Aliyah 2020

  Last night I prepared all the materials we would need with us when starting a new bank account in Israel.  Fortunately, Nefesh B'Nefesh and Rifka Lebowitz's book prepared us well for what we would need.  So I packed up our teudat oleh (new immigrant id's), teudat zehut (id cards), American passports, a notice from the sal klitah (the absorption basket) saying we now have a bank account, and papers with information on them like our phone numbers (no we have not memorized them yet), and our address (yes we do know it!). We walked to the bank branch nearest our new apartment and asked if we could have an appointment for setting up a new account.  Fortunately, we only had to wait 20 minutes outdoors and then we were allowed to go into the bank with a paper stating we had an appointment.  Our banker spoke Hebrew and English and was very patient and helpful.  The process of giving information and signing papers took a full two hours.  Then we went to anoth...

 Today we had our first appointment for establishing ourselves as citizens of the State of Israel.  We went to the misrad hapnim, the Ministry of the Interior, and received our temporary id cards (teudat zehut) and also completed forms for our biometric id cards which will be good for 10 years.  The government workers who assisted us were patient, nicely mannered, pleasant, and very efficient.  Each of us went to a separate "window" for processing and as it turned out, the meetings accomplished what we had hoped for in a very painless manner. Afterwards, we walked up the block (Jaffa) to mercaz ha-ir (center of the city) and met Shmuel and Chananya who took the train to meet us.  They led us to our new apartment.  The good news is that we are going to end up in an apartment that is not only lovely, it is well organized (floor plan) and is located in a building that is kept in pristine condition.  We had trusted Yehoshua and Nava to find us a place and ...

 Today was our first day of being "out" after 14 full days of bidud (quarantine).  We put on our masks which are mandatory when in public spaces in Israel, donned our nefesh b'nefesh hats which point us out as new olim.  Off we went to the shuk where our temperatures were taken prior to entering the outdoor market.  We proceeded to the PEREG store for olive oil, tahina, and spices.  My Hebrew seemed to kick in and I was able to converse with the store owner adequately.  We also went to buy vegetables from a beautiful small stand, eggs & cheese from 2 indoor stalls, and kitchenware from a larger space in the outdoor mall.  On the way home we stopped at the Natural Foods Bakery nearer to our current appartment, purchasing some borekas for lunch, cookies for when the grandkids visit, and some fresh pitah.  I came home feeling like we had accomplished much on our first outing and Charlie fell right asleep!  We will probably save shopping for ...

 Today we had a webinar called "2 weeks following quarantine" hosted by Nefesh b'Nefesh.  It was composed of individuals who made aliyah on August 10 and August 12th who are now in "bidud" (quarantine).  It took us through a list of items we will need to accomplish once we have the opportunity to leave our quarantine apartment in another week. Our daughter-in-law, Nava, took a list to the shuk (outdoor market) and did our shopping for us.  So this evening we had all the ingredients for making aloo matar (potato and pea curry) that fit nicely into one of our two pans.  We also received laundry detergent and were able to do our first load of laundry (after of course reading the google translation of the washing machine instruction booklet).   I was able to talk to our phone provider today to clarify details about our plan and to learn about how to establish a plan for the internet once we are in our long-term apartment.  I also learned that we are n...

 We landed at Ben Gurion Airport last week (and today is our 7th day of quarantine).  We have discovered that the time in quarantine has provided lots of opportunity to rest up from the long flight + weeks of packing up our items for the lift.  It has also provided us with the opportunity to try to figure out how to sign up for appointments with government agencies, how to use a washing machine that has instructions only in Hebrew, how to maintain contact with friends in the U.S., and how to incorporate new words into our Hebrew vocabulary that we are certain to need once we are out of quarantine. The highlight of Shabbat was helping run a service with Daniel Neiden in NYC and participants all over the US in "attendance."  At the end of the service, Daniel sang the blessings (brachot) for the Havdallah ceremony (since it was close to Havdallah time in Jerusalem).  Our friends from TI and across the US held up pictures of candles showing their solidarity with us....

 Our quarantine apartment is truly lovely, although there are aspects of it which take some getting used to.  For those who know us well, when we were young (1979) we found a kitchen we really liked while downtown one day.  We purchased it but did not have a lot nor a plan for building a home.  So we put it into storage until we were ready to take care of those two "minor" details (which happened in 1981).  We actually built our house around our kitchen which had been waiting for us in storage. So here's a picture of our temporary kitchen in Nachalaot.  We are adapting to the smaller space, figuring out how to make the most of a compact area, how to accomplish meals with a mini-refrigerator and almost no storage space. The good news is we have a kitchen, a comfortable apartment while being in quarantine, and so far with the help of the kids upstairs, ingredients to use to make meals.  I think the key word to our experience so far is FLEXIBILITY.  ...

 We took 3 planes to get to our final destination, ERETZ YISRAEL.  We flew United from Lincoln to Chicago, Chicago to Newark, and Newark to Tel Aviv. The reception in Israel was heart-warming.  We were met as we unloaded from the plane.  We were helped by members of the ministry of absorption and Nefesh B'Nefesh who guided us through receiving our absorption paperwork, clearing customs, getting our luggage, arranging for transportation to our quarantine apartment in Jerusalem.  They had 50 of us new olim processed and on our way within two hours!  Not only that, but when we left the airport we had health insurance with the kupat cholim we had chosen, 5000 shekels in our pocket to help with expenses while getting settled, and a temporary identification  booklet that will be taken in a week or two and exchanged for our permanent i.d. cards. Flying during the time of Covid 19 was somewhat surreal.  Charlie and I were about the oldest individuals on t...

 It is very late and the crazy thing is that instead of saying tomorrow we will be leaving for Israel as we become new olim chadashim, we are now saying TODAY we are beginning our journey. Bags are in the car. Tears have been flowing readily as we have said good bye to good friends, family members, loved ones.  We have been blessed with being part of a community that we love; with family members who will always have a place in our hearts. As we make our way, I hope to write more.  Right now sleep is essential. Lailah Tov.

Tomorrow the movers come to pack up our belongings.  It is one day earlier than anticipated and no we are not totally ready for them to be here in the morning.  It will feel good to see the piles of items we are taking in our lift finally make their way into organized boxes.  It will feel scary to know that we are moving into an apartment that we've never seen before except via videos by our kids.  That's where trust comes into play.  Trust that our loved ones know what we like, need, and will be able to adjust to.  Trust that this move will find us having to learn new ways of living but that we will be okay learning new ways. Trust that we can grow even in our 70's and adapt to new challenges.  It is certainly an amazing experience to feel the tug of the familiar and the tug of the unknown.  I thank G-d that we've actually been able to get to this place....so close to making aliyah.