A Calm Jerusalem

Last weekend, we hosted Kai’s friend from school, who came from Russia to study in Israel without her family. She isn’t Jewish, and had no prior connection to Israel, but the school offered her a significant scholarship, and she wanted an opportunity to leave Russia. It was her first weekend staying with a “host family” …

Visitors Galore

The month of June passed by in a flash. Five days after I returned from Paris, Danny flew to Colorado for the Rocky Mountain IP Institute. He was able to attend a bat mitzvah, meet our new tenants, visit with friends, and even hold our new baby niece. Once he was back in Israel, the …

Passover Vacation

Passover vacation ended this morning, and the kids grudgingly went back to school. Their break started on April 7, so they seem to have forgotten all about their regular routine. My mom finally arrived on April 3rd for her first visit since we’ve lived in Zichron. The airline lost her luggage, but other than her …

Returning to Routine

No one seems to know what day it is at the moment. I checked my calendar to confirm that it is in fact October now. Getting back to a “normal schedule” is a challenge after an entire month of holidays. Here in Israel, the kids attended school for a total of 11 days in September. …

Qi Gong Teacher Training

Many of you might not know that I am in a course here in Israel to become a Qi Gong instructor. I started practicing qi gong outside in the garden at Ramat Hanadiv soon after we moved to Zichron. I have done so many different types of exercise over the years, but somehow I felt …

Here we go again

I always get mad first. As soon as I read the news that the government is imposing new restrictions such as closing gyms and swimming pools, considering canceling all camps, and limiting gatherings, I started fuming. If people hadn’t gone overboard after the lockdown, maybe we could enjoy the pool we just joined. It isn’t …

A Sizzling Sukkot

I’m hiding out in our air conditioned house while Danny is out with the kids at a museum. We had a heatwave that began right before the start of Sukkot, and it is only now starting to dissipate. It is more humid outside than it has been for several weeks. Danny said that it makes …

Redemption on Two Wheels

I don’t think I was prepared for the experience of Yom Kippur in Israel. I heard little things here and there, but never the full details. On our last visit to Israel a few years ago, my mom’s cousin told me that they found a conservative synagogue they really liked, but they couldn’t get there …