S/O living in Florida. Israel Edition

amother

Hawthorn

Thu, Feb 01 2024, 4:08 pm

To be honest, most of my day and week I am busy with what we are all doing running a home and family.

But every so often, sometimes a few times a week, often a few times a day, I think to myself, wow I am so fortunate to be able to live in this amazing country of OUR people, I am in the land of our people and our history. I can take a few hours off and visit the kotel. Our trips as a family are connected to our history. We see where David fought Golias. We visit the Mei hashiloach. We live in the nachala of Yehuda. And we live amongst our people. I'm in the supermarket and the cashier gives me brachos and tells me that we have no idea of the koach of a simple person's brachos. Another person I meet tells me a dvar Torah. Bezrat Hashem is said by everyone, and really meant.

We live and breath Eretz Yisrael. We plant our fruit trees and think about kilayim. We pick our fruit and think about maaser. We are zoche to buy and eat fruit that was grown in eretz Yisrael and support our own Jewish farmers (and say al pri gafnah and al peiroseha in all hamichya). Every supermarket around the country has cholov yisrael milk and cheese. Pas Yisrael bread.

And the weather here is like gan eden most of the winter. Gosh, I can't even imagine having to bundle my kids up in hats and gloves and boots. A week or two a year is enough for me. I don't think of this all the time, but every so often I realize it's December (and January and February) and we are outside enjoying the sunshine with no sweater.

I could go on, but really, I wouldn't give up living here for a million dollars, or for the beautiful homes with huge properties in suburbia where I grew up. (I'm here around 15 years.)

LovesHashem

Thu, Feb 01 2024, 4:12 pm

amother Honeydew wrote:

Sometimes I look at the breathtaking view of my window and just am speechless from the fact that for thousands of years people risked their lives to live here and many were unable to even do that and here I am! I live here! How in the world am I zoche to that??
But yes, I've been here over a decade and I think about it constantly- in the supermarket, on a bus, taking my kids to gan etc... I am so lucky to live here!

Yup. Pretty much any time I travel and am exposed to the nature here and history or sometimes just being on my porch.

Bnei Berak 10

Thu, Feb 01 2024, 4:13 pm

amother Lavender wrote:

I have been living here for 5 years now. I feel like I am on an extended trip. I hope it never ends. That being said, my life is very relaxed. I have two kids, I am a SAHM and not many obligations though it does seem like much when I need to get to the other end of Jerusalemm for a doctors app or beaurocracy and it takes an hour in the traffic.

I do get super annoyed with the culture sometimes especially when men are sitting on the bus and pregnant or old women are standing. But there is hope because I am definitely mellowing...

The one thing I might never get used to though is the heat! I can't breathe in the summer. I spend time outdoors in late afternoon and it's hard!

You need to schedule outdoors hours in the summer. Stay indoors when it's too hot.

Bnei Berak 10

Fri, Feb 02 2024, 2:42 am

amother Amethyst wrote:

The dirt. Dirty diapers on every street, garbage all over the place…..
And the humidity 🥵
There’s more but these are the main ones right now

You are right about the garbage, it used to be better.
Tel aviv and other places are cleaner but then you have another kind of dirt.

a2z

Fri, Feb 02 2024, 3:12 am

I majored in history post high-school and one year we had a series on history from tanach and onwards.
We were taken to see the places that the things happened at.
From Har hatzofim to kever shmuel hanavi, kotel tunnels, the excavations around Har habayis, ir David, old city (jlem), living history.
It was awesome, and as a chutznik it was even more special.

shabbatiscoming

Fri, Feb 02 2024, 3:16 am

a2z wrote:

This is one of the best parts of living here Smile

I remember when my daughter had a trip to mearat hamachpela. It was just a hop skip and a jump from where we live, by bus. She went with her school. They were literally seeing our history.
And every trip during her school years has had some history involved. Its amazing.

Iymnok

Fri, Feb 02 2024, 3:33 am

DD had to take a test. Out of the window was a gorgeous panoramic view if kever Shmuel Hanavi. She goes past it regularly, but it's still hits you.

The school gave the girls a surprise trip to kever Rochel.

It's an honor to live here. Just walking around isa mitzvah. I'll admit, when running to an appointment or to pick up a kid, I tend to forget that.

amother

Navy

Fri, Feb 02 2024, 12:23 pm

Whilst I would love to live in Israel I do think that no matter where you are it’s possible to find holiness.

When I go to the supermarket on Eruv shabbos and the shabbos songs are blasting and the isles are full of people shopping for shabbos and humming along to the music. I see holiness .
When there’s annoying traffic in the morning I think wow it’s all frum people rushing to work to provide for their families or take their kids to school. I see holiness.

It’s definitely easier to feel it in Israel, it’s also possible to feel it in chutz laretz as well, you just need to look for it.

shabbatiscoming

Sat, Feb 03 2024, 2:57 pm

amother Navy wrote:

Im not sure why you felt the need to post this. This thread was specifically about Israel, thats all.

(also, the traffic thing, Im sure, no matter where you live, there are also non frum and non jewish people rushing to work and to start their day)

amother

Thistle

Sat, Feb 03 2024, 3:06 pm

amother Navy wrote:

Having grown up in FL but now live in EY for nearly two decades I think I can safely say there is holiness and there is Holiness.

essie14

Sat, Feb 03 2024, 3:38 pm

amother Navy wrote:

Israel isn't holy because it's full of frum Jews. It's holy because Hashem said so.
Lakewood and Miami and Brooklyn aren't Hashem's chosen land.

amother

Wallflower

Sat, Feb 03 2024, 8:03 pm

This thread brings up too much emotion for me. My heart and soul yearn and long to live in Israel. Please thank Hashem every day that you have the zechus, and realize that there are people like me in chutz l'aretz who wish that they could (of course there is a reason why I cannot be there, otherwise I would be).

amother

Whitewash

Sat, Feb 03 2024, 8:12 pm

Don’t be like me.
My husband and I have spoken about moving to or at least buying an apartment in Israel to use later on. For various reasons it never happened.
Recently we decided to buy burial plots. And we bought 2 in Israel even though we live in the USA.
My husband said- now we can say that we own land in Israel…
That really wasn’t what I was hoping for.
I still hope we will end up living there before we are placed in our plots.
I’m so sad that we never got to live in Eretz Yisroel. I really hope it’s not too late.
Honestly I can’t see such a move happening soon. The way I calculate, we wouldn’t be able to move for at least another 8-10 years.
We would definitely be considered older then.
How sad.
There’s a piece of our hearts in our land - always. No one ever says that they don’t care about our country. It’s ours. We all want to be there at some point. Alive.

amother

Hawthorn

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 12:14 pm

amother Whitewash wrote:

My parents made aliyah a few years ago, as retirees, as did quite a few of my friends parents. They love it here. They live in Bet Shemesh (a bit more affordable than Jerusalem) and they have an active social life and are just a short half hour bus ride from Jerusalem, so about an hour away from the kotel. Bezrat Hashem you will be able to get here when the time is right and still be able to live here and enjoy being here.