Welcome to my blog. I suppose that is the correct thing to say.
I also want to welcome you all to the public entry point into my aliyah part 3.
Entries in this blog will deal primarily with my struggling relationship to Israel and my efforts to come to terms with it. For 23 years I have alternated between love, frustration, anger, disbelief, appreciation, respect, disrespect, admiration, and a myriad of other states of emotional highs and lows in regard to Israel. I have moved back and forth between Israel and the United States attempting to balance my love for both countries and desire to be a part of both of them.
How can I achieve both the American and Israeli dream? Why is the pull of being a Jew in Israel so strong? Why am I not satisfied with living the life of a Jew in America?
So I am going to use this forum to examine my relationship to Israel, the US, and the world. To share some of my adventures in life, both past and present, and to indulge in some commentary about politics and life in Israel, the situation in the Middle East, the US, the world.
I invite all comments both positive and negative.
Aliyah Part 3:
Why Aliyah part 3.
Well...Aliyah part 1: I first made aliyah July of 1991 and headed straight for Ulpan Eztion in Jerusalem. I was 27, single, with hardly a nickel in my pocket but I was in Jerusalem living my Zionist Dream. I think for many singles who make aliyah those first few years are kind of like play time. We are searching, trying to find our way, and mainly I think looking for a significant other. But we spent plenty of time partying. The Terminal Bar on Bezalel Street in Jerusalem was a perennial favorite. It was off the beaten track-meaning all of the year program crowds had not discovered it. It was one of the few places in Jerusalem that we found where there were mostly Israelis.
Anyway, five years later, I found myself with barely a penny in my pocket, just married and both my brand new wife (her name is Joyce) and I at a career crossroads. Soooo, we lit off for the fabled mythical city of Miami Beach, Florida, where we sojourned for six years. (Some blog entries will deal with our time there) Of course it didn't hurt that all of my family was there also.
Aliyah part 2: We returned to Israel August, 2002 and headed down to Kibbutz Ketura in the Arava Desert. What was meant to be a one year stay turned into three years as we entered the membership process and attempted to become desert dwelling socialist pioneers. (There will be much much more on this experience in future blogs).
Aliyah part 3: And now we come to the present. July, 2005: we move from Ketura to Reut, Israel (a part of the Modiin municipality-in the center of the country). This is my third attempt to permantly settle in Israel and live my Zionist Dream. My third attempt to discover if this is actually possible.
I am 41 years old (yes, I'm over 40 and I don't want to talk about it).
Married for 9 1/2 years to Joyce-my Dutch girl.
And we have three wonderful, beautiful children: Adar-7, Nadav-6 and Zoe-2.
We have absolutely no idea what it is like to live in Israel as an immigrant family, (kibbutz was a completely different experience) but we are learning fast. This really is like making aliyah, yet again.
Stay tuned...more missives and musings are on the way...
Danny Reed
I also want to welcome you all to the public entry point into my aliyah part 3.
Entries in this blog will deal primarily with my struggling relationship to Israel and my efforts to come to terms with it. For 23 years I have alternated between love, frustration, anger, disbelief, appreciation, respect, disrespect, admiration, and a myriad of other states of emotional highs and lows in regard to Israel. I have moved back and forth between Israel and the United States attempting to balance my love for both countries and desire to be a part of both of them.
How can I achieve both the American and Israeli dream? Why is the pull of being a Jew in Israel so strong? Why am I not satisfied with living the life of a Jew in America?
So I am going to use this forum to examine my relationship to Israel, the US, and the world. To share some of my adventures in life, both past and present, and to indulge in some commentary about politics and life in Israel, the situation in the Middle East, the US, the world.
I invite all comments both positive and negative.
Aliyah Part 3:
Why Aliyah part 3.
Well...Aliyah part 1: I first made aliyah July of 1991 and headed straight for Ulpan Eztion in Jerusalem. I was 27, single, with hardly a nickel in my pocket but I was in Jerusalem living my Zionist Dream. I think for many singles who make aliyah those first few years are kind of like play time. We are searching, trying to find our way, and mainly I think looking for a significant other. But we spent plenty of time partying. The Terminal Bar on Bezalel Street in Jerusalem was a perennial favorite. It was off the beaten track-meaning all of the year program crowds had not discovered it. It was one of the few places in Jerusalem that we found where there were mostly Israelis.
Anyway, five years later, I found myself with barely a penny in my pocket, just married and both my brand new wife (her name is Joyce) and I at a career crossroads. Soooo, we lit off for the fabled mythical city of Miami Beach, Florida, where we sojourned for six years. (Some blog entries will deal with our time there) Of course it didn't hurt that all of my family was there also.
Aliyah part 2: We returned to Israel August, 2002 and headed down to Kibbutz Ketura in the Arava Desert. What was meant to be a one year stay turned into three years as we entered the membership process and attempted to become desert dwelling socialist pioneers. (There will be much much more on this experience in future blogs).
Aliyah part 3: And now we come to the present. July, 2005: we move from Ketura to Reut, Israel (a part of the Modiin municipality-in the center of the country). This is my third attempt to permantly settle in Israel and live my Zionist Dream. My third attempt to discover if this is actually possible.
I am 41 years old (yes, I'm over 40 and I don't want to talk about it).
Married for 9 1/2 years to Joyce-my Dutch girl.
And we have three wonderful, beautiful children: Adar-7, Nadav-6 and Zoe-2.
We have absolutely no idea what it is like to live in Israel as an immigrant family, (kibbutz was a completely different experience) but we are learning fast. This really is like making aliyah, yet again.
Stay tuned...more missives and musings are on the way...
Danny Reed
posted by Unknown @ 4:56 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home