15 years ago, I landed at Ben Gurion airport and a Russian-accented משרד הפנים rep told me I’ve been spelling my last name wrong my entire life as he prepped my paperwork. Last night, I was helping my son with his math homework in averages and after puzzling over the inaccurate wording of this problem, […]
When people ask me why I came here, my answer is that no matter what I believe religiously I’ll always accept the fact that by being born into what I was born I have no choice but to cast my lot with the rest of my people. So even now, as there is this man […]
As of today I have spent a third of my life living as an expat, having made the choice to leave what I knew and start over somewhere else, with specific goals and ideology fueling the decision. And 11 years later I really don’t have much to complain about, which I appreciate is incredibly fortunate. […]
‘Why did you move to Israel?’ We get asked that a lot, don’t we? Here’s my #1 reason 9 years ago, and my #1 reason now: Children who know no differently… The list of reasons for living in Israel grows each year I live and learn here. This year it grew by way of another […]
I looked up when, among the mumbling, I heard the word ‘מעליב.’ Standing in a long, slow-moving line at a Staten Island department store, I suddenly felt at home. And yet, it wasn’t because I was in Staten Island, or a department store. She turned around to complain about the long line in English, and […]
Anglo self-hate. Nothing wins more comments on the Times of Israel than that. The latest? This piece by Noga Martin: Why can’t the Anglos learn to speak? The author made aliyah at 19 with no background in Hebrew. She managed to learn it and speak it fluently, as well as develop an Israeli accent in doing […]
We ‘have’ kids. Sounds so passive, doesn’t it? Isn’t it more like, we find someone to have kids with, settle in with them, work at it for a few months to a few years, attempt to save money to cushion the initial shock, bring forth a baby into the world with extreme amounts of energy, […]
…the people who just live here. I’ve seen one too many Western aliyah/Anglo-bashing/Anglo-praising/Anglo-centric articles in the last week so now I’m just gonna mouth off a little. It seems people are either complaining about Anglos who need to get over it – ‘yes life is a struggle here in Israel, deal with it‘ – or […]
To ulpan or not to ulpan? It’s up to you, but it doesn’t have to end when you leave the musty, dingy premises of the classroom… Take ulpan home with you with Stick Around. The story behind Stick Around goes something like this: “Aaaahhh!!!” my wife yelled, and even though it’s not a word, I could […]