a balloontwister’s aliya saga

Well, the word HAS gotten around the office here that Jay from training commutes to Baltimore from Israel. SO I get many comments… from people I dont even know.

“Wow, I thought I haad a long commute”

“How many hours?”

“How do you do it?…etc.

Now its emails and calls from former co-workers and people at my office.

“Is the family ok?

“We were thinking of you..is everything ok?”

SO I’ve spent the past week being a spokesperson for the state of Israel as I have almost daily briefing on the situation. I don’t blame people for asking and I’m flattered that people are concerned. It is weird bec. in my mind haifa is far from Beit Shemesh. But if there was missles 2 hours away from baltimore… I’d probably freak.

Most people seem to be either ignorant or pro Israel. Ignorant as in… er….SO both sides are firing missles? Or lebanon….? hmm.. is that israel? We know SAP here, not much else apparently.

I have a hard time telling people that I not only do NOT want to leave israel but I wish I was there. I tell them.. if something happenned to your home, you wouldnt stay at work, you’d go home, see how the family is, see your neighbors.. help out…etc. Thats how I feel, All of ISRAEL is like my home…rather is my home. I’d be devastated if something happenned to Beit Shemesh, G-d forbid. but I’m almost as devastated that the next time I go up north it won’t be the same. It may never be the same. Showing the kids bullet and shrapnel marks in the houses and the ditches in the ground where rockets landed.

Will it be same to tour a year from now? Just a few weeks ago I was planning of taking the kids up north for a camping trip and rafting…. I decided to do something local and thought to take the kids there around labor day.

Not going to happen. Swimming in nahal el al will have to wait.

Well, I’m going to sign off. Its thursday so its last day for us. I’m going to finish some work and head up to NY to see the wife and kids.

See you soon,

J

LAst night was an evening of tehillim in Baltimore at Bnei Yaacov / Shaare Zion shul on PArk Heights Avenue. For around 30 minutes over 500 people filled up the shul and said tehillim. The best defense for tillim is tehillim (tillim is missles in hebrew,,,fyi). The shul is huge, but they opened up a second room and before you knew it.. it was SRO… MAybe closer to 1,000 people including women. I left the shul a different person. I left more confident than before. H-shem will not let the suffering to continue. This morning I turned on the newscasts in israel on the internet and felt alot more confident. I think we have to turn off CNN and listen to arutz sheva and ynet. We have to remember that everything that happens has a reason and purpose. Perhaps this is happenning to prevent olmert from another disengagement. Perhaps this is a sign from H-shem that we should all stand together. EIther way we have to understand this is min hashamayim and sometimes you have to FIGHT to have shalom (i.e. Pinchos). I’ve been listening to arutz 7 and have been hearing reasurring words from the radio hosts and from people calling in. People are confident and are strong in their resolve that this is he ONLY way to rid ourselves of the threat. We cannot be held hostage by the court of public opinion. This is the result of listening to CNN or MSNBC. Disproportionate amount of force?

please.

DO we not send leafets to tell civilians to leave the area?

Does Hizbolla do that?

What a bunch of garbage. I’m glad that the government, even the lefties are finally waking up to the fact that there is only one way to talk to terrorists. It had to be hard and crushing. A missle on sderot threatening even 1 jew is HUGE. Any missle or attack on ANY jew is HUGE. we cannot continue to dismiss it. SO far we haven’t and the terrorists that are distrupting the lives of thousands and thousands of jews will finally get what they deserve.

J

Had a busy morning and afternoon.

I went to the Jewish Heritage Museum and the Babe Ruth birthplace and museum. Both in Downtown baltimore. It was pretty interesting. At the Jewish Museum they had an exhibit that showed Jewish Summer camps and the importance of it. They had a display of camp caps and shirts going back 100 years… in the box was a Camp Dina cap, Camp Dora Golding for Girls. Pretty exciting. It showed grossingers pictures, the concord, Summers at miami beach, atlantic city. It was a fundraising event so admission was free for me, even though I clearly did not look like I was a fine shmecker. Everyone had nice clothes on. I had shorts, sandals, pirates cap. Covered with sweat from biking dwn from the light rail. I actually got into a conversation with an older gentleman and his wife, turns out I know their great nephew in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Yehuda Goldreich. This fellow was collecting for magen david Adom.. so I guess it wasn’t free after all.

The babe ruth museum was interesting. Some movies, artifacts, the room where he was born. NOthing too exciting, but if you are in the area and like baseball, its k’dai to see an O’s game and see the museum. The only problem with seeing an Orioles game, is that one of the teams playing is going to be the Orioles. With the three weeks and not being allowed to listen to music I have to hear about how inept they are. Its going to be a long three weeks.

I took my bicycle which I bought and that fixed up last week and brought it on the light rail and did my thing. BOth museums are a mile from each other so.. what the heck. Passed by Camden Yards were the Orioles play and saw the inner harbor. ALot of tourists millling around. Convention center, aquarium, boats…. other stuff….. Several sites to see in Downtown baltimore. Not too far from patterson park where I play softball. Its not that far from the jewish area and the light rail is only $1.60 each way.

I got back to my office to do some work and see the news coming from Israel. While I was sitting here my phone rings and Leslie Palma from the Staten Island Advance wants a few words from me about the goings on in Israel so pick up an Advance and let me know if there is anything from Leslie. I told her how strange and frightening it is to hear how far the missles are landing. I just heard that Northen Tel Aviv is now receiving warning. If Tel Aviv does get hit, G-d forbid I feel a major turn will take place in the hearts of liberal or moderate Israelis. They will no longer be able to claim that only the fanatical settlers are getting hit so its no big deal. I’ve already seen quotes from politicians that are already turning on olmert and will not back him from another disengagement. I also fear that if Israel does not clean up Hezbolla Northern Israel will NEVER be the same. When I was north Pessach time, I didnt give it a second thought. Not sure if we will ever have that feeling again. Similar to a post 9/11 world in manhattan taking a subway. And if WE are nervous, then the tourists will never come and the tourists that have been coming by the planeful will cease and lead to economic hard times. SO let’s hope and daven that this either ends quick or it ends decisively.

Well, I’m going to hit the Fitness center and then head to daven and say tehillim at the shul here.

Have a great day,

J

It is very difficult to enjoy shabbos..while in Eretz Yisroel people are living in fear. It hit me when I was davening friday night at shomrei Emunah at the late minyan. The shul is expanding, boruch H-shem so minyanim take place in the main shul and in a trailer in the back. The place was packed and I couldnt help but try to imagine how even though this was uncomfortable… it is still Much MUCH better than what people have to do in Israel. Especially in the nothern towns.

When I worked in Tel aviv months ago, I davening shachris in a bomb shelter that was turned into a shul. I also davened mincha in a different shelter that was near my job. Both shelters had in common several thing. You feel very crowded even though its not packed and you can’t help but think on how it must be if there WAS a bomb scare and you HAD to be trapped in there with dozens or hundreds of other families. We all make comments on how our flights sometimes haave screaming babies. Well, try to imagine, if you could 15 or 20 babies crying because there is no central air conditioning…maybe a few fans and a half working AC unit… and toddlers and kids going nuts because there is nothing to do in these cramped quarters. While there is a evening of tefilla sunday night in Baltimore… you don’t feel the same reaction to people here. In the US we are sad and can try to empathise but we don’t FEEL it. We can’t REALLY feel their pain.

For the first time in my life, a conversation that I had with a yeshiva guy in Ohr HAchaim made sense to me. At the first gulf war I recall a plane of YU guys were going to Israel to daven and show support for them. I couldn’t fathom why they would do this. Mind you that at this point I had never been to israel. Until today did I understand what it was. What it means to feel empty and helpless while our brothers and sisters in Israel are taking a pounding. If you truly believe that Israel is our home and we really should be there. Then we should be feeling the pain that Israelis are. Why aren’t we? Are we better than them because we can afford to fly or drive away or if we had to we could take a vacation and leave work. I remember having a similar feeling after 9/11. The feeling of helplessness did go away and while we can’t get it out of our minds completely, can you imagine feeling this every day. Just reading the quotes of tiberius residents made me shudder. “We now feel like the people of kiryat shemonah”

These people have nowhere to go. They aren’t living up north because this is their summer home. Their jobs are there and they can’t afford to leave. Can you imagine living in israel or anywhere and the constant threat of a rocket hitting your house or your kids school? MAny of us cringe when our kids ask us to cross a 2 way street… well… you’re only 9… maybe next year..etc. There is no defense for these rockets. The patriot missles are helpless to defend against the katushas. One landed near a shul. One in a restaurant that Thank G-d was closed today. This wasn’t in kiryat Shmoneh which is really close to the border. This is in Tiberius. where EVERYONE had gone touring. Will we go again? Would you bring your kids there next time knowing that the missles CAN reach there? WE can decide not to go. Israelis live there and cannot afford to just pack up and leave work for a week or so and head to Jerusalem to tour.

Hopefully with our tehillim H-shem will give koach to the soldiers and Israelis who our our korbonos in this terrible matzav.

It was an eventful shabbos as I ate with Yitzy Pretter at Dov Oken’s house Friday night. YItzy’s family was in Seattle so I tagged along with him friday night. I haven’t seen YItzy in a while but I really wanted to be able to say that I’ve seen 3 of the pretter boys over the past few months. Avi and Dovid in Israel and Yitzy in Baltimore. I can’t recall why that was important to me last week. Maybe it will come to me this week?….hmm… I actually did NOT wear a hat this shabbos. Not due to the incredible humidty. More about that later. But when I asked yitzy if I caould borrow his hat, It didn’t occur to me that my head (with my haircut) would be so much smaller than his. When I tried it on.. only my ears stopped in from hitting my shoulders. I fewlt like the kid who is a friend of Fat Albert who wears his hat over his head and has little holes for his eyes. Well, ein baya.

I can’t recall NY ever being this humid. At 12:30 walking back to my apartment it was still hot and steamy. In israel its hot but its not THIS bad. This morning after a 15 minute walk home from Shul I ate the seudah at My old friend Shloime Kreindler, from Queens. Its amazing what people remember about you after all these years. I walked in the door and his wife said that for the first time in 14 years of marriage, shloimie told her to make sure the cholent was fantastic because Yudie was coming. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’m not much a cholent person anymore. So for the sake of shalom bayis I made my way through plates of it. Is actually was really good. It was good to see him and his family. Been many, many years since I’ve seen him.

Well, I’m going to call Penina and see how shes doing. Its about 7:30 am in ISrael.

HAve a good day,

j

Where to begin? The entire north is under siege. Nahariya, Shlomi, Tzfat…. soldiers taken, soldiers killed… A woman eating breakfast.. killed by a rocket. Last year it was Gush Katif… this year its war in the north and south. Its not the fasting… its the teshuva… (mishna Brurah). If the day goes by and all we have to show for it is being hungry.. then we missed the meaning behind the fast. All the sad things that happenned have to do with Jerusalem and the beit hamikdosh. Are we truly sad that the tamid was stopped? Do we know the halachos of it? Are we truly sad about the holy city being under siege? Despite being in the diaspora we have to feel the sadness that has happenned and is happenning today. Despite being an oleh for less than a year, I feel so much different when a fast day or when news comes out of it. Despite being in Baltimore I feel like I am there. I feel bad that I’m actually NOT there. Not sure what I can do but just to be there and show my support to the people. From Baltimore or NY we can say tehillim and remember that….these soldiers and people living under siege are modern karbonos. (rabbi lehrfield’s speech from tisha b’av a few years ago).

Well, I’m going to continue and listen to the news and try to do some work today.

Please say tehillim for the jews that are up north and for the soldiers that are putting their lives in danger to protect our brothers and sisters and OUR homeland.

J

The olim are coming.. the olim are coming…

Yup its that time of the year… Moving trucks… boxes… bewildered looks on peoples faces as they struggle to comprehend the fact that they have to bag their own groceries… even though they lived in fancy five towns…

Nefesh b’nefesh brought some new families. I just met one a few days ago, Shmuel Katz from Woodmere. He is living across the street for the summer until his place is ready. He was surprised that his landlord told him it was almost ready and how when he looked at the place it wasn’t close to being ready.

Welcome to Israel! That is EVERYONE’s story. A neighbor of ours.. same thing… we listen anyway as it is cathartic for them but we all wink at each other. When the landlord is in NY the house is fantastic but when you see there is no sink… or stairs… different ballgame. Just try to take it all in stride. Smile. Take a deep breath and savor every minute because looking back it is an experience. The flight. The new streets. New shuls.

In Holy smokes on shabbos we had 2 shavu banims as 2 olim got aliyos this week. Its a great feeling because in our shul everyone is an oleh from the past few years… and everyone DOES add a bit to the ruchniyos to the shul. It gives you a chance to be friendly and give a bit of advice to the new folks. i.e. It will take you months to get your license…. or a slice of pizza to be delivered.etc…

We had special guests this shabbos. Dovid pretter, Dr; Moskwitz’s son and a young fella whos brother was a student of mine when I taught in MTJ on the lower east side many.. MANY…years ago…This guy towered over Dovid pretter who is huge. SO Its was little ol me.. and these big dudes all shabbos. On the bright side, they took all the leftovers so we’ll be eating fresh and they will be eating food this week instead of yeshiva food.

Gotta run, Heading to the holy city in a few…

U.D.

Wow, what a day. I took the three big kids to Ein gedi and yam hamelech.. but thats not the big story.

Its the dryer story.

On monday, the dryer stops working. The outlet was all black and smelled of smoke. NO problem. Penina pulls out the warranty and calls the place.

The woman speaks english… knows the product…knows we have a warranty… only problem is the one guy who fixes this model can only come thursday morning. So we brought our stuff to our neighbors to use their dryers… no big deal, right?

Well, thursday comes and penina is waiting…. the phone rings.. the guy that was supposed to come is sick.. he can’t come. Penina who is becoming more israeli…. is like… no one else can come? LEt me speak to the manager…etc. Long story short… she calls the guy who sold the dryer and the insurance plan and complained to him… WE had someone come today. There is still a piece that needs to be replaced by an electrician…but.. the point is … Penina didnt take the guy is sick line and got someone to come down. I couldn’t have been more proud. She can really get things done.

I was just talking to her and I think she would have been a great project manager as the one I have in baltimore is just butchering up the project I’m on. Thats for another day.

But back to ein gedi. We also went to the old shul that you see signs for in Ein gedi, but never go.. well, we finally did. Old mosaic floor et al. Definately worth the few minutes to see it. Nothing is better than a refreshing swim in the falls on a hot sunny day in the judean desert.

Well, its 11:30 and we just got back from a sheva brochos. It was buffet style and as I went to get up the guy next to me all of a sudden has a huge plate in front of him. Hes sephardic and his wife serves everything. He never gets up for anything. Sounds like a certain someone I know… And he KNOWS I’m talking about him. I had no idea those dudes can get away with that.

I’m out of here.

u.d.

Been a busy few days… hardly had a few minutes to put the blog out.

We had the Kenig girls for a few days and gave them a few quick tiyulim. We first hit the Bat Cave and the Rock Slide.

NEar Beit Shemesh there is a cave (that has a gate and is prohibited to go to) that has dozens of bats.. maybe hundreds… Dark damp place where MOST of the kenig girls went in. We then hit a slide nearby that I have no idea how it was formed because it is a slippery rock that slopes. So the kids walked up and slid down a few times before the 20 minute hike back to the car. I forgot to mention that to the kids before we told them about the cave and the slide. Perhaps water would have been a good thing to take along with the flashlights.

Shabbos was nice as we had a bar mitzva in the area and I got to read my new sefer Dalet Amot, written by Rabbi Ari Enkin. I’m mentioning this because:

a. The sefer is very well written and organized

b. He reads this blog sometimes

c. I guess anyone who reads the blog and buys the sefer, I could get a cut of the action.

Sunday we went to Nahal Alexander. The REAL one. Let me explain. All streets in Ramat BS are named after streams and rivers. SO the street nearest ours in alexander so looking on the internet we found the place. Near Netanya. It is a river that has Soft Shelled turtles, so we shlepped up to see them. Pretty interesting. Huge turles swimming around. THey have heads like otters and huge shells and they come to the banks of the river and we got to touch a few of them. WE then went to a beach nearby and the kids were fine until jellyfish chased eveyone out of the ocean. I guess its jellyfish season. (rabbit season. duck…rabbit…etc.) SO the kids made a ditch and filled it with water and played in the sand and mud for around an hour (yes the kenig kids too…). Upon arriving home we all went to a new restaurant in the Bet Shemesh Mall. Anytime the Kenig girls want, we would be more than happy to take them out to dinner. I think Tamar ate more than all the kenig girls.

I think they all shared 10 french fries.

That night they left to Nof ayalon with uncle Kenny as they were starting camp in the AM. It was nice to see them. The kids missed them so it was good for them as well that they came.

LAst night we had a wedding in Talpiot. Our neighbor made a wedding for his daughter and it ushered a new tekufa for us. Friends of ours made a wedding, as opposed to getting married. SO we all looked at the yeshiva boys dancing wildly and made the “outer circle” which is made up of the older folks who are dancing slow… while keeping one eye to see if the next course is being served. Yup, we’re all been there. It was almost a typical israeli wedding. Mostly white shirts. Yeshiva boys with shirts out of their pants. scraggly beards, and the people stand during the chuppa. (I mean.. would some chairs really cause a riot?). Mousaka for the appetizer. I asked the waiter ” Bisar Chatul?” I got some weird looks. The same look I got when offered a boureka I responded “Lo, Ani Nehag”.

Well, today is July 4… no chag here in Israel. Kids get out early as its half day of school for the big kids. Moshe still has a full day as he is in a “talmud torah” as opposed to a bet sefer. But.. its finally quiet here as penina took most of the kids to a pool in the next town and I sent yoni out to get some milk. I have some work to catch up on so I’ll be working n the chag. Well, have a good day and enjoy the day off.

u.d.