Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut 2024
This year, we confront two very challenging questions regarding these Ten Days on our national calendar. The first concerns our emotional state and our ability to celebrate these days while we are a state in trauma. The second concerns the meaning of these days to the State of Israel and its citizens, as well as to the Jewish world as a whole.
Walking on Eggshells
Posted on Facebook 11 April 2024 Drawing on an insightful radio interview I recently listened to, I am convinced that this story possesses the potential to offer a profound insight into the emotional landscape of Israeli residents in the north who find themselves displaced from their homes. He has broken an egg in the past. […]
Sleepless Nights
Published on facebook on March 26, 2024 At 8 p.m. on a winter Friday night, their cozy apartment in Jerusalem was enveloped in a tranquil ambiance. The flickering Shabbat candles signaled their final moments before extinguishing, awaiting the next week. Hastily abandoned, the Shabbat table in the dining room bore witness to the evening’s abrupt […]
‘Solidarity Missions’ – “May He who dwells in this house comfort you.”
I’ve been asked about my perspective on visiting Israel amidst the current challenges, following the October 7th massacre, the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and increased tensions in the West Bank. There’s a specific interest in my thoughts on ‘solidarity missions’ tied to these events and the overall Israeli society situation. […]
To Be a Rich State
In my role as a Guide and Educator in Israel, I regularly encounter diverse groups of people. The initial phase of any trip involves engaging in casual conversations to establish a personal connection. This process fosters intimacy and rapport, cultivating a trust that I, as their guide, truly comprehend their preferences and will cater to […]
Acharai – follow me!!!
Published on facebook, 16 December 2023. This week, we continue to bear the heavy price required to safeguard the well-being of our Jewish and Democratic State. Our soldiers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, partners, relatives, and friends, are actively engaged in the Gaza Strip, confronting an adversary bent on our destruction. The toll exacted […]
Continuing Existence – the Jewish Equation
The continuing existence and prosperity of the Jewish People is dependent on the continuing existence and prosperity of an independent democratic Jewish state in the land of Israel – the State of Israel. And the continuing existence and prosperity of the State of Israel is dependent on a strong, professional, and moral army- the Israel […]
Derech HaRaglayim
I have come to know my land and its people… Derech HaRaglayim. Derech HaRaglayim is a Hebrew expression that literally translates to: “Through the feet” but truly means to learn via physical and experiential experiences. Derech HaRaglayim doesn’t always mean walking and hiking, but rather to use all of the senses, to create intellectual, emotional, and meaningful experiences. Derech HaRaglayim is a physical method that opens minds and hearts. Derech HaRaglayim is an interaction between the individual and his or her surroundings. It begins the moment you get up and start a journey. Whether it is a new path or one you have taken before… each time is a new learning experience that leaves an imprint on you, whether you are aware of it or not.
I am a Nofan!
Zev Vilnay, Veahavta L’artzecha Kamocha (Translation by Zalman Spivack) I am a Nofan! I am often asked: What are you, really- a Geographer? historian? archaeologist? botanist? zoologist? After all in your explanation you talk about the geography of the place, the events that occurred there, the ancient remains, about plants and animals … Well, what […]
My Friend – The Forester
It is a well-known and wonderful tradition in Israel to plant a tree. Families, schools and youth movements have embraced the tradition of going out and planting trees on the day of Tu Be’shvat in early springtime. Jews and non-Jews around the world have been supporting this project by “sponsoring” trees, mainly through the Jewish […]
We Are on The Map
Whenever I guide a group around Israel, I provide a map of Israel to each and every participant to allow them to follow our journey through the county. Not a special map, just a simple folding paper map, either one printed by the Ministry of Tourism or a map created by the agency I am […]
Welcome Home!
November 2000, I’m at the arrival hall at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. My brother and I have just got off a ten-hour flight from Israel on our way to join the rest of my family, who had arrived 2 weeks earlier, for my eldest brother’s wedding. We are arriving just two days […]
“Welcome Home” – The Transformative Effect Of Arriving In Israel
Throughout the history of the Jewish people, entering, or maybe we should use the term arriving in, the Land of Israel and later the State of Israel, have been transformative experiences with a profound impact on the individual and in many aspects on the state of our people and our nation as a whole. When I say […]
Size Matters
Growing up I was not a very big boy at all. I was not very tall either. I was actually pretty skinny and wasn’t all buff with muscles. This worried me as my army service approached. I believe it had less to do with who I saw around me, as most of the other guys […]