News and Reflections
A Time to Strengthen Relationships
September has always been a month of new beginnings for me. When I was a child, school began the first week of September, usually 2 days after the American holiday of Labor Day. When I was in university, classes began that day as well. In Israel, school begins...
Why Visit Israel?
Feeling the presence of God in the Land of Israel is something that defies logic. God said that it was His Holy Mountain, and it is still His Holy Mountain. My personal belief is that if God hadn’t chosen Israel, we would never hear of this tiny strip of land on the coast of the Mediterranean! It wouldn’t be fought over, it wouldn’t be contested, and it would never make front page news. And yet it is. An area that is 50 miles wide and 200 miles long is in the news every single day!
Rebuilding in the Wake of Destruction
Perhaps we are the generation who will, finally, put an end to anti-Semitism, to hatred within the Jewish people, to intolerance and bigotry. Perhaps we will be the ones leading by example, teaching others how to counteract baseless hatred and come together in love. Perhaps we will be the ones to build the Third and final Temple. Perhaps we can bring an end to the loss. Perhaps.
Connecting Generations to the Bible
This week is one of the most enjoyable weeks of the year for me. Each year, thousands gather in Gush Etzion, at the Herzog College in Alon Shvut, for a 5 day Bible Seminar. Herzog is a religious college which began as a Bible School and then expanded to include a...
A Rose Among Thorns
In just one afternoon, I’d fallen in love with the strong pioneering attitude of the residents, the winding roads and lush greenery and bright homes, and the magnificent sunset panoramas of Einav. It is a place so vital to the pumping heartbeat of the Biblical Heartland, and a place well worth protecting.
Do you want to visit the Holy Land?
Do you want to visit the Holy Land? I can remember as a child dreaming of a visit to the Land of Israel. In those days, it was such a far-fetched idea, that it seemed as realistic as flying to the moon. I still remember my very first trip to Israel, the incredible rush of emotion as the plane touched down at Ben Gurion Airport. As the palm trees flashed by the window, I was unable to stop the tears flowing down my face. My heart was so full and I hadn’t even stepped foot off of the plane yet! Even today, I still get that same rush of emotion every time my plane touches down on the runway at Ben Gurion. There is nothing like coming home to Israel.
Hearts in the East
Before I made Aliyah, I used to hear lots of American Jews repeat the same Hebrew saying: libi b’mizrach v’anochi basof hama’arav. Translated, it means, “My heart is in the east, but I am in the west.”
A Nation of Families
Tomorrow, my husband Ed and I will celebrate 40 years of marriage. It is really hard to believe that it has been that many years already. We met at university in 1975. I had just returned from my gap year in Israel and he was already a 3rd year student. We were part of a group of Orthodox Jews that celebrated Shabbat together each week and over time, we paired off. We got married just a few weeks after I received my BA.
The Miracle of the Six Day War
Even though the Six Day War happened before I was born, it shaped much of my life. I grew up hearing stories of the miracles that took place during those short, yet brutal days of fighting.
Honoring the Pioneering Elders of Tomer
It’s the Fifth out of Ten Commandments. In Judaism, honoring one’s father and mother is a vital mitzvah (commandment) that recognizes the synthesis of God’s power to give life with the physical beings who help carry out that miracle of creation. More simply, it holds the key to the age-old success of the family unit. When children show honor towards their fathers and mothers, parents can be more effective caregivers, and children learn healthy guidance and how to follow rules.
