I came across an old article written up for the Jewish Press, for which I was interviewed. It ran 9 months after I made aliyah, and reading it just now freaks me out a bit.
Why? I supposed because of the time that has passed, what has happened since that article was published, and also because so much has changed – and stayed the same. For instance:
Like many other olim, Elisheva came without her family or friends and she never realized how important they were to her and how much she would miss them.
That is not only still true, but grows worse with time.
Elisheva has a strong Zionist ideology. She believes that whoever can, must come live in Israel. She does not accept what she considers petty excuses and she thinks that it is every Jew’s responsibility to come to support the one place that is ours.
Ha. Not still true. I guess you could say I’ve become more realistic in my thinking.
Her decision to come on aliyah was finalized after five years of activism…
Is it weird how I’ve totally forgotten that part of my life? As if it was a distant dream?
Some days she feels challenged, but most days the decision to come makes all the sense in the world.
Flip that around now, so it reads like this: Some days the decision to come makes all the sense in the world, but most days she feels challenged.
She believes that an oleh needs creativity, open-mindedness and patience if he or she is serious about making it in Israel.
I pretty sure I will always believe that, no matter what I go through.
Whadya got: