Waiting

Waiting...Do you ever feel like you are constantly waiting for something? We wait on the telephone as the cell phone provider puts you on hold. We wait endlessly at the post office. We wait for the fix-it guy to show up at our door.  We wait for blood work results from our doctor....We are always waiting for something.

One of my kids recently said to me, "Mom, when is the cease fire going to be over?" I answered, "It is not going to be over, it is a CEASE FIRE, that means that Hamas stopped shooting rockets." My son quickly replied, "Mom, it never lasts long...it always ends." This just broke my heart. I tried to convince my son that this time it is REAL, and we do not have to worry, but he would not budge.  He is waiting for the next rocket, just like we wait for a delivery at the door.

How has this happened?  Our US brethren are now waiting with bated breath for the news about the new developments against ISIS. And, we in Israel wonder what the ramifications will be on our soil.  The unknown is such a hard concept to process.  With all of our technology, and know-how...we still cannot predict what the next terror crisis will be, or where it will be committed.  And, thus, we are just waiting...hoping it is not going to be here, or anywhere near loved ones and friends.

Is this a way to live? Have we gone mad?  How can we change ourselves so we are not living this anxiety filled process all of the time? Is this why will fill our lives with facebook messages, whatsapps, instagrams, and more?  Are we trying to avoid the inevitable, or the inconceivable?

John Mayer is so poignant in his song "Waiting for the World to Change." While it was written years ago, it is a perfect take on our world today:

It's not that we don't care

We just know that the fight ain't fair

So, we keep waiting,

Waiting on the world to change.

(Click on the link below to hear the song)

Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer

At this time before Rosh Hashana, maybe we need to all make an effort to make the world change.  Somehow, we need to STOP waiting. We need to actively do something different.  There have been moments in our history, when we all joined together and actually made a difference to our society, to our culture, and to our lives.  Now, more than ever, it is time to make the world change.  I think we all need to take some small good deed, and make it our "project." Get others involved in your deed, and actually make a difference in this world. For, this world is not going to change by itself. It is time to stop waiting. It is time to act.

L'Shana Tova! Have a Happy and Healthy New Year! May it be a year of growth, peace, and understanding!

Full Circle

Anyone who is connected to social media networks knows that today is the first day of school in Israel. Over 2,000,000 children started school today in this country.  Parents are thrilled by the new school year's commencement. August is not the easiest of times to entertain children. Many children end up going to work with their parents, and add a special twist to the term "work."

Yesterday began my family's procession towards school. My recent High School grad began her first day at a midrasha (women's seminary) called Midreshet Lindenbaum.  The premise of this midrasha is that the girls learn for a year, and then they choose a particular area of the army in which they will attend with other girls from the midrasha.  Together, they will give each other strength religiously, as they give their national service time to the IDF.

My daughter proudly took me throughout the school, on a tour of the Beit Midrash , the library, and the dorms.  It felt like a mini-college of sorts.  I had sudden flashbacks to my first days of seminary, and college.  And, then it hit me, I realized that my first born is actually on her own this year...beginning a new journey of learning new texts, meeting new people, and living away from home.

As I kissed her, and hugged her before I left, I began to cry.  "I am so proud of you honey, I am so, so proud of you!" I said, as the tears flowed.  And, I truly am...my daughter chose this path for herself. She could have gone to many other National Service options, but she chose this wonderful bastion of learning so she could strengthen herself before she gives back to the country via the IDF.

I slowly walked myself to the car, and cried a bit, and then I had a flashback.  When we were first married, we subscribed to the Jerusalem Report magazine. It is a publication from the Jerusalem Post that has various newsworthy articles about Israel, and its environs.  Reading the magazine helped us keep tabs on the pulse of Israel, and it was very helpful to keep our Zionist spark alive.

One day, when we received the magazine, I noticed an ad, it was an ad for donations to a seminary that prepares women for the army.  I looked at the pictures of random young female soldiers, smiling out at the readers, and I thought "Wow! This is incredible!" As I scrolled down the page, I realized it was Midreshet Lindenbaum, a product of Ohr Torah Stone (Rabbi Riskin's yeshiva in Efrat).  I remember, wondering to myself...will our children ever be able to do that? I showed the picture to my husband, and we contemplated the possibility, which seemed so far away....

And, now, our first-born daughter, Carmi is fulfilling the dream of so long ago. Now, she is attending that very seminary from the ad I saw so long ago. Our lives have come full-circle.  She is essentially living the dream we barely imagined possible.  Right before our very eyes, she is making the ultimate sacrifice...to Torah, and to Israel.  I pray that she has a meaningful year, and that she is prepared for whatever the IDF has in store for her.

Carmi Blacher and a friend at the Midreshet Lindenbaum Bet Midrash

Out of the Mouths of Babes

I have been a very busy mother this summer.  As most Israeli mothers, I was scared that this year would be remembered by my children as the "year of the WAR." So, I decided to change that thought process.  I managed to snag a good friend, Leiah Jaffe, an amazing American- Israeli tour guide who managed to give me two days of her busy week, for day tours around Israel. I managed to wrangle six other families to join us on each trip, in order to make the trip feel more like a  group tour, vs. a private tour. Leiah would give us an itinerary, directions to go to the location of the tour, and we would caravan up to the site in our cars together.  We made sure to pack plenty of drinks and snacks for the way, and we were off to our adventures!

It was not easy to rile my kids out of bed on trip day.  The kids wanted to sleep, watch TV, or play computer games. But, I managed to push them out the door each time.  And, each time, we were more surprised by the wonders this country has to offer.

Our trips were to places including the Tel Aviv Eretz Israel museum, the Israel Museum, the Big Bambu exhibit, the Qumran Caves, Lido Junction, Ein Zukim, the Old City of Jerusalem, and Bet Shearim.  At each stop, Leiah entertained our children with tales of old, and tales of new. She gave the kids workbooks to answer questions, and asked them questions as they were walking through the exhibits and grounds, as well.

At times the kids complained, but it was fleeting.  At times, parents were non-compliant, too, but that was a fleeting moment as well. Overall, our days were filled with exploration and a new love for our country and its many nooks and crannies.

As these trips ended, my kids were reflecting upon the summer, and said "Mom, thank you for the best summer EVER!" That statement warmed my heart! It meant that I succeeded, I managed to turn a possibly scary summer into one of adventure, exploration, and new-found appreciation for Israel.

I love this country with my heart, my soul, and my entire being.  I live and breathe it daily with utmost appreciation to our Maker for giving our family the ability to live, love, and laugh here daily.  Yet, I was unsure as to whether my kids appreciated their existence here.  But, now it is affirmed.  Even in time of war, we live in the best place in the world, hands-down.  As it says in Psalms,

מָה רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶיךָ ה' כֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִיתָ מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ קִנְיָנֶךָ

.תהילים ק"ד

 How abundant are Your works, G-d, with wisdom You made them all!(Psalms 104:24)

We witnessed many wonders this past summer.  Many miracles, many natural wonders, and many wonderful acts of bravery by our IDF.  May G-d continue to bless us with His grace.  And, as we approach the new Jewish year, I look forward to the "best year EVER!"

Dead Sea Environs Trip

Miraculous Night

On Thursday night, our yishuv hosted two events. The first event was an outdoor party welcoming our soldiers home  from Operation Protective Edge.  The local basketball court was full of rides, games, blow-up's, food, beverages, and items for sale.  The event was well attended by families, young and old, and it was a terrific summer evening activity.

The second event was a hosting of three buses of families from the southern town of Netivot.  The families first came to the outdoor activities, and then walked over to our local synagogue for a catered dinner, accompanied by entertainment for the kids, as well as live music.

I attended both events with my kids.  Both were entirely enter-twined. For, we were celebrating the army soldiers return, while simultaneously hosting families from Netivot while their homes were being barraged by rocket fire.

The families from both events were entirely grateful for the hospitality and warmth of our community.  I spoke to many Netivot families that night who were so gracious for us opening our yishuv to them. " How could we not do so?"  I thought. It is our duty to help all fellow men and women in trouble.  As it says in Pirkei Avoth (Ethics of Our Fathers)"If not now, when?" (1:14).

As the evening hosting the Netivot came to an end, I sat down next to another local yishuv family to chat. Suddenly, we noticed that the room began to clear out. We did not think of it much, and kept talking. And then, my friend looked down at her phone, and noticed that there were two Code Reds in Hashmonaim at that moment. The party kept going on, the music kept playing, and we did not move.  We knew that we were in the safest part of the building, so there was not imminent danger.

Ironically, the band was playing a Mizrachi version of the song Yedid Nefesh (Beloved of the soul), a tune usually sung on Friday nights in synagogue.  The verse he sang as we noticed the siren announcement is as follows:

הגלה נא ופרש חביבי עלי את סכת שלומך

תאיר ארץ מכבודך נגילה ונשמחה בך

מהר אהב כי בא מועד וחננו כימי עולם

Please be revealed and spread upon me, my Beloved, the shelter of Your peace. Illuminate the world with Your glory that we may rejoice and be glad with You. Hasten, show love, for the time has come, and show us grace of days of old(written by Rabbi Eliyahu Azikri, Israeli Kabbalist from the 16th century).

There needs to be no explanation for the connections between the song and our current situation in Israel.  To the reader, I am sure it is quite clear that we are aching for the peace we all deserve!

After the event that evening, we all returned home, satisfied that we had perhaps made one evening slightly easier for all.  By nightfall the following evening, I had heard that one of the families who we hosted from Netivot had a rocket fall in their backyard while we hosted them for the evening.  We truly provided a סוכת שלום (dwelling of peace) for that family. May we continue to be able to shelter our brethren from the storm.

Art Imitates Life

It is currently August summer vacation in Israel. Most children have finished summer camp, and are home with their parents, or guardians as they eagerly await school to start in September.  I opted to keep my kids home with me, and enjoy this time together.  Although there were summer camp options here, I decided that we would find fun things to do together, and pepper that with trips to the pool, etc.

Our first adventures were a Trip Camp that we organized with our local resident tour guide, Leiah Jaffe.  We set out together on terrific local adventures to the Eretz Israel Museum (Tel Aviv), the Israel Museum (Jerusalem), the Dead Sea, Qumran Caves, Ein Zokim (Dead Sea area spring), and Beit Shearim.  All of these trips were geared for young kids, and their parents to enjoy together. Leiah Jaffe always peppered the trips with stories, activities, fun games and plays for the kids to enjoy!

When we are not touring the country, I take the kids on Mommy Day adventures. Our most recent adventure was taking the youngest two kids of my family to the movies in Tel Aviv.  We went to Dizengoff Center, and found a local movie theater showing the movie my kids have been aching to see, How to Train Your Dragon 2.

I had never seen the first movie, nor had I seen it in Hebrew, but I figured this would be an adventure for all of us; for my kids to see Tel Aviv, and for me to sit through a sequel of a movie in Hebrew.

The movie is basically a tale of evil forces vs. good forces.  A huge battle ensues, and the forces are tested to determine which will prevail over a land of Viking type glory.  Living here in Israel, it was not too hard to make the comparisons between art and life.  There was one line that really brought it home for me, and many other parents in the theater.  One character asks "Why do they[sic. the evil forces in the movie] hate us, so? I do not understand?"  The other character wisely answers "Sometimes, the forces of evil prevail, and convince all around them of their darkness...to the point that no one is aware of how dark and evil they have  become...they are soldiers of the fight of evil, without entirely thinking of what they have become."  [Please note that I am translating the Hebrew, and I am sure that this was said differently in the English version.] At the moment I, and every other parent in the theater, began to cry.  I heard muffled sounds of sniffling, and I knew that everyone in the Tel Aviv theater was thinking of Operation Protective Shield, and the evil forces of Hamas vs. the forces of our brave IDF.

My kids heard me sniffle, and saw the tears. They did not know what to do. Mommies are not supposed to cry! And, especially not in movies! But, then I saw my 6 year old daughter wipe a tear from her own eyes. And, I grabbed my kids, and held them tight, as I grappled with the emotional overflow of tears in this simple movie about good and bad dragons.

Eventually, the movie ended. No, I will not spoil it for you. But, the message was clear that the Viking village was happy and peaceful again, with a new, courageous entourage of dragons to help them prevail.  Of course, the movie was left open-ended for another sequel.

As we left the theater, my kids began talking about the movie, and the possibility of a How To Drain Your Dragon 3. We talked about what the movie reminded them of, and they immediately said "the War, Mommy." They openly saw the mashal(comparison) of the evil forces of dragons being similar to Hamas, and the good forces of dragons being like the IDF.  And, then my son said, "The IDF is going to always be ahead, just like the good dragons, Mommy!"  I reached out to him, and gave him a big hug and a kiss.

"Art and life," I thought "sometimes really do imitate each other."  Yet it takes very powerful eyes to see it.  I suggest that you all take your families and your loved ones to this movie. Parents, you may want a pack of tissues, just a warning. But, please make sure to talk to your family afterwards about the message of this movie.  Help your children understand the nuances of war, through the simple mashal of dragons.

Fun in the Sun!

I recently took my kids to the local pool one afternoon. As we walked into the pool area, we noticed a bunch of soldiers sitting in a circle, talking to each other.  At times our local pool hosts soldiers who are stationed nearby to use the facilities when they are on a break.  The soldiers swim a little, eat a bit of ice cream, and then return to their duties.

Our kids, and their friends, were intrigued as the soldiers jumped into the pool. Soon they were doing synchronized swimming, diving in one after the other in unison, and other tricks.  My son, and his friend decided to avidly watch a volleyball game the soldiers started.  Whenever the ball was thrown out of the pool, the boys eagerly caught it, and threw it back. It was so cute to see the boys so eager to help the soldiers play.

These soldiers protect us, and save us from harms way. But, we often forget that they are just little boys and girls, too.  Everyone needs time to play and laugh.  No one is immune from having fun! Even if there is a war...in order to be a successful soldier one must learn how to properly channel energies and focus on the army, yet also focus upon the time to relax, and chill with friends.

My friend and I decided that we would buy the soldiers ice pops as we were about to leave the pool. As we bought the ice pops, the soldiers were so grateful for the treat.  Our kids were eager to give the ice pops to the soldiers, as well as take pictures with them.  To the kids, these soldiers just gave them a fun day at the pool. And, to us, these soldiers are a reminder that Israel could not survive without them.

Thank you, IDF for making our life, our love and our laughter possible in Israel. We could not ever do it without you!  And, if you are ever at the local pool, we will treat you to an ice pop!

Summer Saved My Heart and Soul

Summer Saved My Heart and Soul

Graphic T-shirts are the rage this summer.  Even in Israel we see people walking around with T-s that share messages like "Happy"or "Keep Running" or "Peace." As I was shopping with my daughter recently, at a local Israeli mall, she too had gravitated towards the t-shirt bug.  She found something she liked, and I started to rifle through the mix to help her.

I was then struck by a purple T-shirt that somewhat offended me, and enlightened me all at once.  It stated "Summer Saved My Heart and Soul." I began to philosophize to myself "Can a season really save someone?" What did the author of this T-shirt really have in mind? Certainly not living in Israel. Probably some beach in Malibu for the summer....surfing, wind blowing in the surfer's hair, and not a care in the world.

Yet, the more I thought about it, I realized that this summer really has saved my soul, and others here in Israel.  Our summer began with the tragic loss of three young souls, Eyal, Gilad and Naftali.  Their kidnapping, and later loss of life, catapulted our nation of Israel into a collective energy of prayer and mourning that is unprecedented.

Following that tragedy, we were catapulted into the Operation Protective Shield.  Young men, and old, were sent to Gaza to defend our country. No one was immune to the pain of each missile fired towards Israel. Nor, were we immune to the loss of 64 soldiers, young and old, who died giving their souls for this country of Israel.

And so, collectively, I think Summer Saved OUR Heart and Soul. Despite the tragedy, and the loss, our country has become stronger and more unified.  We join forces, both left and right, to stand up for the right of Israel's existence.  The collective soul of Israel has strengthened.  We have been empowered, and no one can take this power away from us. The soul of this nation is stronger than ever.  I thank G-d for saving our collective Israeli soul.  It was time for us to wake up.  We just did not know it was time to do so.