We returned from living in Israel two months ago. Since then, we have been asked, “What is it like there? Is it nice? Weren’t you worried? Of course, you came back because of the war--didn’t you? What do you think of Netanyahu? What do Israelis think of Netanyahu, the war with Hamas, Iran, what about the Haredi Jews, are you Orthodox?”, etc.
I think about these things all the time too, but I don’t have a good answer for any of these. I can say that whatever opinion or answer is stated is…somehow wrong! You just have to be there and then you still can’t give a good answer—neither can I. Anything I say—I would say is somehow wrong!
To quote a lyric from a Groucho Marx routine, “Whatever it is — I’m against it!” www.youtu.be/3cKUppyjJuw
All I can tell you is what I experienced. And when it comes to what I have experienced in life, all I can tell you is what happened to me and my perspective on that. As the days go by, my perspective on what I experienced changes—so, I reserve the right to disagree with myself, whether it is what I have already written, or what I am about to write as once again pick up my metaphorical pen and put it to paper.
I share these things with you to give you a window into my experiences. You will have your own thoughts about my rhyme, reason or resolution.
I have been away from writing my story for almost a decade, and I fully intended to start writing again after making Aliyah (“to go up” — refers to Jews living in the Diaspora immigrating to Israel). Then there was the medical emergency that overturned our lives in Israel and led to our return to the USA for treatment.
It started with a simple trip and fall on the bumpy sidewalk in front of our Jerusalem apartment. Pegi simply tripped and fell. What should have been a run of the mill treatment for a broken shoulder turned into a major metabolic crisis and the necessity to seek specialized treatment back in the USA. The details are really unimportant. The overall impact was the not the shattering of a few bones which could be repaired, but the shattering of a shared dream of no longer wandering--finding our home in Israel after 48 years of marriage. That dream was shattered. But Pegi is my dream and she is my home!
So, here we are in Newnan, Georgia—about 40 minutes south of Atlanta. What does it all mean? I don’t know, but it makes to sense to me that if we go back and look at how we got here, we can begin to see what our future here may hold. So, I plan to go back to describing my wanderings with the hope of discovering the questions that might illuminate some answers. Whatever I discover—I reserve the right to disagree. “Whatever it is, I’m against it!”
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Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Well, it took another 11 months to actually get back to writing! It isn’t so easy to get your life up and running when you are in your mid-70s! There were a lot of doctors’ appointments and physical therapy sessions, but Pegi is making substantial progress in recovering from surgery on both shoulders. And there has been a lot of activity wrapping up our lives in Israel and reestablishing ourselves in a Georgia near our daughter and grandson.
So, enough excuses, it is time to get back to the story!
And just as I wrote the last line, I got another the almost daily warnings of rocket and missile fire threatening our residence in Jerusalem—probably the Houthis in Yemen again!
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