Those of you who have been following this blog for a while are aware that my daughter, Exhibit One, along with her brother, my son Exhibit Two, first went to Israel last May on a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip.
(My daughter on a camel during her Birthright trip)
A few months later, Exhibit One returned to Israel for the month of August on an Aish HaTorah ‘Jerusalem Fellowships‘ program.
(Exhibit One, top centre with sunglasses on her head)
On Sunday, February 5, 2012, my 22-year-old daughter flew to Israel once again, only this time it was not for a visit. It was not to take part in a learning program. It was not for a vacation.
My daughter is making aliyah. She is emigrating to Israel. By Monday, she will have her Israeli citizenship card and her Israeli passport. As soon as possible, she will be enrolling in an Ulpan. Her hope is to be a kindergarten teacher.
(Exhibit One blending in with her surroundings)
She will be living in Ashdod, a seaside city just south of Tel Aviv. It is within rocket range of Gaza.
I am happy for her. I am so proud of her. Of course, I worry about her.
And most of all, I will miss her. Even with emails and SKYPE and all the other modern miracles of communication and transportation… I will miss her. I’ll miss her smiles and the way she rolls her eyes. I’ll miss her flashes of frustration and her ‘come on, hurry up!’ manner. I’ll miss her laughter and her quirky take on life. And I’ll miss her hugs.
May HaShem continue to bless you, my beloved daughter, now and throughout your new life in the land of our forefathers!
In May of this year, my son, Exhibit Two, will go on his Jerusalem Fellowship program. He plans on staying in Israel two months before returning to Canada to finish his final year of university.
(My son praying at the Kotel [Western Wall] in Jerusalem)
If things go according to plan, Exhibit Two will also be emigrating to Israel before long. He plans on making aliyah in two years, when he is 22-years-old.
Thank you, G-d, for two such wonderful kids and for giving me the years to see them into adulthood.
Watch over my children. Protect them. Spread over them and all Israel the shelter of your peace.
Wow! What a touching and heartfelt post! God is doing an amazing thing! He is tugging at the hearts of all who are both Abraham and who are of the faith of Abraham to draw close. I supposedly am a gentile. But since early childhood years I have known in my heart that I am of Jewish descent. People look at my strange when I share that…lol. But the ten lost tribes of Israel are spread over the globe…as the sands of the sea.
Thank you for your kind words.
I love the way that you have loved and guided your babies to the places they are now and the adults they have become. I feel your joy and your pain. I too have had to say bye for now to my son (my exhibit 1) and his wonderful fiancé as they leave Ontario to live in Saskatchewan. I don’t want them to move away. I want them to stay where I can see them easily. It is not as far as Israel but from where I live, it costs about 3 grand to fly there and back! My daughter (my exhibit 2) is getting married this summer and a big piece of my heart does not want to let her become a wife – not yet, as I see her still as my youngest and still only 5 years old. Selfish of me I know, but they both grew up too fast and left home too fast and became adults too fast and are now moving away in life toooooooo fast. How do I make time go slower????? can you answer me that one? There now, I am in tears again just thinking of how fast everything has gone – damn!
Debb: Hard to believe this is the same 2-year-old girl who sat on the court counter while I filed documents for Terry! And I get emotional too, believe me. Thanks, as always, for your kindness and generosity of spirit. We’ll have to close down some restaurants once you return from that gawdforsaken hellhole.
A long long time ago, when on vacation with my family and some close family friends, I joked with my dad that I would spend a day canoeing down a lake to an all boys camp. My dad was highly skeptical. But the dad of the good family friends said to him that we can only raise our children with our beliefs and love and then let them go out into the world and see if they practice them. Your children are proof that their parents have done their work well because they are living what they have been taught. It is wonderful.
Thanks, Jo. I am a lucky guy, no doubt!