The itch
The itch started in winter 2000. The second winter of 2000, not the first one in January and February, but the November December winter 2000. The Palestinian's began blowing up buses again with an alarming frequency, and Intifadah II was on. Ten months later, in the presumed safety of the United States, I watched with all the rest of the world as two planes crashed into the Manhattan skyline. (Yeah, I know there were two other crashes, but this is my story, dammit.)
As religious Jews we are taught from a very young age that everything in the world happens because of the Jewish people. What was the message that God was trying to send to us, though? Why was terrorism being exported to the U.S. Everyone can come to their own conclusions, but it struck me how important Jerusalem and Israel was to the Palestinians. It was important enough for them to die for. Human beings were willing to blow themselves up for a land that they believed was theirs. The very land that I believe I am entitled to by word of God.
But how much did I value that entitlement? I could move there whenever I wanted. I didn't have to blow myself up. All I needed to do was make a phone call and I could be living in Israel.
The message I took from the suicide bombers of 2001 and 2002 was that God wanted to show us how badly some people love Israel, and to force us to question the living choices we made. Then he brought us September 11th, a day that reminded us that no matter how safe we think we are, you really never know.
Of course, my wife took a different message from all this. Hers was the path of risk aversion. Stay away from Israel. Stay away from New York. If you have to go, get in, get out, and get back to your life (insert your own sex joke here).
We went to Israel 2003 for a few days, for a wedding, and my wife was on high vigilance the entire time we were there. She didn't quite kiss the tarmac when we landed in Detroit, but she sent out vibes.
In the months following that trip, my brother and sister both made the move, and shortly thereafter, my youngest brother married an Israeli and moved to Jerusalem as well.
We went to that wedding in November of 2004, and it was a completely different experience for us. The Matzav, as they call it, had calmed down. My wife actually felt comfortable and relaxed the entire time we were there. I didn't know it at the time, but she had reached a turning point in her feelings about moving to Israel.
The question had suddenly shifted to should we move to Israel one day to why shouldn't we live there. Snow fell around our car as we drove to Toronto two weeks ago, talking about making the move. Should we do it? There were old grandparents to think about, siblings and cousins and neices and nephews living here. Parents and inlaws that we were not certain if it was time for goodbye.
We talked it out. Those grandparents are part of the reason our parents never made the move. We asked ourselves if it made sense that the same people who stopped our parents from making Aliyah for 35 years should stop us as well.
The answer, we realized, was decidedly not. We need to look out for the best interests of our family, and in our opinion, the best place for our family is Israel.
We decided not to tell anyone about our decision, to just let it stew for a few days and see how it felt. It was a decision we were proud of.
But it was a decision that we could not make without discussing with our eight year old. Kids reach a certain age when Aliyah is no longer in their best interest. Ten minutes in town is all it takes to find a parent's broken dream, stoned, drunk, and wishing he was home in Brooklyn or Baltimore or a place where the world used to make sense.
Our five year old was excited. He has always talked about moving to Israel, being a soldier, and living in the land. But our eight year old was not happy. There were tear-filled days, long talks, and finally, he seemed to understand why we wanted to live in the land that Hashem promised Avrahom in Lech Lecha.
Not that he doesn't have concerns, but the move is something that he is willing to do.
So we are making plans, doing the research, and looking forward to the day when we will deplane at Lod and find ourselves home.
Our kids are school aged, which means a summer move. This summer is too close for us to make it, so we are planning on moving in the Summer of 2006.
As religious Jews we are taught from a very young age that everything in the world happens because of the Jewish people. What was the message that God was trying to send to us, though? Why was terrorism being exported to the U.S. Everyone can come to their own conclusions, but it struck me how important Jerusalem and Israel was to the Palestinians. It was important enough for them to die for. Human beings were willing to blow themselves up for a land that they believed was theirs. The very land that I believe I am entitled to by word of God.
But how much did I value that entitlement? I could move there whenever I wanted. I didn't have to blow myself up. All I needed to do was make a phone call and I could be living in Israel.
The message I took from the suicide bombers of 2001 and 2002 was that God wanted to show us how badly some people love Israel, and to force us to question the living choices we made. Then he brought us September 11th, a day that reminded us that no matter how safe we think we are, you really never know.
Of course, my wife took a different message from all this. Hers was the path of risk aversion. Stay away from Israel. Stay away from New York. If you have to go, get in, get out, and get back to your life (insert your own sex joke here).
We went to Israel 2003 for a few days, for a wedding, and my wife was on high vigilance the entire time we were there. She didn't quite kiss the tarmac when we landed in Detroit, but she sent out vibes.
In the months following that trip, my brother and sister both made the move, and shortly thereafter, my youngest brother married an Israeli and moved to Jerusalem as well.
We went to that wedding in November of 2004, and it was a completely different experience for us. The Matzav, as they call it, had calmed down. My wife actually felt comfortable and relaxed the entire time we were there. I didn't know it at the time, but she had reached a turning point in her feelings about moving to Israel.
The question had suddenly shifted to should we move to Israel one day to why shouldn't we live there. Snow fell around our car as we drove to Toronto two weeks ago, talking about making the move. Should we do it? There were old grandparents to think about, siblings and cousins and neices and nephews living here. Parents and inlaws that we were not certain if it was time for goodbye.
We talked it out. Those grandparents are part of the reason our parents never made the move. We asked ourselves if it made sense that the same people who stopped our parents from making Aliyah for 35 years should stop us as well.
The answer, we realized, was decidedly not. We need to look out for the best interests of our family, and in our opinion, the best place for our family is Israel.
We decided not to tell anyone about our decision, to just let it stew for a few days and see how it felt. It was a decision we were proud of.
But it was a decision that we could not make without discussing with our eight year old. Kids reach a certain age when Aliyah is no longer in their best interest. Ten minutes in town is all it takes to find a parent's broken dream, stoned, drunk, and wishing he was home in Brooklyn or Baltimore or a place where the world used to make sense.
Our five year old was excited. He has always talked about moving to Israel, being a soldier, and living in the land. But our eight year old was not happy. There were tear-filled days, long talks, and finally, he seemed to understand why we wanted to live in the land that Hashem promised Avrahom in Lech Lecha.
Not that he doesn't have concerns, but the move is something that he is willing to do.
So we are making plans, doing the research, and looking forward to the day when we will deplane at Lod and find ourselves home.
Our kids are school aged, which means a summer move. This summer is too close for us to make it, so we are planning on moving in the Summer of 2006.
posted by Air Time at 10:47 PM
9 Comments:
wow Air. Great post and big news! Do you plan on making Aliya from the get-go or test the waters?
we will miss you..and one day maybe even join in the fun, who knows???
Don't know what to say - gosh, I just did not think such a thing would happen. I am kinda sad but happy for you at the same time.
JPT -
We are going all in.
Air, do you know yet where you're going to live?
After sseing a few people take the plunge, the wife and briefly discussed making the move a while back. While I have a lot of family there (in fact more than here), other that a grandfather all are extended family. Plus the parnassah factor played big. I have a hard enough time making ends meet here. One day. Hopefully one day.
We are looking at a few different communities right now. It is still pretty early in the process for us.
From everything I have read, it seems that there are more and more english writing/marketing jobs coming available.
Plus, I am working on a few things here to see if they can be done there.
die you zionist imperialist pig.
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