Crossing the Yarden

By Yarden Frankl

Aliyah All Over Again

We finally stopped moving boxes into our new house about ten minutes before Rosh Hashana (Rush Hashana?). Especially after moving from house to house for six weeks, it was a wonderful feeling to finally sleep in our own beds in our own house. But the feeling was more than relief that the building process was finally over. (Actually, it is not completely over, but close!) In some ways, it felt like the day we made Aliyah, two years ago.

Of course there are differences. Two years ago, we said good-bye to our families and many dear friends. Parting was tough on all of us, and it didn’t help that we were moving to a place where we hardly knew anyone. We really had no idea what the people here would be like and how long it would take to make the kind of close friendships we had enjoyed back in Maryland.

Yet, last Shabbat, as I walked in uninvited on at least half a dozen Israeli and Anglo families, grabbed some food, and made myself at home, I realized that we had indeed re-established a network of support. So unlike two years ago, we now have dozens of the kind of friends that you can borrow eggs from while wearing sweatpants. So that is different.

Two years ago, we came without any jobs. When people asked what we would do, our answer was “whatever we have to.” Our goal was to live in Israel, even if we ended up doing things that were not the ideal jobs. Yet somehow, we stumbled upon work that is enjoyable and almost pays the bills. (In Israel, you are actually considered way ahead if you are only a little behind.) So that is different.

And when the bus from the airport dropped us and our suitcases off two years ago, we saw where we would live for the first time. Every day we encountered a new challenge. “Does this fog ever go away?” “What is that weird black stuff creeping up the walls?” “Television tax? What’s that all about?” Everything was new and finding plumbers, electricians, exterminators, and the like who spoke English (or a combination of basic English and hand gestures) was always a challenge.

Now, we have spent six months watching our house being built. We have gotten to know who to call when there is a problem and what to say. I know where I can go to find anything from a toilet to a cabinet handle. (And to think, two years ago, I thought “Talpiot” was a type of dessert topping.) I have learned that whatever price someone gives you, smile and ask for the “real” price…and then start negotiating. We have certainly learned a lot in the last two years.

Yet once again, we find ourselves starting new lives that are full of excitement and expectation. No one in Israel, and certainly no one who lives over the “green line” knows what the future will bring. Every stone that was added to our house made me realize more and more the trauma of those whose homes were destroyed in Gaza and the Shomron. Yet, we have no time to sit around worrying about what might be. We must do everthing we can to support what will be. As I hear the sounds of construction continuing throughout the Yishuv and all over the Gush, I am filled with a sense of satisfaction that despite the harder times, we did make the right choice.

So now that the house is done (almost), come on over. Have a beer. You don't need to wait for an invitation.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach from our blessed nation.

© 2007 Yarden Frankl, who lives in Neve Daniel in a house that is just one bathroom short of being complete.