fact that essentially our whole weekend is shabbat, since Sundays are workdays, but I prefer to see the Jewish beauty in the concept.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">65) I love how there are a bazillion native English speakers, but no one ever seems to ask us to proofread their signs or menus! I wait patiently for the day when someone posts a job opening seeking "translations proofreader." Then my aliyah will be truly perfect.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">66) I love how this is a country full of Jewish mothers, which means that pretty much everywhere you go, someone in looking out for you and worrying about you. Makes ya feel good.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">67) I love how we call Israel "Ha'aretz- the Land" and anywhere outside of it "Chutz La'aretz- outside the Land."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">68) I love how when I had a bit of trouble coming up with so many things, everyone had a suggestion which made me fall even more deeply in love with this place.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">69) I love how now that this is my home, I get to find new things to love about it every day!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Thank you for reading and feel free to add your own reasons! Looking forward to another fantastic year in Israel, awaiting the day when you join me and together we can celebrate Israel's 70th- next year in Jerusalem!</b></span><br />
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Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-60830298265250430692016-09-22T07:02:00.001-07:002016-09-22T07:04:05.862-07:00One Last Blow Before I Go<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Even though the UN is entirely useless, run by dictators and human-rights abusers and holds no credibility with anyone with a functioning brain, it exists, it's in the newspapers and it shuts down all of New York City for a few weeks a year. It's an international joke that has gone on too long and whose only recognizable function at this point is to pass umpteen resolutions demonizing the Jews. Oops, I mean Israel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />If you don't care about Israel, or it's just not on your radar (<i>but then, how did you get to this blog? I digress</i>) the UN is a benign and impressive building with a bunch of colorfully dressed dignitaries who have cars they can park anywhere. They function away from your eyes, don't accomplish much and really don't affect your life in any way. You might visit the building on a class trip or read an article mentioning that they are having their yearly sessions that week. But if you are Israeli or a supporter of Israel, you know that they do have one other very important function. They are there to ruin the international reputation of your homeland. They convene once a year to collectively and decisively condemn every aspect of your beautiful, democratic country- repeatedly. Every. Single. Year.<br />But why Israel? You might ask. If you are one of Israel's many detractors you may think "sure, cite Israel along with Saudi Arabia, Syria, Sudan and all those other human rights abusers." The problem with that thinking is that you don't hate Jews and Israel enough! If you were truly like the members of the UN, you would realize that Israel is the perfect scapegoat for all the world's problems. You would appreciate the vile dictators and disgusting countries that make up the human rights councils and security councils and education councils, whose sole purpose is to come up with new and exciting ways to call Israel <b>"the worst."</b> These countries calling Israel "the worst," it should be noted, are largely Arab or Arab-majority, human-rights abusing, non-western, oppressive, violent and anti-Semitic regimes who, through oil money and intimidation, have come to run this farce of an organization.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is one year alone!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />Perhaps the UN started with the best of intentions, but it has devolved into an anti-Semitic cesspool where the patients are running the asylum (I'm really fired up, forgive me.) So why do I even care what happens there, you might ask. Generally, I don't. Usually, I can laugh at the rantings of Arab dictators at the plenum, and roll my eyes at the unending stream of condemnations of Israel, blaming us for everything from environmental ills (Israel is one of the greenest countries on earth) to women's rights abuses (Israel is the only liberal democracy in the entire Middle East.) Plus, Israel generally has the support of the western world (specifically the US) at the UN so it curbs any real damage. Except for when things like what happened yesterday occur. Except when things like my former president (I still hold American citizenship but take pride in this man no longer being my head of state) Barack Obama decided to aim one last parting shot at the country for which he holds such disdain. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><b>"Israel must recognize that it cannot permanently occupy and settle Palestinian land."</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b style="color: #222222;"><br /></b>In his final address to the UN and the world, as he has done for the last 8 years, he blamed Israel for the lack of peace while cushioning it with a plea for Palestinians to stop inciting their citizens to murder Jews, so as not to completely upset his liberal Jewish fan base. In that one sentence, he disregarded all offers for peace short of national suicide and gave Israel's detractors, enemies and terrorizers another weapon in their arsenal. "See?" Israel's enemies say "Even the president of your best friend America, even the country with the most Jews outside Israel, even the most powerful democracy on earth thinks you are occupiers, colonizers, thieves." They will continue to call our legitimacy into question, to ignore our indigenous rights, and to extend their fallacious narrative but now with a one-sentence soundbite from the leader of the free world. Just Google his speech and "Israel" and that quote is in the sub headline of every article. Not the part about Palestinian incitement. Not the part about the Palestinians needing to recognize the legitimacy of Israel. He said those things, but you'll have to read the whole article to find them, and most probably won't. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The reverberations are not hard to predict. The BDS movement will place this statement on their literature and placards. The UN will continue to do what they do, but without the conscience of the pesky US to tell them what they're doing is wrong, and the entire world will become a more dangerous place for the Jews. Because, as you should know by now, Israel is a proxy for the Jews. Even if you are a Jew that hates Israel (<i>and, by the way, if you are- yuck</i>) that man in Ireland, Africa, Abu Dhabi hears "Jew" and thinks "Israel" and vice versa. So Obama telling the world that Jews in Israel are permanently occupying Palestinian land, when actually they are living in their native homeland (like they have for 3,000 years) isn't just wrong- it's dangerous. It is not surprising, given Obama's clear disgust for Israel (if you are shaking your head in disagreement, please let's revisit this topic in 20 years when he is hawking anti-Israel diatribes like a modern-day Jimmy Carter.)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />As you know, I always like to leave on a hopeful note, so let me try and turn this around. Obama will be leaving office in around 120 days. For me, that's wonderful. But his legacy (which my liberal friends love and I despise) remains. And he is leaving the country in the hands of either Hillary (more of the same, especially when it comes to Israel, sadly) or Trump (the definition of the phrase "Oy vey") so I can't even look forward to his exit the way I planned! So I will say this: Israel was here before the UN and will be here long after. The children of Israel have suffered pogroms and libels, expulsions and genocide- they will continue to survive. And because we as a nation have a strong, just and beautiful country of our own, we will also thrive. Because, as you know, Am Yisrael Chai.</span></div>
Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-23362372336717656022016-08-10T03:16:00.000-07:002016-08-10T03:16:25.056-07:00The Sweetest Bronze<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Happy Olympics everyone! As a sports enthusiast (most notably a lifelong Yankee fan, played first base in synagogue little league and former Rosh Sport one month one summer at Camp Moshava, Wild Rose) I am super excited about the Olympics! Once every four years, (don't give me that "Winter Olympics" nonsense- if it's not figure skating or my bizarre addiction to curling, I'm not that interested) you can put politics and regional squabbles aside, and the whole country rallies around "their team." And for my whole life, that was Team USA. This is the first year, while tangentially following and rooting for the Americans, I am actively cheering for a new country- Team Israel!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRw8zDv7hcMtH-btgqLXn2Jh7LXlax1wD6BmlPP9BNuLM9d-K_dQJFyZTWHaJYBb4wRMKLxGz_7UlpVA98_o7SYU7czBC4FJKaRTUPR948IXhUpIWLiU3frgVnwW97-7iGq4nH3Qj9O_HB/s1600/blogpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRw8zDv7hcMtH-btgqLXn2Jh7LXlax1wD6BmlPP9BNuLM9d-K_dQJFyZTWHaJYBb4wRMKLxGz_7UlpVA98_o7SYU7czBC4FJKaRTUPR948IXhUpIWLiU3frgVnwW97-7iGq4nH3Qj9O_HB/s320/blogpic.jpg" width="220" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It says MY country!!!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Rooting for Team Israel after being an American fan for many years is like rooting for the underdog of all underdogs, after rooting for the 10-time world champions your whole life. There is an edge to it, an urgency, that I've never felt. When you root for Team USA, you root for the top of the medal count, when you root for Team Israel, you root for <i>a medal</i>. See, Team Israel has won single-digit medals<i> in its history. </i>We have yet to win more than 10 medals! But does that dampen my excitement? No way!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> This year, Team Israel sent its largest-ever delegation- 47 Olympians! Team USA has 554, and I'm no mathematician, but that seems to give Team Israel a much smaller opportunity to bring one home. We also compete in competitions I would have never thought to follow. Long gone are the days of screaming for the Dream Team in basketball and the Fab 5 in women's gymnastics. Now I'm all about rhythmic gymnastics, windsurfing and judo! Did I have to google "what is judo?" Maybe. But now that I know, I'm all in! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The big story is how the Arab world is treating Israeli Olympians. It is a big story to people who are not me, because I am a right-wing extremist who doesn't feign outrage when the Arab world insults and derides Jews. But that's just me. Am I disgusted that Lebanese athletes tried to block Israelis from boarding a bus back from training? Of course! Am I surprised? Nope. Am I horrified that a Saudi judo athlete has apparently taken herself out of competition in order to avoid an Israeli competitor? Quite the contrary! If they want to show the world that they don't care about fulfilling lifelong dreams all in the name of bigotry- go for it! And a forfeit is a win for the Israelis, so let 'em all forfeit, for all I care! That's one step closer to the gold!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> This is not to say I'm not super- proud of Team USA. They are killing it out there, and I am as obsessed with my Jewish-gymnast sister Aly Raisman as can be! I love that they are leading the world, bringing a politically- fractured country together for just a little bit, and representing my second-favorite country so beautifully.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> But for now, I cheer on my blue-and-white clad countrymen, follow the local news with anticipation and take intense pride in the newest Israeli medalist, Yarden Gerbi (name twins!) I put in an extra little prayer for another medal or 2 (hey, can't hurt) and yes, check out Team USA on top of the medal count with a flutter of pride. Because you can cheer on your two countries, you know. Just as long as if they ever compete head-to-head, you take a stand. And my stand will always be <i>Yalla Yisrael! </i></span><br />
<br />Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-21158579745390872252016-06-30T00:45:00.000-07:002018-05-21T00:05:25.399-07:00Aliyahversary, the Second!<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Two years. Twenty-four months, 104 weeks, 731 days (2016 was a Leap Year) etc etc. Tomorrow will be 2 full years since I stepped off that plane, into Ben Gurion airport to start the next and hopefully best chapter of my life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I just reread my post for last year's Aliyah anniversary- boy, that Jordana was cute! Brimming with life changes and accomplishments, overcoming small challenges of bureaucracy and moving furniture- I envy her. Not that this past year wasn't great- quite the contrary, my Aliyah continues to be the best decision I've ever made. But when you make a huge life decision (moving, getting married, having kids- so I'm told!) there are peaks and valleys. And this year came with higher peaks and lower valleys than I could have imagined in my first year. To gloss over the bad would be allowing this blog to become inauthentic. I strive to make anyone who reads it understand that although I believe aliyah is for (almost) all Jews, I understand that there will be complications and sad times. So I will be straight up with some of my struggles here. I still have not found the job for me. I have not found that magical equation of:<b> I enjoy it+ I am good at it +I am challenged by it= it pays me enough to live</b>. You might think these are super reasonable qualifications, you might think I'm asking too much (not to be confused with a conversation on "what are you looking for in a spouse?" which sounds interestingly quite similar to this.) Although I have blessedly been employed by wonderful companies and people for the entirety of this year, I am a bit at a loss for why the job for me eludes me. I thought I had it for about 5 minutes, only to realize it wasn't quite right and have to start from Square 1. If I had to pinpoint this year's lowest valley, without a doubt, it would be that setback. In fact, I write this as I am still trying to climb back up from that, so if this blog seems a little less than effervescent, it's probably just because you should not write a blog post in a state of flux. But what can I do?! My Aliyaversary is falling out smack in the middle of my time of flux- what a bassa!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I do remain hopeful and (weirdly) confident that a job that involves writing/marketing/politics/Jewish outreach/Israel advocacy/media will materialize, the powers-that-be will realize my talents and I will stay working there until I am a little old lady. It could happen, right? But until then, I remain positive- I have to! This is my home now. As I have mentioned several times- there is no "Plan B." There is no "going home"; I <b style="font-style: italic;">am home.</b> I do not see myself ever living in America again (sorry, Mommy) so I will do whatever I must to make Israel the best home I could possibly ever have. "Ain Li Eretz Acheret- I have no other land." There is something terrifying and exhilarating about knowing that you have found your place in this world and no matter what, you will make it work. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> There are fundamental differences between years 1 and 2 of my Aliyah journey. Liken it to the difference between starting a job and keeping that job fresh. The difference between starting to date someone and allowing that attraction to grow into something more. In practical terms: It's the difference between figuring out how to open a bank account and then how to bank efficiently on your Leumi app. If year one is finding a group of friends to go to a bar with, year 2 is growing those friendships into people you can trust with the real-life stuff. The first year is playing that "I'm new here" card when things get sticky and year 2 is "oh shoot! That card doesn't work as well, I guess I'll cut my teeth on Hebrew instead." Year 1 is waiting for friends and family to visit so you have a taste of home in your new city, while year 2 is playing tour guide for visiting friends and family, so you can show them <i>your</i> home. Year 1 is finding a place to live, a job and a favorite brunch spot; year 2 is paying full municipal taxes on that apartment, finding a new job (or 2- for me!) and making that brunch spot your Friday destination after a hard week of work. The luster and excitement that comes with everything new and shiny in your first year is followed by a tangible shift toward comfort and contentment. It's when you can feel your infatuation toward Israel becoming a real love of Israel.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some scenes from Year 2</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I used to teach classes for an outreach program and one of the questions we asked was "What's the difference between infatuation and love?" And the answer we gave was this- "when you love everything about that person/place/thing- everything they do and say is perfect-<i> that's </i>infatuation. When you can see the bad in that person/place/thing- when you are aware of his flaws and shortcomings, in addition to his good qualities- <i>that </i>is love!" So last year I was the conductor of that infatuation train. I had to be! There was a war, I was living in the fantasy-land of Ulpan, I was just getting my feet wet in Israeli society- everything was heightened and important (and I had a heck of a lot more to blog about!) This year, I was dealing with the mundane- paying bills, socializing (although now in Tel Aviv a lot more, <a href="http://jordanatakestelaviv.blogspot.co.il/2014/09/a-tale-of-two-cities.html">go figure!</a>) and working every day. Although I broke that up by <a href="http://jordanatakestelaviv.blogspot.co.il/2015/12/tales-from-holding-cell.html">traveling</a>, and a trip to the States, life here went from aliyah fantasy to Israeli reality, without my even noticing it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I know more seasoned Olim will see this and scoff "It's only been 2 years, Jords. Relax. Come back to me in 10 years." And I intend to! And I know each year will bring its own victories, its own epiphanies and, realistically, its own failures. But the same would be true if I were back in New York, or living in London, or Timbuktu! The difference here is that I have the motivation to make this life I create here the greatest possible life I can have on earth. Because nothing beats the fact that I am living in the Jewish state and the truest home I have ever known. Nothing beats the fact that I know that with all the hardships and loneliness, anxiety and stress- I have finally ended up in the place I am meant to be. So hopefully next year when I recap Aliyah Year 3, there will be less lows, higher highs and the same certainty that Aliyah was the greatest choice I've ever made. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Next year in Jerusalem! (or maybe Tel Aviv? Who knows!) Stay tuned...</span>Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-64850425776359391832016-05-12T09:19:00.001-07:002018-05-21T00:07:47.840-07:00The 68 Reason I Miss Israel (Most)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hello from NYC! I have been on my yearly pilgrimage to America since before Pesach, but honestly, it feel like forever! Not that I haven't been enjoying- it's been so lovely and full of incredible memories (more on that in a blog to come). But when I was planning my trip and people would ask when I was returning home to Israel, they would inevitably exclaim, "WHAT?! You're missing Yom Ha'atzmaut? How could YOU miss that here?" Emphasis on the "you", since I am a vocal and rabid Zionist who enjoys just a regular Tuesday in February in Israel. Imagine my sadness in realizing that my sister's sheva brachot wedding festivities would coincide with Israel's Independence Day! But, as one of my best friends put it, "Yom Ha'atzmaut comes every year, your sister only gets married once!" Good point, Donna. And so here I am, missing Israel terribly, feverishly checking Facebook to see how my Israeli contingent is enjoying, and counting the ways I miss my country- I chose 68 for Israel's birthday specifically, but I probably could have gone on a lot longer. Here they are, the </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIKkenQKUQL7VqPWCGzZYB-jd3psttRS-VLDo4iFF1MTrospuFlyPNxfyYbcsxkZVB2oyr9XMRR6CmJ-EbmJyeFlJxOqze6ODZiwOOEwMlwLJsQtbZzpKuNmVLR86F-C2FPWokERs5dum/s1600/IMG_0468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIKkenQKUQL7VqPWCGzZYB-jd3psttRS-VLDo4iFF1MTrospuFlyPNxfyYbcsxkZVB2oyr9XMRR6CmJ-EbmJyeFlJxOqze6ODZiwOOEwMlwLJsQtbZzpKuNmVLR86F-C2FPWokERs5dum/s320/IMG_0468.JPG" width="166" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At my sister's wedding, with my flag</span></td></tr>
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<u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">68 Reasons I Miss Israel</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1) I miss getting to Ben Gurion Airport, where customs will say "Welcome Home."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVfy5iX-XIjOPk4YKApIKR9PcWQg8hmW9HHSdsu-o66-90J2CZl5eQ4Z0fK1-BRdCq1VgmYdX11D63iFjbG_-NZVOn32tHo3I9OQpxLzlaZ25y4wBEc5kOrwhwMXOifzEYS1tjDXfWVXh/s1600/IMG_3913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVfy5iX-XIjOPk4YKApIKR9PcWQg8hmW9HHSdsu-o66-90J2CZl5eQ4Z0fK1-BRdCq1VgmYdX11D63iFjbG_-NZVOn32tHo3I9OQpxLzlaZ25y4wBEc5kOrwhwMXOifzEYS1tjDXfWVXh/s320/IMG_3913.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Welcome home from DBG</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2) I miss getting onto the <a href="http://jordanatakestelaviv.blogspot.com/search?q=bus">bus </a>as it pulls away, the bus driver rushing me on with a smile, knowing he's made my day a little easier.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3) I miss searching for hidden lions all over Jerusalem, sometimes just chilling out on rooftops.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4) I miss all the kosher options. Sure, New York has lots of kosher- but is the entire food court on the mall kosher?! I didn't think so!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">5) I miss going from the biggest city to the second biggest city (Jerusalem to Tel Aviv) in under an hour- can you imagine getting from NYC to LA in an hour bus ride?!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">6) I miss the bus ride from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. It's long enough to snooze, browse Facebook and chat with a friend, but short enough that, before you know it, you're there!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">7) I miss the weather. Today is beautiful in NYC, but I was in a coat for 2/3 of my visit- in MAY! Weather report in Israel? Sunny with a chance of gorgeous.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">8) Speaking of weather change, I miss not having allergies. I forgot all about the intense suffering I had at the hands of New York pollen. Luckily, I haven't had one seasonal sniffle since my aliyah!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">9) I miss my tiny studio apartment (which hasn't been robbed- I checked, thank G-d!) Just me and my 30 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">meters of personal space! And my shoes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">10) I miss being a round people who don't think making aliyah is insane. G-d bless my friends and their support for the Jewish state, but when I say I moved to Israel, half the time I get a look of utter shock. It's not that crazy, guys!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">11) I miss Chabad and Breslov dance parties- in town, at the bus station, on top of their vans. I love seeing devotion to G-d set to an awesome techno beat, tzitzit flying everywhere!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">12) I miss watching awesome street performers, like that Hasidic man who sings classic rock and the electric violinist lady who wails on some Josh Groban.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUMYVDW8d9KbLYMfP4odGJrUCGsUQM8BYvdY-z4Az_okpOXgB5qo_MLxdFwTuHJ66WHDLkhCUeD5n2kvUrViWniJqJORZ-2a5VD7KW6gNTMcR7a5WVppViUwdUHXNskidjNYuXUkjSZgg/s1600/IMG_5072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUMYVDW8d9KbLYMfP4odGJrUCGsUQM8BYvdY-z4Az_okpOXgB5qo_MLxdFwTuHJ66WHDLkhCUeD5n2kvUrViWniJqJORZ-2a5VD7KW6gNTMcR7a5WVppViUwdUHXNskidjNYuXUkjSZgg/s320/IMG_5072.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street performers are the norm</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">13) I miss the street names, and the fact that I can live on a Sholom Aleichem instead of an Avenue U.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">14) I miss how safe I feel in Israel. As I always tell people who worry, Israel is totally safe, with just a touch of <a href="http://jordanainjerusalem.blogspot.com/2014/11/just-right-of-center.html">terrorism</a>! (Weirdly, this doesn't calm them...)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">15) I miss using my Chofshi Chadshi (my monthly metro card.) Once I've paid it at the beginning of the month, I feel like I'm riding for free every time!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">16) Speaking of the bus, and as much as I love driving, I miss the bus! I miss getting a ride back at the end of a long night, not having to worry about driving and ending up at my door- like magic!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrsOK20657JbxHNaNEh3XDj9mDcicwJU9kmtxYMiR9mGWaUaRs8_g3bv7KHe2t-tAUNFS4Autd5ykiHIp6t5FgQVYpexlnwJ7JJ-HSdYjmwDqFtILhDgjRWs0hsuSmi8zlh2a_K9A2ukbo/s1600/IMG_5268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrsOK20657JbxHNaNEh3XDj9mDcicwJU9kmtxYMiR9mGWaUaRs8_g3bv7KHe2t-tAUNFS4Autd5ykiHIp6t5FgQVYpexlnwJ7JJ-HSdYjmwDqFtILhDgjRWs0hsuSmi8zlh2a_K9A2ukbo/s320/IMG_5268.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Buses in Israel featuring the Shema prayer!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">17) I miss the Mediterranean lifestyle! I miss seeing 5 Israeli men at a cafe at 2 PM on a Wednesday, not a care in the world! Do they work? Probably! But for now- Turkish coffee!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">18) I miss hummus at every meal. You don't realize you are missing this Israeli staple until it's gone---and even worse, when it's there but it tastes bad!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">19) I miss the little jingle that precedes the Israeli news on the radio.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">20) I miss listening to the news, trying to understand the gist, and getting excited that half the words are names ("blah blah Barack Obama blah blah Benjamin Netanyahu blah blah California")</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">21) Speaking of politics- I miss our government! Dysfunctional as it may be, I can't wait to escape the Donald Trump/Hillary Clinton juggernaut that dominates the news here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">22) I miss hearing little kids speak Hebrew. In general, I love the sound of the language, but tiny people speaking it more fluently than I will ever in my life? Adorable!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">23) I miss the artists' markets on Fridays. Even when you don't buy anything, it's beautiful to see such talent coming from me fellow Israelis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">24) I miss the Tel Aviv bus station- just kidding it's gross. But where else can you buy a coffee, get a tattoo, send money Western Union, pick up an outfit to go clubbing and catch a bus to Eilat- all in the same place?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">25) I miss Goldstar. I'm so happy I love our national beer (sorry, I've never tried Maccabi) and I love that it's a delicious and economical choice!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">26) I miss continuing my quest for best Israeli breakfast (pssst- it's Cafe Greg or Caffit so far)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbgo3Gf7bIQaLzBk_ZlkL8EhSElFoJVPVv6tDS2A0L7AEg9hVXLCBsfCslTgu4CXlL91pzixqQ0ZG58f0z0Xjx9UWPr9NymioB93BJtDUKl2kjHwIf7K5WbJcICwPSQzaeOc7zBQsO4vM/s1600/IMG_6561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbgo3Gf7bIQaLzBk_ZlkL8EhSElFoJVPVv6tDS2A0L7AEg9hVXLCBsfCslTgu4CXlL91pzixqQ0ZG58f0z0Xjx9UWPr9NymioB93BJtDUKl2kjHwIf7K5WbJcICwPSQzaeOc7zBQsO4vM/s320/IMG_6561.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(Israeli) breakfast is served!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">27) I miss the desert. I don't spend that much time there, but every time I go there is such a peace in the silence. And G-d knows, I need to be silent sometimes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">28) I miss the North (of Israel). Like the desert, I don't spend enough time there, but every time I go- I'm dazzled by the green and the air and the natural beauty- I just love it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">29) I miss being a tour guide for visitors. Nothing better than a friend from NYC coming to visit and asking me what to do, where to go or what to eat. In my past life, I was a tour guide for sure. Now I'm just a frustrated tour guide. Who has eaten at every kosher restaurant in town.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">30) I miss the indescribable feeling you get when beating the <a href="http://jordanatakestelaviv.blogspot.com/2014/07/all-around-town-errands-story.html">bureaucracy</a>. Like when I figured out a bank issue or got my Israeli driver's license with only minimal agita. Priceless.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">31) I miss Mizrachi music, my non-secret, non-guilty, guilty pleasure. Yalla Habibi!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">32) I miss having my Hebrew corrected (constantly and without remorse) every time I speak (or text.) In America, everyone thinks I'm fluent and back home, Israelis think I speak like a 3rd grader with a concussion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">33) I miss watching awkward dates of Hareidim in lobbies. I don't feel bad saying this, because for a long while, I had those dates myself. Hello from the other side!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">34) I miss the arsim who always make me feel hot, even when I am looking definitely not.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">35) I miss the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv<a href="http://jordanatakestelaviv.blogspot.com/2014/09/a-tale-of-two-cities.html"> rivalry </a>and how I started off firmly Team Jerusalem and now I'm a bit less sure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">36) I miss Sarona Market in Tel Aviv. I went to Chelsea market here in NYC, which is almost exactly the same, but it's <i>indoors</i>! Total win for Sarona!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YLRVI9BV3o1xd0NTMdh2hS67v9wU6_Ytyz6L2c6uPEZkYdLYSCuURYQ8Nc2jr-Ktzc7h4b01quh0fE7atfSa8Oq_xXMoXwixhuUsA7r_EBFPdnOV8L2GurilSlZ1-2LQ0QPHMfCLnhoz/s1600/IMG_4802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YLRVI9BV3o1xd0NTMdh2hS67v9wU6_Ytyz6L2c6uPEZkYdLYSCuURYQ8Nc2jr-Ktzc7h4b01quh0fE7atfSa8Oq_xXMoXwixhuUsA7r_EBFPdnOV8L2GurilSlZ1-2LQ0QPHMfCLnhoz/s320/IMG_4802.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sarona is a paradise</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">37) I miss not having to hear about how expensive yeshiva tuition is. We get it, America, you pay a lot for your kids to not learn Hebrew very well. Move to Israel already!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">38) I miss Israeli slang, now that I'm starting to understand it. Yes, I do "chaya b'seret/live in a movie" thanks for noticing!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">39) I miss seeing tourists do double takes at the guy on the beach with the swim trunks and the rifle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">40) I miss rooting for my new favorite basketball team- Yalla Hapoel!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_URm-euJHihnWWxCBCrSXFo_qcUK8a9Pvy3d1G2Ern0t1mrh_LlcIWLav516N3daXoC2FiyE-xspJivngZJK_Jp2sKVTaqF5ignF4v9Bb1ex66ATxOAsP9AHVMxcDB0eVuFMnRKMbGzfP/s1600/IMG_4622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_URm-euJHihnWWxCBCrSXFo_qcUK8a9Pvy3d1G2Ern0t1mrh_LlcIWLav516N3daXoC2FiyE-xspJivngZJK_Jp2sKVTaqF5ignF4v9Bb1ex66ATxOAsP9AHVMxcDB0eVuFMnRKMbGzfP/s320/IMG_4622.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Love my team!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">41) I miss discussing with tourists (especially non-Jewish European ones!) how different Israel is from how it's portrayed in the media.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">42) I miss people being happy on rainy days. They know that the rain is a blessing, so they enjoy it. I still don't, but maybe one day!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">43) I miss being wished a "Shabbat Shalom" or "Chag Sameach" by everyone- not just the religiously observant. And I miss saying it right back!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">44) I miss the shuk on Fridays- I won't actually go there to shop, just to soak up the energy once in a while, when I become jaded about living in Jerusalem.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">45) I miss watching the kids on Birthright fall in love with Israel. I often miss being the one who gets to show them Israel, but I miss seeing their faces as they come home for the first time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">46) I miss the shuk at night! Who would have ever thought Jerusalem would become a hub of nightlife? Certainy no one in Tel Aviv did! And yet here we are, with this awesome market that turns into the greatest place to spend a chill Tuesday (ar any) night, listening to music and gettinga drink with friends.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRJ_F2_I9n_Pr0-jp8hXatxk38lQElXdkJmHkwzu7sbFScoU_Aj9vB6cuxDPdRH9Q0WZR0c_2SO6GhOKCNFh7LXZrJ1GVufVs4rg3kQjng00jVyB-n5lPPhg72VVcZBf6oUw_OOlHpumX/s1600/IMG_3602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRJ_F2_I9n_Pr0-jp8hXatxk38lQElXdkJmHkwzu7sbFScoU_Aj9vB6cuxDPdRH9Q0WZR0c_2SO6GhOKCNFh7LXZrJ1GVufVs4rg3kQjng00jVyB-n5lPPhg72VVcZBf6oUw_OOlHpumX/s320/IMG_3602.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My man, Menachem Begin, spray painted at the shuk</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">47) I miss the quiet in the streets of Jerusalem on Shabbat. Though we're not all observant in the city, most people observe shabbat in some way, and the streets become very still and traffic is super slow, You don't get that in many places on a Saturday!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">48) And I miss how the city comes alive on a Thursday night. As a country where the day off is Friday, not Sunday, Thursday night is our Saturday night (you follow?) Thursday night is the night to party, and I rarely stay in- although</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I used to love to stay in Saturday nights in NYC. There's just too much going on in Israel on a Thursday night!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">49) I miss roof parties! With awesome weather for over half the year and limited indoor space, roof parties are probably my favorite kind. Other than wine parties, Those are really my favorite.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">50) I miss wine parties. Particularly on Wednesdays.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">51) I miss the views from the bus heading into or out of Jerusalem. There is usually a noticeable quieting as everyone on the bus gazes out onto a truly breathtaking view out our windows</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4QWTJwrgK9Rxd8YnFXeVZlV1XIEWM-015lotszrtOUGC2ItKFUs72YlY-GmZhHUIWR9ENSYYMGWOso5CXyiSPRl_Hfm8ViDhm9ngH5bH-pIhUXG0EIt7oa8L3qDVlqWJPvcd8wx1SGXH/s1600/IMG_5401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4QWTJwrgK9Rxd8YnFXeVZlV1XIEWM-015lotszrtOUGC2ItKFUs72YlY-GmZhHUIWR9ENSYYMGWOso5CXyiSPRl_Hfm8ViDhm9ngH5bH-pIhUXG0EIt7oa8L3qDVlqWJPvcd8wx1SGXH/s320/IMG_5401.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This view!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">52) I miss starting renditions of Israel's national anthem, Hatikva, everywhere I go and having my friends roll their eyes before they join in too for the big finish.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">53) I miss starting singalongs on public buses during festivals like Purim and Yom Ha'atzmaut, where the whole bus joins in a sings "David Melech Yisrael" at the top of their lungs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">54) I miss <a href="http://jordanatakestelaviv.blogspot.com/2014/07/cofabulous.html">Cofix</a>! I miss being able to get a beer, a sandwich, a soup or an iced coffee for just 5 shekel! In a country where we try to be frugal- it's the best!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">55) I miss staring at the boys in Tel Aviv- some of the handsomest in the world. I actually think that's a fact I read in an article somewhere, but even if it's not, it's true. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">56) I miss "Chag Sameach" for whichever holiday it happens to be flashing on buses and in all store windows. I'm still new enough here that seeing "Chanuka Sameach" on the bus makes my whole day.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5c9krFADIBCRdzbLTjFpY9xBM_KV_OOD1BTr7j7MAfuEwpF-YXXo1q-ECeCnVgxow7fARIWTt5_JvtQ15his2CqRuSBL_8KGL_PGiBc7ojsKPX3QqU9vW0n7WKpEHAOxhlz-JZE-wJ5wV/s1600/IMG_5806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5c9krFADIBCRdzbLTjFpY9xBM_KV_OOD1BTr7j7MAfuEwpF-YXXo1q-ECeCnVgxow7fARIWTt5_JvtQ15his2CqRuSBL_8KGL_PGiBc7ojsKPX3QqU9vW0n7WKpEHAOxhlz-JZE-wJ5wV/s320/IMG_5806.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Happy Purim! Love, Jerusalem</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">57) I miss the festivals! I can't wait for the summer and my favorite, the Summer Wine Festival and the Arts Festival-Chutzot Hayotzer. But really, there's always some festival happening in Jerusalem at any time- anyone remember Japanese Culture Week?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3txxE5cJ_3mhJkBun7OQnAEdG7BBJLjAWJwiuC0XExBTo8AMhw-jdvBg0jLpXuNfcuqshCBorrZOm9l95N5jMsMdsz3zFKVQp-0A8nENFe4TssY3yD8knygY8URhrwbcU3qVq_SnM_AKF/s1600/IMG_6959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3txxE5cJ_3mhJkBun7OQnAEdG7BBJLjAWJwiuC0XExBTo8AMhw-jdvBg0jLpXuNfcuqshCBorrZOm9l95N5jMsMdsz3zFKVQp-0A8nENFe4TssY3yD8knygY8URhrwbcU3qVq_SnM_AKF/s320/IMG_6959.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Summer Wine Festival- best night of the year!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">58) I miss seeing a mezuza on every door. It's still weird to head into a room here in the States and automatically kiss every doorway, and not have a little mezuza there to greet me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">59) I miss the attitude. I know that seems crazy, but being in NYC, where politeness is certainly not a virtue, I miss the kind of well-meaning aggressiveness Israelis have. Maybe it's because I'm from NYC, and not short on chutzpah, but I don't mind the rough Israeli style, I can handle it just fine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">60) I miss the diversity of Jews. I never realized it, but in my New York bubble, my Jewish friends are a bit...homogeneous. They are wonderful, beautiful and amazing- but we are all pretty much the same. Israel boasts Jews from every country, speaking every language, with every culture, living in one tiny space. It's pretty awesome.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">61) I miss the bubble. I miss not knowing what movies are out, what songs are popular, and what are the must-see shows. There are probably Israelis who know all these things, but I don't! Don't get me wrong, I'm still pretty up on pop-culture, but I do like the extra degree of separation that comes from living 6,000 miles away from the US.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">62) I know this will sound a little crazy coming from me, but I miss the coexistnce. sometimes there are <a href="http://jordanatakestelaviv.blogspot.com/2014/11/to-fear-or-not-to-fear.html">times of fear</a> or mistrust, but generally, the different cultures of Israel get along just fine. In the malls, the supermarkets, on the light rail or at the bank- citizens of Israel generally get along just fine with one another, and it's a good thing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">63) I miss our soldiers. Some of my favorite people in Israel have served or currently serve in the IDF, so our army is made up of people I truly love-whether I know them personally or not. May G-d bless them and keep them safe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">64) I miss my friends who have become my family, especially my fellow olim. There is a bond that comes with moving to Israel alone. I may not celebrate the holidays with my mom and dad and sisters, but I have some incredible new friends in my life who help me miss them a little less around the holidays.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">65) I miss how everyone here feels like your family, and how they may yell at you one miniute, but they will kiss and hug you and invite you for shabbat the next minute- just like your real family.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">66) I miss wishing someone who has just made aliyah a "Mazal tov!" Who says that when someone moves to Canada or England? I also miss making people "Mazel tov on your Aliyah!" posters!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSqvT82_YKgqWszJzbA9pUSWraFFRZbSAc-_kZIom93X2KKZoAROHYWUhLyGtqTKBRZbTNukDhsFtX355aXIe4Ls7IqVJXoT0_2cx_JE67wM3pDiKKNyC4CJxEVtq-ByfTQtfvlvTZkqw8/s1600/IMG_8565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSqvT82_YKgqWszJzbA9pUSWraFFRZbSAc-_kZIom93X2KKZoAROHYWUhLyGtqTKBRZbTNukDhsFtX355aXIe4Ls7IqVJXoT0_2cx_JE67wM3pDiKKNyC4CJxEVtq-ByfTQtfvlvTZkqw8/s320/IMG_8565.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My family hasn't made aliyah (yet!) but I can dream, right?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">67) I miss learning new things about Israel every day. Whether it's a new Hebrew expression, a new historical fact or a new place to get the best cafe hafuch, I can't wait to learn more!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">68) I miss feeling like I'm home. I will always love America deeply, for it's freedom and because the people I love most live here. But I live in the homeland of the Jews, and that is the great gift.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> So HAPPY 68th BIRTHDAY, Israel! You are beautiful and you are brave, you are ancient and you are young, you are traditional and you are innovative. You are a home to us all- and we love you!</span><br />
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Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-73996241252090804622016-04-14T00:52:00.000-07:002016-04-14T01:01:42.567-07:00An Open Letter to Simone Zimmerman<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Simone-</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Normally, I wouldn't care to write this. I would ignore you like I do the other members of the small, but rabid and vicious, young, self-hating, American Jewish community who pop up here and there to scream and yell and wear keffiyehs and write patronizing and ignorant articles and tweet nonsense that no one notices, but you are different. You have been thrust onto the national stage as a "director of Jewish outreach" for the Bernie Sanders campaign, and for anyone who knows what you stand for, that should read like a The Onion headline. Normally, I try and keep infighting in the Jewish community to a minimum, L-rd knows we see a lot of it. But you are a rotten apple, with the ability to ruin the whole bushel, and you must be called out. You will be known to large swaths of the American population as a "Jewish representative," and that fact makes my stomach turn. What you are saying is not new, not innovative, nor progressive or cool. You are not a great Jew because you call other Jews "yids" or have bagel and schmears on Sundays. You are not open-minded because you went to Berkeley, a bastion of anti-Semitic hatred in the bleak and anti- Semitic UC system. You are somewhat more notable because of the extents to which you have gone to try and destroy Israel, I will give you that. You joined (and led!) blatantly anti-Israel groups, you wrote anti-Israel articles, heck! You even opposed university legislation trying to curb campus anti-Semitism! So when I say you are similar to other self-hating, liberal Americans of Jewish lineage, I don't mean to demean your efforts- you are certainly at the forefront of this vile movement. You must be, or I don't believe Mr. Sanders would have chosen you for your current position.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> But this letter is going to focus on the Facebook message that is now making the rounds (I've inserted it below for whomever reads this and is unfamiliar) on the Internet- and I've included the un-censored version you posted first, not the sanitized version you edited once you realized that the original version might come across as, well, insane. Kudos, by the way, for not letting your political aspirations keep you from voicing your truth. Before you changed your truth to suit your political aspirations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> We can start with your beautiful summary of my several-times democratically elected Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Aside from being a war hero, a scholar, a head of state and someone you've never met in your life, you use the most nasty language to discuss the leader of an <b>ally </b>of the United States. The biggest ally in the Middle East, incidentally. It may have missed my attention, but would you please direct me to any similar posts calling out Bashar Assad, who is implementing genocide on the Syrian people? Did you write a similar rant about Khaled Mashaal, Mahmoud Abbas, Hassan Nasrallah, Ahmedenijad, Khameini- you know, leaders who are promising the death and destruction of your fellow Jews, both in Israel and abroad? I would love to see the tweets and Facebook posts you wrote railing against the incitement of Palestinian leadership that has caused innocents to be stabbed and run over and shot with abandon here in Israel these past 5 months. Oh, you haven't? Only Bibi is singled out and told "f--- you"? Nice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> You talk of Bibi's fear mongering. Fair play, coming from some American Jew ensconced in Berkeley or NYC (where I'm from, actually!) Tell me, would you have the gall to say that to my face as I sat in my building's bomb shelter, praying for my life, 4 days after I moved to Israel and made it my home. Would you say Bibi is a fear-monger to the thousands of children from Sderot, Ashkelon and Ashdod who live with PTSD at age 5 because they have lived under the wail of a siren from incoming rockets their whole lives? You know, ever since Israel gave away Gaza in hopes of peace, only to watch their greenhouses turned into rocket launchpads and tunnel-building sites for Hamas? Would you like to go to Sderot and tell those people that Bibi is an ultra-nationalist, blood-lusting, fear-monger who only wants war? I dare you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Let's move on to him "sanctioning the murder of over 2,000 people" in a "brutal military occupation." I'm going to go out on a limb and say you probably are not a big fan of the IDF. You probably love "Breaking the Silence" and whatever anti-Israel former soldiers who decide to put the love of leftist American Jews, before loyalty to their families and country. I am nothing like you. I love the IDF, the most moral army in the world. Aside from the fact that many past and present members are family and friends of mine, I know who and what they are and I am so proud to have them to defend me. Let me tell you who they are. They are generally 18-21 years old men and women, who have been drafted and asked to give up a chunk of their young lives to protect their family and friends. They are essentially <b><i>kids </i></b>who realize that to live in a Jewish homeland, one needs to make sacrifices. Some of them will die. That is a <b><i>tragedy. </i></b>I mourn for each life lost like I would my own family member. And I <i>know </i>that if there was no Arab threat to Israel, <i>none </i>of them would ever be killed. They exist because we are under constant threat in Israel and have been since before 1967, before 1948 and before 1929. Either you are entirely ignorant of history, or you are willfully ignoring it. This isn't about Gaza, or 2-states, or even our one state. It's about our existence, in Israel, in America, on this earth. Yours and mine, actually, as we are both (inexplicably) part of the same Jewish people. I'm just not naive enough to think hugs, kisses and capitulation will change reality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> About the Iran deal. <b>How dare you</b> gamble with my country, my people and my life because you think Obama knows better than Bibi about what's best for Israel. Let's say you're right (you're not). Why is Bibi wrong for taking Iran <b>at their word</b> that they want to destroy Israel. It's a matter of public record, in video and print. They want Israel off the map, they will have the tools to do it, an infusion of US cash and they are run by radical mullahs. Why shouldn't Bibi do<b> </b><i>everything possible </i>to protect his country? Why should you, some know-nothing leftist, sitting safely in hipster Brooklyn think you know anything more that a certifiable genius with mounds of intelligence in front of him? <b>Who ARE You?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I will end with how you signed off. Unfortunately, you are a leftist American Jew who cares more about literally everything than Israel and your people. It is evident from everything I've read about you (considered me obsessed with you, but not in a good way). You speak for a loud, arrogant, willfully ignorant group of disillusioned young Jews who are regrettably growing in ranks. You are so dangerous to American and world Jewry, you can't even imagine. I do hope you see the error of your ways, as you call yourself "a thinking person "although I know you won't. I see you rising in the self- hating ranks in your future career- I'm relatively certain there's a lot of money and prestige in selling out Israel at every turn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> But please know that as loud and vocal as you will be in your life, calling for boycotts, giving anti-Semites ammunition against American Jews and shaming our nation; I will be here on the other side, defending Israel, our people and our right to exist, just as strongly and with the might of right on my side.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hey girl hey!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wishing you a complete change of heart,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jordana Brown</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jerusalem, Israel</span>Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com111tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-90531646526156819302016-03-21T04:03:00.001-07:002016-03-21T07:46:21.777-07:00One Nation, One Heart <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I've been posting a lot of Jewish pride stuff lately. I've been trying to rally the troops and show my fellow Jews and Israel-supporters that all will be well, as long as we support one another. And while the feedback has been good, I know it's been a bit of a downer lately. So I am so excited to tell you about the weekend I just had. It was one of those weekends where happiness and Jewish pride and good weather and national unity oozed out of every minute! Two events in specific were so awesome and impactful, I wanted to shout them out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Friday was the Jerusalem Marathon (and half marathon, 10k and 5k.) To be fair, I was in Israel for last year's marathon as well, and fully slept through the whole thing- no shame. This year, I had a few friends running it and I felt invested since I worked on preparations for the SHALVA team; I decided to get my lazy tush up at 7 AM on a Friday (equivalent to a New York Sunday) and cheer the runners on. This is the part where I mention that, once upon a time, I ran a half marathon, and have no interest in revisiting that physically excruciating time just yet.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My half-marathon 2 years ago (7th time posting)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Back to my athletically inclined friends! I had a few running the Half, so my friend Ahuva informed me that she would be passing Azza Street in about 20 minutes. Can we just say that considering the glacial pace I made it to Azza from my apartment, it was an excellent choice not to run myself. I get to the location, coffee in hand in a Starbucks mug (relevance of this fact to follow) and parked myself next to an Israeli lady, and American yeshiva boy and 4 disgruntled policemen (relevance of this fact to follow, as well.) I was situated at the bottom of one hill, close to another decline and not far from the end of the race. I felt it was my duty to get the runners to the end with a smile on their faces! As runners of all ages and types came down the hill, I "whooooo!"ed and "Go,go,go!"ed til I was hoarse. Some ignored me, some high- fived me, most smiled. A few asked where there was a nearby Starbucks and looked punched in the gut when I said there was none (<i>cheerleader fail.</i>) The disgruntled cops who basically had a few old Israeli ladies and an excitable American (me) to deal with set about turning our corner into a crime-scene- worthy area of tape and barriers. Seriously, guys, let me "Whoo" in peace. I saw Ahuva running down and LOST IT. Then, she tried to make me run with her and luckily noticed that I was wearing boots and a leather jacket- the perfect "I'm retired from running" ensemble. After she passed and it was clear I must have missed my other friend, Mandy, I decided to go to the finish line and congratulate the athletic citizens of Jerusalem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> The finish line was awesome. There were tents for the different charities people were raising money for (because what is a race without attaching a mitzvah, right?) and free Zumba classes. There was food and drink and the finish line for those awesome (<i>insane</i>) full-marathoners. I even met the winner of the entire race, fresh outta Kenya!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">BFF</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> But what was the best part of the whole day? The feeling of pride and unity that was almost physically palpable as you walked around the streets. This wasn't a marathon where people ignored the runners or just came to cheer their friends and family. Because everyone cheered for all the runners- everyone was your friends and family! It was a feeling unlike any other I've experienced at any race and I truly hope to make this a yearly things (and maybe even run it at some point but NO PROMISES.)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How do you beat these views?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> To keep this vibe going, I decided to go to a shabbat potluck lunch the next day. It was an event called SHUKSHABBAT and it was so outside of my comfort zone, I was slightly petrified. In Jerusalem there is a strong spiritual/hippie-style community in an area called Nachlaot. This community is lovely, happy, friendly and...not where I generally hang. That said, I asked my friend Brian to join me and wingman me in this new territory. The details were hazy: come at this time to this place and bring stuff for a potluck. Cool- what stuff? What people? Will there be plates? What if everyone brings cups and ketchup? What if there are no cups? What if it rains? Should We bring enough for everyone? Cool- how many people are coming?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Now, if you're a hippie, you will realize that all of these questions out me <i>immediately</i> as a non-hippie. Everyone who "belonged" there probably thought "cool. I'm in. I'll bring my tehini and my harem pants." Meanwhile I packed cutlery, a blanket, cups, napkins, snacks, wine and cookies. I wanted to a) not starve b) be able to share c) not sit on bird poop and d) not eat with my hands. You can take the girl out of NYC....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> So we get there early (because hippies don't give a flip about time) and wait for the kiddush food...and wait....and wait...and then start drinking wine. Because if I'm gonna get on their level, I'm gonna need wine. But then something incredible happened. Everything is set up and we're all sitting on the floor, meeting new people from all over the world who have settled in Jerusalem for a week, a year, for life. A guy gets up to make kiddush, and let's just say- he <i>should </i>be the representative of this event. Resplendent totally in white- tallit, kippa and<b style="font-style: italic;"> overalls, </b>with flowing, waist-length dreadlocks, he gave a beautiful extended rendition of kiddush while we all listened (and some of us floated) before we sat down to eat. The meal was truly a "yours is mine is ours" mentality. Here, take my hummus and try my guacamole! Do you have any challa left? Can I have some strawberries? Let's make a l'chaim on my wine! (Until that ran out, too too soon.) It was the most peaceful, unified crowd I've yet seen in this city. Girls in flowing dresses or leggings, guys in jeans or black hats, dancing and singing together- sharing their own stories and stories from the Torah portion. Set up in the corner was a small Torah scroll, so we could all join in the mitzvah of hearing <i>Parshat Zachor </i>in case we missed it that morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I don't know what the total amount of attendees was, but it was in the hundreds. I don't know if it was the gorgeous weather, the friendship chocolate an older hippie lady gave me, or the copious wine and non-copious water I drank, but I have never felt so unified with my fellow Jews in my life. I thought, "Hey! Maybe this hippie life is for me!." Now, I don't actually think that's true, I think it doesn't really jibe with my type-A, NYC, tiny bit Jappy personality <i><b>but </b></i>I will say that I enjoyed every minute and would <i>jump </i>at the chance to experience that pure joy and peoplehood again. I realized that this event could never happen anywhere else in the world, not in the Jewiest town in the diaspora. There will never be another city where the train tracks don't run on Saturday, where hundreds of people show up with food and wine and songs- ready to share with strangers who will soon be friends- all in the name of Shabbat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> So blessed to be here, and hoping that you all join me for a weekend in Jerusalem soon!</span>Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-60066135522120454012016-03-10T03:29:00.000-08:002018-05-21T00:08:11.618-07:00It is Better to be Feared Than Loved<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> "...if you can't be both." Is Machiavelli correct here? Take yourself as an example- would you prefer to be feared by someone, if them loving you was off the table? Now substitute yourself with Israel and substitute "respected" for "feared." I've been thinking about this for a few months now (or maybe even years, if I'm being honest) and I wonder "Isn't it better for Israel to be respected for our strength if we know the world won't ever love us for our goodness?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Well, depends who you ask. The Left of Israel would answer "no." It is better to keep trying, keep giving, keep imploring and keep hope alive that "killing them with kindness" will finally bear fruit. Yes, boycott the "settlements"! Yes, re-open talks with Abbas! Yes, keep begging the US and Europe to intervene and stop our fascistic government from ruining our standing in their world's eyes. On the extreme Left, there was even a representative from Peace Now (emphasis on the absurdity of their nomenclature added) who blamed a victim of terrorism for daring to avoid more terrorism by killing his attacker! While this is an extreme case and most of the Israeli Left no doubt thinks this Peace Now loon is crazy too, there is definitely a vocal camp who would much rather Israel keep fighting for the world's love than seek the world's respect through strength. They truly believe that if the world only saw our humanitarian aid, our unparalleled commitment to democracy, our liberalism, our medical and technological contributions, the incredible lengths we would go to secure peace- we will surely earn the love. Can you guess where I stand?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Correct! I see this charm offensive as great, but ultimately doomed to fail. As an analogy- a guy is in love with a girl who disdains but tolerates his existence. So he compliments her, writes her love notes, buys her presents- full-court charm offensive. Does she fall for him? Possibly. But more likely, she takes all that he gives her and still can't stand him. If perhaps she is neutral toward this Romeo, he has a shot. But I don't see the world as neutral toward Israel. I see a world where the Middle East abhors us, Europe can't stand us and North America is steadily becoming more hostile and less patient with "the cause of instability in the Middle East." (Who, me?) Call me a pessimist (go ahead, most people do) but I see myself as a realist and a true believer in the cyclical nature of history. To follow me on this thought process, we need to use "Israel" and "Jews" interchangeably. Some of you won't want to. You will hold fast to the delusion that we are 2 separate entities and if only Israel didn't exist we Jews would all be frolicking in the world's warm embrace. To this, I turn your attention to Sweden, France, Uruguay, etc, etc, etc where Jews are being targeted for wearing Yarmulkes, not Israeli flags. So if you can suspend your belief that it's just an Israel thing, we can continue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Throughout Jewish history, Jews have been hated. We are too rich and too poor. We hold ourselves separate and we assimilate. We are too smart and too ignorant. We control the media and the banks, we caused 9/11 (because no Jews were killed that day) and we started ISIS. We brought the Black Plague to Europe and we caused Germany's financial problems at the turn of the 20th century. We have become occupiers and we are the new Nazis. We have gone from the victims of a genocide to the progenitors of a new one. We are everything that is wrong in this world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> This might have been really hard for you to read, it made me a bit ill to write it. But this is who have been seen as a nation, and anti-Semitism is an irrational hatred that has no cause, it just is and always has been. This kind of hatred will never result in the world's love. This type of hatred causes Jews killed in terrorism in Israel to be greeted with headlines like "3 Palestinians killed by IDF Forces." It causes hummus to come with stickers that say "This company participates in apartheid." It causes Jews to be disinvited from international sporting events, and rallies with cries of "Back to the ovens!" and countless swastikas to be scrawled on Jewish homes from Montreal to NYC to Antwerp. This is not a world that is ever going to love us, no matter what we do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> So what can we work towards? Respect. Let's look to the times when Jews, (and by extension Israel) were most respected. It was after our victory in the 6- Day War, when we showed the world we could defend our country defensively from essentially the rest of the Middle East. It was when the Maccabis won a decisive victory of the small against the large and the weak against the strong. It was after the Warsaw ghetto uprising and the partisans in the forest. It was when the Jews of Persia defended themselves against certain annihilation in the story of Purim (which is coming up soon!) It is in all the stories of heroism, when Jews fight back against their aggressors (with selfie sticks, guitars, or the terrorist's own knife!) It is when Israel worries about the safety of it's citizens and Jews around the world, without worrying so much about the world's love. It's when we show our strength, our might and our fortitude- when we refuse to be victims.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> So me? I will continue to advocate for the world's respect- not through unprovoked violence or war, but through a brave army, a responsibly armed populace and whatever other measures are necessary to keep us all safe and strong. Because that love we all want from the rest of the world? In my opinion, it's not coming. And I'm okay with that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Am Yisrael Chai- The Nation of Israel Lives.</span></div>
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Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-20719094729947606362016-02-17T01:30:00.001-08:002016-02-17T01:30:42.911-08:00Lest Ye Be Judged <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Wow! I haven't blogged in almost a month. I can attribute that to the pretty basic, non-exciting yet still lovely month I've had. The weather was gross, now it's incredibly gorgeous. You wake up on February 17th and the sun is shining and you throw on a light jacket and as if by Divine intervention Matisyahu is singing "Sunshine" on your iTunes and you head to work. You put in your hours, maybe get a drink after work, wait for a super short and hectic vacation Friday and eat, socialize and pass out for the 25 hours of Shabbat. And it's been that way for the last month, give or take. Oh! And my sister got engaged, so that's pretty fantastic. Have to find something to wear and a part of me wants it to go smoothly and another part of me wants it to be an insane disaster so I can blog about it. More to come. Today's post is something I've been turning over in my mind for months and I don't know how to even approach it, so if it sounds disjointed, my bad!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> This blog was started to document my transition from America to Israel through the process of Aliyah. I think we all know the basics by now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Who? Me. What? Moving to Israel When? July 1, 2014, Where? Jerusalem (for now) Why? Zionism. And I think if you know me or have followed my journey at all, you know that I'm not some spring chicken hoping to start my adult adventure in a new and exciting place. I lived a nice chunk of young adulthood in NYC and came to this decision relatively "late in life" so to speak. Most of the people in my peer group here in Jerusalem, in my ulpan, on the NBN website, etc, who came here single did so younger than me. It took me a while to decide, to save money, to create a plan and to get up the nerve to make this change. A change I have always contended is for the rest of my life. I was never making this change to "try out" aliyah or to "give it a chance." I envisioned my great- grandchildren living here (how's that for forward thinking even before being married?) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> But I've come to find that this isn't the case for everyone, and that even my own certainty can be taken to task by skeptical strangers on the Internet. Some examples. There is a Facebook group for olim- I assume it's meant to be an online support and information community for those of us who've committed to the difficult task of starting life over in Israel. As anyone who is a part of this group knows, it has often devolved into a "I hate Israel" complaint society. Truly, some days there are 5 "life here isn't worth it"s and "I'm leaving" posts- easy. And then there is a rush to calm the poster down and soothe them and convince them to stay (I'm guessing- I don't do much follow-up.) Usually I don't engage, but one time I jumped in to defend my friend who gave this complainer some tough love and suddenly, I was being roasted! When I mentioned that Zionism brought me here, some random guy (who I think actually lives in England) asked me if I was so Zionist, had I renounced my American citizenship, and what kind of a Zionist could I be if I hadn't served in the IDF. I thought the questions were kind of insane, and a poor barometer of my Zionism. If I love Israel, I have to hate America? Could there never be a family emergency that brought me back to the States? And if I decided to move here as an Orthodox woman past the age of 25, should I beg the army to let me serve? The whole argument was ludicrous, but here I was- having my aliyah judged! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> A few weeks later, I again found myself embroiled in an online argument with a stranger (I am working on this, you should know- I'm aware it's not a good look.) Again I was defending a friend from a Facebook bully and he growled back. He told me (he doesn't know me, but we have some mutual friends) that he and his friends often talk about me and take bets on when I will make yerida (leave Israel for good). Wait, what? A guy who disagrees with me politically, wishing me failure on my life in Israel? Does my loud and proud Right-Wing Zionism threaten him so much personally that he secretly hopes it fails? That's crazy! And then I realized- this is a thing. And although he's pretty nasty, he's not the only one who does it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Judging people's Zionism, their dedication to this country, their support for Israel, their likelihood to remain here for good- this isn't something that only Facebook bullies do- we all do it! Even me! Especially me? I have had conversations where I cluck at people who are thinking about leaving and going back to their countries of birth. I shake my head at people who call those places "home." "We are home!" I exclaim with pride, not pausing to wonder whether it comes off as hurtful. I might judge someone who goes back to their birth country 2 and 3 times a year and think "commit yourself to your move!" I wonder incredulously at olim who contemplate raising their family anywhere besides Israel, knowing that the main focus of my move was to raise a family here. It's been a time of real self-reflection, and I often haven't enjoyed what I've seen. I hate criticism in general and self-criticism is worse, because I can be brutally honest. But without this introspection, I wouldn't be able to grow, and L-rd knows I need to. I need to help that person want to stay here. I don't need to coddle them and jump on their "Israel is the worst" bandwagon. But I can listen to their concerns, come up with meaningful possible solutions and try and share my Zionist love affair with them. I can try and be an advocate for the good, without ignoring their valid complaints of the bad. And I can realize that just because the annoying things here don't bother me as much, that the positive so outweighs the negative in my aliyah process and that I intend for my aliyah to be permanent doesn't mean that everyne feels the same way. Or has to. Or ever will. And just like I have to learn to accept people who are different from me in a myriad ways, so too I have to accept, love and not judge my fellow olim who are dealing with their life change in a different way. I hope I can do it and I think I can do it- I'll keep you posted!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span>Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-27422151724011019592016-01-18T10:26:00.001-08:002016-01-18T11:45:58.925-08:00Enough is Most Definitely Enough<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Hello readers! Thanks for stopping by. This post is going to talk about some hard truths, so if you are the type of person who wants to debate murders in Israel based on where they occurred, please stop reading. If you want to explain to me the pathological and psychological reasons that would justify this murder, please stop reading. If you want to equate this murder with unsolved "Jewish extremism" cases and "price tag" graffiti, please stop reading. If you want to just forget about this terror, see how we can build bridges and move forward as soon as possible, please stop reading. If you are choosing to blame this on Bibi, or settlements, or poverty in Gaza, or recent incitement or anything except a culture that, since its inception, has sought to raise, train and glorify murderers of Jews, please stop reading. And none of this is because I think you are a bad person, or unworthy of reading. It is because my words and my anger and my anguish will be so outside your realm of comprehension, I fear you will gain nothing from them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> For everyone else, scream with me. Raise your streaming eyes to the sky with me and pray as hard as you can for G-d to protect our holy brothers and sisters. Place your well-earned fury where it needs to be- at a people and an ideology that do not care that you are a mother, or that you live in Otniel versus Tel Aviv. They do not care if you are 80 years old, shuffling along with a walker. They do not care if you shirked the draft, or if you have served in the IDF for 20 years. They do not blink at the sight of your crying baby in the backseat or shrink at the possibility of having their "holy work" cut short by many armed civilians nearby. And sure, they are being incited, but this is not new. This is not some new wave of hatred that has suddenly and recently grabbed hold of the Palestinian population. This is what they have been raised to believe in 2016, but also in 1995, 1968 and 1925. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> If you are reading this, you understand all this. You, like me, are at a loss for what to do. How do we keep our people safe and cut off the threat? How do we fight this unwinnable social media battle against a world that sees us as the oppressors and our murderers as the underdog? How do we cut through the divisions that live in our own camp, where so many well-meaning Israel- supporters still erroneously blame our struggles on "the West Bank?" How do we explain to them that they need to change their terminology, their mindsets; to realize that Jews have valid, ancestral, real, indigenous rights to all of Israel, including Judea and Samaria?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Seems you can't use the word "indigenous" these days in some circles without mentioning super-Zionist, and indigenous-rights activist, Ryan Bellerose. As a Metis Indian, Ryan speaks out tirelessly to try and teach Jews how our struggle for our homeland is one of an indigenous people returning to their rightful home, not some colonialist enterprise for a safe space after the Holocaust. One of the things I like about him is that he speaks his mind, without editing, and people respond. As right- wing as you think I am, I could be a lot more so, and I definitely temper my words depending on the company around me. Ryan doesn't. I'm pretty jealous. He's here in Israel this month, touring and lecturing and hanging out, and I was lucky enough to meet him in one of his rare breaks in action. Meeting him was weird- I get a lot of friend requests on Facebook from fellow active Zionists, but I generally don't accept if I don't know them. My mom instructed me to accept Ryan, and in the time since, I've found myself nodding my head and "liking" much of his words of "politically incorrect" wisdom. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I asked him 3 questions: Why are Jews right in thinking this land is ours? Why are we so scared to say that out loud? And finally, what can we do to argue our case more convincingly? His basic premise, on one leg, is this: The Jewish claim to the land of Israel (and the <i>whole</i> land, by the way!) is irrefutable. It is archaeological, it is linguistic, and cultural. Our claim is everywhere in the country, under the ground and permeating every tree in the forest and rock in the desert. We are scared to assert this right because our mentality is one of the Jew who still desperately wants to be thought of as "the white European" otherwise known as the apex of civilized society. We have, throughout our tenure in the diaspora, strived to ingratiate ourselves into that genteel society, to "pass" in a community that always rejected us. I nodded along as he explained that we are still doing that, and that Jews who apologize for Israel constantly, whether outspokenly (like in JVP or JStreet) or even more passively, are trying their hardest to maintain their seat at the "white European" (or American, or Canadian) table. He suggests to fix this, we as Jews need to "de-colonize." He explained we need to "see yourselves through a Jewish lens and stop identifying ourselves through a white-European lens." Whoa. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I feel comforted by these words. Having never doubted the Jews claims to the Land of Israel and always fought against those who would marginalize us realists who have found "land for peace" a ridiculous notion, Ryan's words resonate. They resonate more so because as a non-Jew, he is able to tap into a population that will take everything I say with a grain of salt. For everyone who dismisses me as some brainwashed, modern Orthodox, Bnei Akiva-type, crazy right-winger, Ryan is none of those things. And if both of us can come to the same exact conclusion, I welcome him and thank him for his contributions to our fight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> As I write this, there has been another attack in "the settlements." A pregnant woman has been stabbed by a terrorist who was shot in the chase as he ran away. Reports are the woman almost lost her baby. Thoughts I had? I'm glad the murderer was killed and not taken to an Israeli hospital for treatment by a Jewish doctor. I don't care if they name 100 streets after him, it just shows the world their depravity. I wish a checkpoint had been there to stop him. I wish we could employ only Jewish labor, at least until we see real changes and can ensure our safety. I wish this attack wasn't just one of so many, destined to get lost in the shuffle. I wish this would stop occurring in "the settlements" which will no doubt cheapen her blood and breed excuses. I hope<i> this</i> is the attack that turns leftists into crazy right wingers like me. I hope we can all finally band together, no matter our ideology, and work toward a better future for the Jews in this country. There will be other times to talk about "coexistence" and "meeting in the middle." More silly conversation about "2- state solutions" and "finding the Muslim moderates." There will be more time for daydreams in the future. But for me, that time is not right now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Now is the time to stand up for your Jewish brothers and to pray for your soldiers and policemen. Now is the time to stand shoulder to shoulder with the "settlers" because they're not different, and we're all hurting. Now is the time to pray for every victim of terror, just as peace-loving and kind-hearted as anyone else you know. And now is the time to be strong, to not be afraid. To be vigilant, but not become a shut-in. Now is the time to wave your flag, stand on your rooftop (proverbially or literally) and scream "Am Yisrael Chai- The nation of Israel lives!" We are here, we deserve to be here, and we are not going anywhere.</span></div>
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Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-22693363821658146852015-12-27T06:29:00.001-08:002015-12-29T04:56:22.710-08:00Fear and Loathing in Jerusalem<div class="h7 " style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; max-width: 100000px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px;" tabindex="-1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span> "Jordana, I really want to come to visit Jerusalem tomorrow, but is it safe?" If I had a dollar for every time I've been asked some variation of that question in the past four months or so, I'd be a millionaire! Well, not exactly- but I could afford a really nice meal. It is a bizarre question for me at first, because they are essentially asking if the place I live- where I work, shop, socialize and walk around- is dangerous for them to visit. You know, because of the terrorist stabbings that have been happening with nauseating regularity in our holy city. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> But I get it. If all I kept hearing was <i>"stabbing in central Jerusalem...car ramming in Jerusalem.... thwarted stabbing attempt in Jerusalem..."</i>on the news all day, I'd probably be a bit freaked out too. I mean, how do we even <i>live? </i>The answer is the same well-trod answer Jerusalemites have been giving for the past who-knows-how-many years, "Life goes on." Sure, you pause every time you hear about some new attack, you frantically search the internet for information, you discuss it with your friends and co-workers. But inevitably, you will realize that you're out of milk, that the bank is closing soon or that the light rail train in 3 minutes away, and you will return to your regularly scheduled life, a bit tenser, but in astonishingly short turnaround time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It does get a little sticky when there is nowhere in your daily routine that hasn't been targeted. The shuk, where I have spent countless daytime hours picking out fruits and vegetables and evening hours having drinks with friends? Yep, two women with scissors started stabbing people there. The Central bus station, my main hub for getting out of or back into the city, several times weekly? It's been targeted a number of times. Countless bus stops, bustling city corners and road junctions that I would recognize anywhere- suddenly flashed across TV screens as the site of the most recent attack against my Jewish brothers and sisters, my brave and beloved policemen and soldiers. And while the armed populace has become more vigilant, more adept at neutralizing and killing the terrorists quicker, it bizarrely hasn't stopped the attacks from occurring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> People are most scared of the Old City, and that breaks my heart. The area of Jerusalem where all visitors yearn to come and spend time and pray is now one of the areas they are most scared to visit. For months I would calm friends and say "Take Shaar Yafo/Jaffa Gate.It's all tourists and nothing has happened there." And then something happened there. And now I don't know what to say to friends. Because I am not in their shoes, looking in from the outside. Would I still go to the Old City through Jaffa Gate? Yes, and it's definitely not because I'm so brave. It is because of this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> As hard as it is, I can not be scared of my city. I can keep my hands on my pepper spray, I can avoid suspicious-looking passersby (yes, through profiling- not sorry!) and I can be aware of my surroundings. But I can not be scared of my city. I can warn others of where to go and where not to go, I can give suggestions of routes or streets to take or avoid. But I can not be scared of my city. I can follow the news one day and shut it all out the next, to stay sane. But I can not be scared of my city.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> My city isn't like Tel Aviv or Haifa, or Beit Shemesh or even Tzfat. My city is the capital of Israel and the eternal capital of the Jewish homeland. It represents so much more to me and the Jewish people than anywhere else. We have cried, prayed for and bled for Jerusalem. I personally moved across the world, all alone, in order to live in Jerusalem. So I can not be scared of my city. And I hope you will come here and join me in my city- in our city- and we will not be afraid.</span><br />
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Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-45209108675146882182015-12-05T10:36:00.001-08:002015-12-05T10:36:03.621-08:00Tales from a Holding Cell <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I am writing this from Dublin, Ireland, where I am supposed to be. I planned a vacation with my friend Jess months ago. I was coming from Israel via London and she was coming from Madrid. I was going to spend a day in London, doing an abridged sightseeing trip, alone, and I was stoked. One of the great things about living in Israel is that plane rides to Europe are closer and more affordable. An obstacle to this is that now that I live in Israel, I work longer hours and make less money than I did in NYC. So you can imagine how this impacts my grand travel plans. But I finally got myself together and booked a trip: Tel Aviv to London, a day and a half there, London to Dublin Friday morning and a nice Irish mini break until Tuesday. So exciting!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I wrote my usual checklist, packed up and went to spend the day in Tel Aviv with visiting American friends and to be close to the airport. I got there with plenty of time to spare. If I may just kvetch for a second. I flew an airline called Easyjet. For those familiar, you are cringing right now. For those unfamiliar, think European Spirit Air. Now you're cringing- okay, we're all on the same page. So I'm in the airport and I take out my Teudat Maavar- or temporary Israeli passport, as my permanent one hasn't been issued yet (and this one is valid for 3 years) and my American passport case. Only- there is no American passport in that case. It is empty, save 5 million ticket stubs from various other plane rides. Crap. I ask the security guy if it's okay that all I have is my temporary passport- he says "yep!"and I got through. Sidebar- Easyjet has security in Terminal 1. But you do not leave from Terminal 1. You have to <i>take a shuttle</i> back to main Terminal 3 and leave from there. Why? Why is this normal? Because- Israel. But I digress.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> So I realize I don't have my passport and tell the deal to the waiting ticket agent. He seems to not have a problem with this whatsoever, nor do the 2 other security/border agents I meet after him. I go on through to my flight feeling like my worries are over. After what can only be described as a <i>rough </i>flight over, I head over to UK Customs, get my Teudat Maavar stamped and head to my waiting friend in Golder's Green. Then, a border policeman comes running after me and tells me to come with him. A wave of dread washes over me. He tells me that my Teudat Maavar is not a passport and requires a visa in addition. I tell him it says right on the cover "<i>In lieu of a passport"</i>and that he can call the US embassy or Israel or whomever to clear this all up. He makes me wait for about an hour while he confers with his boss "Google"over who is correct. At some point, it dawns on me that the next course of action is <b>deportation</b> and I start to cry. Well, more like convulsively heave-cry for an hour and a half. The agent who initially stamped me through is playing defense attorney and a burly, surly woman is clearly playing prosecution. I start thinking about my weekend coming to an abrupt (and expensive) end. How will I eat the cost of flights, hotels and entertainment? How can I mess up Jess'plans? What about this vacation I have been planning for months? Gone in an instant- just because of negligence/stupidity/a distrust of Israeli documentation?! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My Nemesis</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> So the verdict comes down and I am to be sent on the first flight out the next morning. Immediately, the wheels start turning. I am thinking about how long it will take me to get back, if I can get another flight to London in time to make my flight to Dublin, what the costs will be, if my passport is still in my possession. I'm texting Jess, trying not to freak her out, wondering if she can tell how out of my mind with stress I am. I am taken by the border police into a back area, fingerprinted and my photo is taken. I am interviewed, offered food and water and interviewed again. I am given forms explaining why I'm being detained and all my money is counted and my baggage searched. I am given a room to sleep in, but my possession are taken away for the night. I wish I could say I am exaggerating any of this, but this is what happens when you forget your American passport in London. Oh, and my bed/futon? There is a camera trained on it, so Robert, my friend and warden gets to watch me as I sleep. Let me be fair. Everyone was very nice. They just saw a small, red-eyed, shaking quiet (just kidding- it was me) little girl and they definitely felt for me. But- well- it sucked. It was demoralizing and I truly felt it was over-the-top. The only saving grace was that apparently this happens to 5-6 people per day. So there are other morons out there, and that made me happy. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I illegally took this photo- how good do I look for an illegal alien, though?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Another thing that calmed me was the fact that had this happened on the way to Dublin as opposed to London, I could have been detained over shabbat. And that would have been a disaster. Okay, so I'm on the first flight back to Israel at 7 am and am escorted by my guards directly to the plane door. I asked if I was going to be handcuffed and the guy laughed and said normally yes but he wouldn't. I turned white(r). I got on to my next luxurious Easyjet flight and takeoff was scheduled for 7. Except a woman refused to fly and the entire plane had to be stopped, rechecked and get back on the departure line. It might have had to do with our co-passengers.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hey, Ladies!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Oh, stop it- I'm not a racist, I'm a realist-get over yourselves. Then, the Israeli couple with the baby behind me started getting squeamish and tried to delay the plane yet again. At this point, decorum was out the window and I said<i> "Äre you even serious right now?</i>"They decided to stay and off we went. After the uneventful flight, I was welcomed back to Israel and thought how to best get back to Jerusalem. I tried the bus route, which is super- annoying, requires 2 buses and a light-rail and found myself racing up my stairs to see my passport sitting calmly and blithely in my dresser drawer, Grrr. I got online, fired up good old easyjet,com and booked the <i>same exact</i> flight I had taken the day before, albeit about 150 bucks more expensive. I raced outside and hailed the first cab I saw, he quoted me some astronomical price and off we went to Ben Gurion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Back to Terminal 1. Back through security.Back on the shuttle to Terminal 3. Back onto another low-rent Easyjet flight. Back to good ol' Luton Airport. Back to Border Patrol. And back to my former nemesis, and now best friend forever, Border Policeman, who stamped my passport, gave me a hug, and wished me a good trip. I asked him if he expected to see me back and he said you seemed quite determined. I'm not all that surprised."And we laughed together like best friends do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> You might think that's all. All that's left is to get from Luton to London City Airport, and to my 7 AM flight to Dublin. And I had 7 hours to make that happen. So I take my bag out to the transportation kiosk, planning the best route, when a bearded Jew stops and asks if I need a ride to Golder's Green or Hendon (2 religious areas). I told him my plans and that I would just probably sleep on the floor for a bit before my flight at London City. He asked if it was even open. I didn't </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">understand the question. As a frequent flyer in JFK and Ben Gurion, I was unaware that some airports closed. But he was right! Apparently London City is closed from 10pm-5am! Luckily, this man offered to take me to his house, let me sleep a bit and call me a cab to take me to the airport at 5am. Would you like to guess what kind of man he was- aside from angel? He was Lubavich! Oh savior of many a lost and stranded Jew, this Rabbi Junik and his amazing wife Goldie, took me in, gave me food, packed me lunch, gave me a warm bed and called my cab for me. And the craziest part was that had Rabbi Junik not been delayed for the first time in 20 years, he wouldn't have even seen me stranded! In Jewish terms, we call this<i>"hashgacha pratit"</i>or "Divine Intervention"- although you might see it as an excellent coincidence!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> My cabdriver to the airport and I had a lovely chat (if you know me, no surprise) and after a 30 minute political discussion about what to do with the situation in Israel, I come to find out that he's Jewish too! So I gave him my number and begged him to come see me if he ever made his way "home."Then I took one last quick and uneventful flight to Dublin and here I am, waiting for shabbat in this tiny but welcoming community. This was certainly a trip I will never forget, and it hasn't even quite started! But all's well that ends well, and it was great for the blog- so thanks for reading and I'll see you when I get back to the Holy Land!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Regards from Dublin!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span>Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051157273186277075.post-35335475096741912032015-11-23T07:33:00.000-08:002015-11-23T07:33:29.245-08:00The Jew Stands Alone <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> All we can think about these days is the terror.The terror we thought had abated, but in reality, took a nap and then hit us in a truly intense and personal way. A beautiful boy, Ezra Schwartz, just 18 and spending his "year in Israel" as me and all my friends had done, was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist with an Uzi, while on his way back from giving food to lone soldiers. You really couldn't have scripted a more tragic end to such a special life. Even in a country and a time where these attacks have become somewhat expected and eerily commonplace, this loss hit me hard. I couldn't sleep or eat, and I found myself voraciously looking for information and photos and video of this kid I never knew, but felt like I personally lost. And I think we all did here in Israel, most especially the American-olim community. I thought of how I myself was "an American tourist in Israel" maybe 50 times on various Birthright and vacation trips. I spent the year here in seminary. When I was that age, I had no doubt whatsoever that once my year was up, I'd move back to New York and live a safe and happy Jewish life in America. Things change and I thank G-d I was bitten by the aliyah bug eventually, but my life mirrored Ezra's really closely at that point in my life. I was exactly what he was- an "American Jewish tourist in Israel." I thought of his friends and the other kids in his gap year, who must all be understandably afraid. About his parents and family, who did the most normal thing Orthodox American parents can do- send their kid to Israel for the year. I thought about his community, who could never fathom that tragedy would hit them from so far away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> In the flood of articles to come out in the aftermath, one stood out to me as a new immigrant. It's common knowledge that this murder has been widely publicized in Israeli and Jewish media, but almost not at all in European and American media. As with many Jewish murders by terrorism in Israel, the world yawns. But the author of this article was truly disheartened by the fact that this American Jew, without the stain of Israeli citizenship, much less a (<i>cringe</i>) "settler" was being ignored by most of the American media and the president of the United States. She didn't understand how American citizens killed in recent terror attacks in France and Mali received so much more media attention. She lamented the idea that, G-d forbid, if it was her or her family member who suffered the same fate, she would be equally abandoned by the country she loved and lived in for so many years. She rightly understood that as an American Jew <i>who left</i> to live in Israel, any tragedy that befell her here in Israel would be even<i> less</i> worthy of mention in the country where she is still a citizen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> To say nothing of my disdain for the current American president (and trust me, after over 7 years, I have what to say), it struck me how my personal viewpoint differed so greatly from the writer of this article. First, the lack of media attention didn't surprise me, nor did the near-radio silence and lack of condemnation from the State Department. I have come to expect exactly this from the world we live in, and much more tragically, from the country where I grew up and still appreciate tremendously. I chose to focus on the local papers in Boston who wrote beautiful tributes, and the senators and representatives on both sides of the aisle who remembered Ezra publicly. I had gratitude to the select (and to be fair, mostly conservative) national media who did mention Ezra's loss and the Jewish community's outpouring of support. But call me jaded, I'm just not surprised anymore, nor am I particularly upset.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> When articles about murdered Jews come with rationalizations and equivocations, it's a real blow. When the State Department or president mentions a Jewish death in Israel and follows it with calls for "restraint on all sides," it negates all that came before it. When anti-Semites on social media use your tragedy as fodder for their own agenda, you can't help but wish they didn't know about it at all. And when you have to doubt the country that you pledged allegiance to for twelve years, doubt their allegiance to you, it's really an awful feeling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I don't know when it happened, and it definitely hasn't always been this way, but I have come to the realization that at the end of the day, the Israeli and world Jewish communities are the only ones who will love, honor and respect me no matter what. As we have seen with Ezra, all victims of Palestinian terror, and Jewish victims of terror around the world, we are our own champions. We are the ones who will remember us, the ones who will memorialize us. We are the ones who will pray for us and the ones who will let the world know what we lost. We are the only ones who will fight for our rights and our homeland. And while I am forever grateful to our allies in the world- the Christians and the Muslims and the atheists and the Buddhists who care about us and our safety- we, the Jewish nation, are our one steadfast support system. Throughout our history, we have had countless enemies, with no one to turn to, no one to defend us. We have had ourselves and only ourselves through the millenia, and now is no different. I know a lot of you will read this and think <i>"What a stupid girl. I am a proud American/Parisian/Brit/Aussie Jew. I have plenty of friends who would stand for me, defend me." </i>And I have no doubt that they would. I, too, have friends who love me, love the Jewish people, even love Israel. But you know what? The only support I need in this world is that of my fellow Jews. I know that if I have that then the fickle affections of Europe or the United States won't affect me. That if, G-d forbid, anything happens to me, or someone I love, I won't have to live with the anguish of feeling deserted by the country where I was born. I know that this country, my country, my government and my people will embrace me, support me and love me like I love them. Because we are one family and that is what family does.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I know I say this a lot, but I always mean it- The Nation of Israel Lives- with each other and for each other. Am Yisrael Chai.</span>Jordanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00611502807577982606noreply@blogger.com1