Hebrew final exam

I was feeling emotional last night on my way to take our final exam administered by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration (Misrad Haklita). The news that Lufthansa had cancelled all flights from Europe to Israel for the month of March was a major distraction. My mom and her husband are scheduled to visit us …

Time flies

I was taken by surprise when the new month of Kislev was announced in the synagogue a few weeks ago. Since we’ve seen sufganiyot (donuts) in the supermarket since Sukkot ended, I didn’t realize how close we had become to the next holiday. Hanukkah is celebrated at the end of the Jewish month of Kislev. …

Under the Iron Dome

On the day the rockets started attacking Israel last Tuesday, I wasn’t aware that anything was amiss. I don’t regularly read the news in the morning, and nothing popped up on my phone news feed. My kids went to school, and I walked to my Hebrew ulpan class. When I arrived, the other students were …

Lost in translation

How do we communicate intelligence? Is it through our language, or the general way in which we carry ourselves? I was always the smart girl in class. I took AP classes in high school, graduated summa cum laude from college, and had a full scholarship for graduate school. When I was getting ready to come …

The Magical Three Month Mark

Today is November 1st. People said it would take our kids three months to learn Hebrew. That doesn’t seem to be the case. Their teachers say the kids have made tremendous progress, but they still can’t really have a meaningful conversation with their peers. We had a proud moment this week when we went to …

Where Sarcasm Drips Like Honey

A special post by guest writer, Danny Sherwinter (by popular request) In Israel, anyone might be your cousin. A few weeks ago, Sarit came home from school and asked to listen to the song “Shevet Achim v’Achiyot” (A Tribe of Brothers and Sisters), in which a bunch of popular Israeli artists sing part of the …

Managing expectations

My days are not so organized. My ulpan (Hebrew immersion class) starts next week, and maybe I will figure out a routine at some point.  Each day the kids have a different school schedule, and arrive home at varying times. Sometimes we think they are supposed to come home earlier or later, but they walk …