the First Step

Time for another post. I plan to write every Sunday, even though Sunday in Israel is like Monday in America. Israelis, religious and secular, take time off of work to observe Shabbat from Friday night to Saturday night. People may work for a few hours Friday morning, but most are at outdoor farmers markets or grocery stores, preparing for Shabbat meals. Children have school the morning before Shabbat; the only day off they have is Saturday. Even though schools are open six days a week, they don't have a full day like in the US; children will come home in the early afternoon every day.

Anyway, how am I living in Israel? Where and with whom am I staying? David and Amy Warshawsky have been kind enough to take me in and treat me as family. That has a lot to do with them actually being my family! Technically, David is my second cousin once removed...I think. Our relation is this: my great-grandmother (my mom's mother's mother) and his grandfather (his father's father) were siblings. They lived in Poland before the war. My great-grandmother emigrated to America in the 1930s and David's grandfather was sent to Siberia after Poland was invaded. As a community leader, businessman and former soldier, the Red Army considered him a potential threat. He was the only one in his village to be sent away; the others were not so fortunate. My great-grandmother and David's grandfather were the only ones of six children to survive the war. My grandmother grew up in America, and David's grandfather moved to Palestine after the war and his side of the family became Israeli.

The last time I saw David and Amy was back in Chicago probably when I was six or seven. There has been virtually no contact since then, until I called David this summer, explained my plans, and immediately he said I was more than welcome to live with them and their three daughters: Lina (12), Kaya (9), and Shia (3). Amy reached out to me a few weeks before my flight and said she hopes I consider their home my home and use them as a base for my time here. I have never had to think about living arrangements for months; I can not imagine what I would have done if I did not have this family here. Would I have figured something out? Certainly, I'm not the first chayal boded. Would it have been difficult? Probably. And having something as strong as a family bond between me and my hosts is irreplaceable. David and Amy have truly made their home and family a home away from home.

So earlier today, David and I went to the Mahal office and I finally, officially signed the papers to join TZAHAL!! My enlistment is for December 15th (not the 21st, that was incorrect), with 3 months Ulpan, followed by 5 or 6 months of basic training. I'm still going into Nahal after the Ulpan, with an option to go into Golani or Givati. As David explained to me, those are "serious combat units." He said that I am joining the Marines of the IDF. This isn't going to be any walk in the park. I will do everything that is expected of Israelis; the only difference between me and them is that my service is for a shorter period. I'm excited. I wish I didn't have to do the ulpan and could go straight into basic training, but obviously I do need to know the language.

A good portion of my day is spent studying Hebrew. I use the RosettaStone program they have in the apartment and have built up my vocabulary and comprehension daily. I spaek as much Ivrit as possible around the city. I am completely butchering the holy tongue, but, hey, we all gotta start somewhere, right?! Earlier today, David, Amy and I went to look at locations for Lina's bar mitzvah party. I asked the woman we met with: "Slicha, at et?" Literally: "excuse me, you are a pen?" All three turned to look at me like I'm nuts. David and Amy chimed in, "Shellach et" "Do you have a pen." Still, sensing my American-ness, the woman understood what I meant and gave me a pen.

Another goal of mine right now is to somehow land a job. It's really more to occupy my time and provide me with some extra spending money. Unfortunately, who's going ot hire me for 5 weeks? (5 weeks!!) The one bar I already stopped in said that I have to be a citizen to work there. Maybe I can find a babysitting job with David and Amy's friends.

The rest of my day is/will be devoted to exercising to get physically prepared. I run a few blocks north to a river, turn west for a couple kilometers until I reach the Mediterranean Sea, then I can go as far south as I want. It's incredible weather; I can exercise outside at all hours of the day, and nighttime is very pleasant: the humidity drops and temperature cools to mid-70s. Also along these running paths are workout stations that seem at once odd and also surprisingly convenient. Every few miles is a little area with simple machines that use body weight as a resistance. They are along running paths, the beach, parks, etc. Very Israeli.

But perhaps the most Israeli thing to happen to me so far was before I even landed in this country. On the plane ride over (Eric: Toy Story 3 and Surrogates), I was seated next to a couple my parents age. We conversed at the beginning and end of the flight and I explained how I was joining Tzahal as a chayal boded. Before we landed, they gave me their contact information, explained how they also had a son who is joining soon, and told me not to hesitate to call if I needed a place to stay or a warm meal. A guy a few years older than me sitting across the aisle gave me his number and said to call if I wanted to know of places to go out at night in Tel-Aviv. A couple a few rows behind me lives in West Rogers park (Jewish neighborhood in Chicago) and the husband gave me his number and told me to call when I'm in the area. Even though I mentioned that it might be a few years, he said no worries, just look him up whenever I get back. Finally, the cab driver who drove me to David and Amy's place, after a long conversation ranging from politics to America to the military to complaining about morning rush hour traffic, gave me his business card as he knows people who help out chayalim bodedim. Where else do you find this kind of support? Generosity? Kinship? Only perhaps in Israel and with the Jewish people. It's incredible.

I've been tagging along with David and Amy the past few days as they run errands. I've gotten to know the city pretty well in just a few days. Wherever we go, they introduce me as their cousin and explain that I am here to join the military. Everyone is impressed and gracious. Truth be told, there was one friend who looked at me in bewilderment, but on the whole, everyone has been appreciative of my desire to enlist.

Anyway, that's my life here for right now. The other day I took David's bike and biked to the coast (not of Lake Michigan, but the Mediterranean!), turned left, and biked along miles of beach front, through Tel-Aviv and into Jaffa/Yafo. The Arab city isn't like East Jerusalem; it's safe to visit, there is Hebrew (and tourists) everywhere. It used to be a major port city, back in the day. Now the two cities are essentially merged, although it is clear where one ends and the other begins. One the way back, I stopped somewhere along the beach and went for a short swim. The lack of swimmers in the area and plethora of surfboards surprised me, but the mystery was made clear after I got out of the water when I saw a couple signs saying no swimming in the area. And by "saying" I really mean there was a picture of a swimmer with a line through it. I have no freakin idea what it said. Then I grabbed a beer at a beach restaurant and headed back home. What a life!

ISRAEL FUN FACT: In addition to having the world's largest reverse osmosis desalination plant (although not as large as Saudi Arabia's thermal-based desalination plants, Israel's Ashkelon's Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) plant requires less energy and is more environmentally friendly), Israel reuses 70% of its water!