Dan is a regular contributor to Israel Seen sharing his personal experiences coming home to Israel as an American Jew with all the Joys and frustrations of making the Jewish Nation his new home. His life experience both in the business world and as a ceramic artist gives him a unique perspective that is both fascinating and educational. Dan resides in Yafo-Tel Aviv area.
It has been just a little over three months since I arrived in Israel as a new immigrant and it has not been without it’s trials and tribulation. However I really feel that I am starting a new purposeful life here. I have found a real home in Israel and in particular Yafo which is the ancient port and community in the Tel Aviv/Yafo metropolitan area. I was fortunate enough after almost giving up my exhaustive search for accommodations to discover a small villa that a wonderful couple of Bulgarian extraction were seeking to rent half of to a person that would be like part of their family. I am situated in a very unusual setting between Bloomfield football (soccer) stadium and the Yafo police department. We are hidden in an enclosed area and have our own terrace complete with fruit trees, and lots of stray cats that we feed. The greatest thing about my home though is that the couple has adopted me as part of their family. This includes watching over me, teaching me to cook, doing my laundry,and caring for me if I am sick In addition to this they speak rather good English so we visit on many subjects. The wife is a Hebrew teacher so she is helping me struggle thru my Ulpan Hebrew lessons, and I enjoy sitting on our terrace and having a beer with the man of the house. My home is located five minutes from the beach where I jog, and have even tried fishing, five minutes from a wonderful ceramic studio that when time permits I take advantage of, and only a block from a real estate office where I am doing some special projects, and setting up a system to make it easier for new immigrants to find satisfactory rentals. We are surrounded with a wonderful flea market, the finest bakery I have ever seen, and numerous small shops and restaurants. I am enthralled by the environment of Yafo which is one of the ancient cities of Israel, but is quickly being renovated, and becoming very affluent.
One of my trials and tribulations has been attempting to learn Hebrew. It hasn’t helped me that I have low vision, hearing loss, and am considerable older than the normal immigrant, or that my Hebrew training before I arrived was so limited due to my Reform Jewish persuasion and being born and spending my life in small midwest Jewish communities. But, I am determined to master this language because I really believe to fit into the Israeli society that one must know Hebrew. I have established as my first priority here in lieu of my other interests really learning the language. This is despite the fact that most people one comes in contact with in asking directions, or shopping know some English and are very eager to help. I have had shop keepers solicit people off the street just to help me through a difficult problem in making myself understood. This is a part of the experience one has here when people know that you have made Aliyah and are committed to live here. They welcome you with open arms, wish you an easy Aliyah, and go way out of their way to be helpful in every way.
I am also impressed by the many fascinating stories of English speaking people that have been here for years. The man that operates this blog has been here since the 1980’s operates a at home business and his wife and he welcomed me by inviting me to their home for Shabbat very soon after I arrived. They are a delightful couple very much integrated into Israeli society. I recently came in contact with a friend that arrived here in 1982 who built a significant counseling practice after a very successful career in London and is involved heavily in Israeli folk dancing. Another person I met has learned Hebrew so well that they are a practicing psychiatrist. Another friend of mine from South Africa originally is a tour guide for Tel Aviv. I could continue relating about the many English speaking individuals who have established over the years a really meaningful life here in Israel and represent the early English speaking pioneers.
I have joined the most interesting and inspirational small Reform Synagogue, Beit Tefilah located at 4 Belazel Yaffet just off of Rothchild Boulevard. It is lead by a wonderful Rabbi who has formed a musical group of a base fiddle, piano player, two wonderful female vocalist’s, and the Rabbi is a drummer as well as leading the service vocally in music. We not only sing inspiration-ally, but do some Israeli dancing. There is also discussion among the congregants which unfortunately I don’t understand yet because of my limited Hebrew. The Rabbi and his musical group just finished a tour of the U.S. And recently recorded a CD I am constantly impressed by the spirit and strength of my new small but active Synagogue
Shopping for groceries is something that I find very intriguing here. There are many small food stores unlike our super markets in the U.S. That have the freshest and most interesting of products. I live a couple of blocks from the greatest bakery I have ever seen. They have the most wonderful breads including pita of course, a tremendous variety of cakes that I never have seen before, and the freshest knishes in potato, mushroom, spinach and of course cheese. Not to speak of the wonderful challah’s both large, and miniature that are available only on Friday. They also had the largest selection of wonderful Chanukah jelly donuts I have ever seen. A little further away from me is a small food store where almost everything is homemade. The olives, green tomato pickles, herring, smoked fish, dips and salads, and dill pickles just to name a few. Next to that store is a produce market that has an enormous selection , of the freshest fruits and vegetables including some that I have never seen before. One of my favorites is the most wonderful dates. Shopping for groceries for me has become a real adventure not only because of the wide and wonderful selection but also because I have to learn the Hebrew names of all the products. Actually any shopping here is an adventure for me as a new immigrant but fortunately people are very congenial and anxious to be of assistance and this includes not only the shop keeper but the customers as well.
One of my interests for many years has been political history with of course a lot of emphasis on Israel and I am just completing he most wonderful of books
“ The Prime Ministers” by Yehudah Avner who was an adviser and speech writer for Eskhol, Golda Meir, Rabin, and Begin and reveals the most interesting information from his memoirs of how this great modern nation was established. L am convinced that I personally have made the right lifetime choice except that I wish that I would have had the foresight to arrive much earlier in my life.
