Rosh HaShanna Update

Hello friends and family,

Shanna Tova (aka Happy New Year in the Jewish calendar)

It seems as if the summer just came to a close yesterday as I was sitting on the porch with good friends eating a delicious Rosh HaShanna meal when all of a sudden a dark cloud passed over and rain began to pour down in Israel. It was a Rosh HaShanna miracle for us because we have not seen rain in 5 months and we need all the rain we can get to fill up the drying out Kinneret (one of Israel’s main water sources).

As some of you have seen from facebook, life at the Tishbi Winery is going very well for me. I was promoted to co-managing the Visitors Center and Restaurant, my Hebrew has improved immensely, although I still find myself nodding, smiling and saying “ken, ken, b-seder!” (yes, yes, okay) when I do not understand what an Israeli has said to me which makes me think I’ve agreed to do some illegal things. My biggest improvements in Hebrew are understanding the Pilates instructor, going to the government offices and explaining to them what I need and getting it done efficiantly in Hebrew and the hardest thing of all in my opinion is understanding Hebew over the phone, which I am beginning to feel comfortable with doing.

As of right now, I do not know where this job is going to lead to but the Israeli wine industry is developing rapidly and I want to stay in this business for a while. I still get a feeling of excitement when I tour people around the winery and educate them about the history, progress, and advancements in Israeli wine. It makes me feel like I am a part of a long tradition of Jews cultivating the lands and developing new ideas for the Jewish people and Land of Israel.

I’ve realized my ideas of religion have shifted and I am becoming “more Israeli” in how I feel about the organized Jewish religion. Last year I was living in Jerusalem so I went to the Kotel for the High Holidays, which was an extraordinary experience. However, this year I did not go to synagogue because I feel that I do not need to sit in services and sing songs to feel connected to God or be thankful for a New Year. I believe my daily life in Israel is all about leading a Jewish lifestyle and I do not have to think to be Jewish, I just am in my daily life. Also, this past week, every morning over-looking the Carmel Mountains I heard the Shofar being blown from the religious men who work at the winery, which was an indescribable feeling for me.

On that note, I wish you all a Healthy and Happy New Year!

The pictures attached on this email are of Carignon grapes being processed at the winery and the one with friends is a Shabbat in Abu Gosh last weekend.

I will be in Boston visiting November 20^th to December 4^th so I look forward to meeting up with most of you.

Lots of love,

Esther

One Year Aliyah

On Wednesday June 24^th I celebrated my One Year Aliyah Anniversary. It was a normal day at the winery touring around some tourists and serving delicious food to some locals. After work I went out for a couple of l’chaims at a local bar with work friends. Life in Zichron Yakov is simple and magical.

During the day of my one-year anniversary I thought about how incredible my journey has been thus far and all the interesting people I’ve met and opportunities I’ve experienced. I did not know what was in store for me when I landed at BG Airport last year but I knew that Israel was my home. The feeling has not dissipated, in actuality it has only grown and I feel more connected to Eretz Israel and Israelis more than ever.

When I made Aliyah I knew I was going to Ulpan for 5 months, which made me think I would be fluent in Hebrew, then I thought I would get a job in the Diaspora Relations field but after a year of lessons learned I am in a completely different place than I ever expected to be in my life. Even though I do not work in Diaspora Relations and my Hebrew is not even close to perfect I feel when I give tours I am inspiring people about interesting aspects of Israel, and educating them about the long history of the immigrant Jews from the First Aliyah in 1882 to the modern day process of wine making.

After this first year I know that this is only the beginning and there are wonderful treats ahead for my life in Israel. I have created a “chevrai” (tight group of friends) in Israel that have become my family and we really look after each other like we are “achi” and “achote” (brothers and sisters). I’ve also accumulated a few adopted parents which inspire me that my Aliyah experience will be a success and even though there are some majorly frustrating aspects of Israel, it is worth it and there is no other place I would rather want to live.

I attached 2 pictures, one of the me at the Tishbi winery near the Wine Vats and the other picture is of me and my mom at Ramat HaNadiv (Rothchild’s park) which is 5 minutes from my house.

Shalom!

Esther

Life Up in Zichron

Hey all my friends and family,

So life here in Zichron Yakov is pretty much perfect for me. I am very happy living here and working at the Tishbi Winery. My Hebrew is improving everyday and my confidence to use Hebrew is growing, which was one of my goals of moving up to Zichron Yakov. The other goal of working at a winery was to learn the process of making wine, which yesterday I demonstrated by giving my first tour in English to two American guys. Valerie, a Scottish woman that made Aliyah 25 years ago, has taken me under her wing and taught me almost everything she knows about wine, so with her guidance I am learning a lot about wine making and the industry. Today, I also received my first Israeli paycheck which is a milestone in my Aliyah process.

Now that I've started to give tours I expect all my friends in Israel and who visit from America to book a tour with me at the Tishbi winery in Binyamina - we finish with a great wine tasting :) It is only 15 NIS per a person so get a car load of people together to come and visit me! We are open Sunday-Thursday 8:30am-3:30pm, no tours on Friday but the restaurant is open. It is kosher chalavi and serves breakfast all day.

On a serious note, I experienced my first Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Yom HaZicharon (Remembrance Day for the fallen soldiers) and Yom Haazmaut (Independence Day for Israel) in Israel. For Yom Ha Shoah and HaZicharon there are sirens that blast all around Israel for exactly one minute and at this time everyone has to stand still in their place, no matter what they are doing.

For Yom HaShoah I was at the grocery store at the check out line, and for Yom HaZicharon I was walking through the Tishbi restaurant. It is a strange feeling to suddenly stop, look down, and automatically think about all those Jews that have died throughout time because of all the external forces that have wanted us exterminated on so many occasions.

After Yom HaZicharon, within minutes, the country goes from one extreme of sadness to another extreme of happiness because of our Independence as a Jewish state. I celebrated my first Yom Haazmaut with my friends dancing in the streets of Jerusalem and eating all those yummy Israeli treats.

I am immensely enjoying life in Israel and during the patriotic holidays I felt proud and overjoyed to be a citizen of Israel and contribute to the Jewish State. After 10 months of living in Israel I wake up everyday, walk along historical parts of Zichron Yakov, take a bus to work overlooking the scenery of the Carmel region and go for a run in the afternoon where my view is the Mediterranean Sea on my left and the beginning of the Carmel mountains on my right.

I hope all is well with everyone and see you soon at the Tishbi winery :)

All my love,

Esther

Mindy, Michal, Debbie and me in Jerusalem on Yom Haazmaut

First day of real work at Tishbi Winery

Ok so a little run down of my first day working at the Tishbi winery. The kitchen workers are Arab and one guy from South America that continuously flirt with me but they do not speak any English so I am forced to speak Hebrew although a smile with them goes a long way :)

The other waiters are all 20-22 year old Israeli boys, very cute, who already did part of their army service or ended their army service and are saving up money to travel to South America. One of the boys, Yaron, I staffed his Dor L Dor trip Summer 2005 - very small world!

The woman I am shadowing to learn how to give english tours is amazing, she is sooo sweet and is taking me under her wing and teaching me everything. She also gave me a ride home from work and invited me for Shabbat dinner.

So, during lunch we toured around an American couple and sat with them afterwards to do some wine sampling. After about 5 samples I felt myself get a little tipsy so I stopped and ate some bread and drank some water- I have to be a bit responsible!

The funniest thing that happened to me is there is a big vat of Petite-Syrah wine in the front of the store. Anyone can come and fill up empty wine bottles with 17 NIS wine - an alcohols dream. Anyways, I thought I knew how to work the system but I turned it in the opposite direction and wine went spritzing everywhere! My clothes, hair, the walls, counter! It was a big crazy but very funny and supposedly every new person does it and it is like an initiation.

Ok love for you all.,.,off to walk the strip before it gets dark
Esther

Hey all,

My apartment in Zichron Yakov is located right beside a beautiful park with a innovative playground and along side the "Midrachov" which is a street that is closed off for pedestrians and has a variety of cafe's, restaurants, shops, and boutiques. The actual apartment is a converted basement of a retired British couple who are extremely nice. There are five houses in this complex and they all share a pool, which I can access through the British couple's home also the beach is 15 minutes away.

Yesterday I had my first taste of what it is going to be like to work at Tishbi. I was standing next to the cash register talking to the manager, Valerie (a Scottish woman who made aliyah 25 years ago and worked at Yarden for 15 years) and the son of Jonathan Tishbi, who studied wine making in New Zealand, came up to shown us a brand new bottle of wine he was testing in the laboratory. We both had a taste and commented on its texture and flavor. It was pretty amazing.

I have a lot of studying to do between my Hebrew and wine knowledge but in a short time I should feel comfortable enough to speak Hebrew and shmooze with the best of the wino's.

Here are a couple of pictures of the apartment and my walk around the outskirts of Zichron Yakov.

Come and Visit!

Esther

Chag (Passover) in Israel

Shalom all,

It seems that the Jewish and Christian holiday’s fell on the same time this year between Christmas/Hanukah and Easter/ Passover so recently it was very busy time in Israel. You can see from the pictures the Church of the Holy Seplecre during Easter and a picture overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem during the Birkat Hachamah (the time every 28 years when the sun is in the estimated position from when creation began) the uniqueness of Jerusalem for different religions.

During the Birkat Hachamah, I could hear the echo of Jews praying from different areas around Jerusalem but what was amazing was hearing the Jews who were at the Kotel praying and singing all together because the reverberations off the walls of the Old City magnified the volume. It was one of those moments in life that I will remember forever and know that it was a special sunrise.

For Passover I went to my adopted Jerusalem family for a 6 hour seder where we read each and every page, front to back. Thank g-d there is only one night of seder in Israel. What I loved most about Passover in Israel is that you do not feel like you are suffering at all from dry matza rolls or horrible tasting food. Most of the restaurants were open and they served yummy potato bread and the menu was basically the same as during the year.

From my last email I told everyone I got a job in Zichron Yakov working at the Tishbi winery. I moved up here yesterday, got a one-bedroom apt that is very quaint, in the center of town and has a communal pool. I will send pictures and tell you all about my work experience next week. Today I went to the winery, picked up the menu and tour guide information so when you come to the Tishbi winery I will be able to give you a 30 minute tour and do some wine tasting

I can not end this email without recognizing that tonight until tomorrow night is Yom HaShoah. It will be my first time to hear the siren that will sound tomorrow morning at 10am in remembrance of the 6 million Jews that were murdered in the Holocaust.

I hope all is well with everyone.

All my love,

Esther

Moving On Up...in Israel

Hello friends and family,

It has been a whirl-win of a month. It was very nice to see friends and family in Boston and visit my old-home but once returning to Israel, I knew I arrived to my new home, where I feel I belong as a Jew. Visiting Boston made me realize that there is no place I would rather be than living in Israel. I also realized I've picked up a few Israeli "bad habits" and do not understand the meaning of an organized line anymore, personal space or how loud my voice raises when I speak Hebrew.

I can not write this email without addressing the celebration of Purim in Israel and the passing away of the elderly man I took care of, Dave Medved. Dave passed away on Purim morning, which I found out is actually a huge mitzvah and we had a few shots of whisky in his honor. Although I was sad and miss him occasionally he lived a full life and died peacefully.

One of the best aspects of living in Israel is the celebration of Jewish holidays and Purim was an exceptional holiday to experience. All the kids were dressed up, humantashins were in abundance and the partying was plenty. I would not say it was better than Halloween because growing up near Salem, MA and having Halloween as my birthday makes that holiday a fabulous occasion as well.

For the past couple of weeks I've traveled around Israel with Cassie (see picture). We relaxed in Elat, partied a bit in Tel Aviv, went shopping and sightseeing in Jerusalem and relaxed in a beautiful bed & breakfast in the Galil (Cassie's aunt owns it if anyone wants the information). Now back to real life...

Although...real life consist of...working on the Tishbi Winery in Zichron Yakov. Today I got a job working on the Tishbi winery as a tour guide and waitress. My goal for working on the winery and living in Zichron Yakov is to improve my Hebrew by being immersed in Israeli society and to learn the process of wine making. I plan on renting an apartment with Israeli young adults or living with an Israeli family.

I hope all is well with everyone and I look forward to people visiting me on the winery :)

Chag Samach (Happy Passover)

Esther

Elections and other stuff...

שלום כולם Hello everyone,

It has been a very productive and busy month in Israel (for me and the State of Israel), between the War in Gaza, Elections, Hebrew lessons, work and volunteering I barely had time to sit on the beach and read a book (which I did last Saturday). I have to admit I love wearing flip-flops in the middle of February and the sun is shining most of the days, however I am very appreciative of the little bit of rain that poured down in Jerusalem this very dry Winter (even when I get caught in it!). This is the driest Winter Israel has experienced in a very long time and it is scary because our water sources are getting lower and lower every year.

So even though I am enjoying my jobs and making a lot of friends in Jerusalem, I've decided that I need to step out of my comfort zone and be immersed in the Hebrew language and Israeli society more than I am now. Actually, I sometimes feel like I live in the Upper West Side or in Coolidge Corner. My plan is to move up to a Kibbutz in the Golan or Galil and work on a winery by the Summer. I've always wanted to learn the process of wine making and living in an area where English is rarely spoken is the only way I will become fluent in Hebrew. I am not ready to move to Tel Aviv but by improving my Hebrew I will eventually be able to get a job that suits my career ambitions which will most likely be in the Tel Aviv area. As for now, I am loving working and volunteering at PresenTense. This past Shabbat I chaired a very successful dinner at PresenTense with 70 people, which imitated a camp style feeling.

Ok- now my election experience...Most of you have read about the Elections in Israel so I will not recap the "still being decided" outcome. The one thing Israelis actually have an organized system for is the elections, probably because they do it so much. I get a card in the mail that states the location of where I vote, the hallway and even the exact booth number. However, I felt like I was voting for my Class President because I had to put a piece of paper with the party that I decided on into an envelop and the sealed envelop into a cardboard box. Even though Israelis are technology savvy they have not figured out how to make the election system modern. Also, Israelis do not understand the concept "mind your own business" (actually, I was told there are no words in Hebrew that translate this phrase) and even when I was in line to vote, the guy next to me asked me "who are you voting for?". I actually did not care that he asked and told him proudly "MIMAD" which is the Environmental party. He rolled his eyes at me and told me I was "throwing away my vote" which ended up being true because MIMAD did not get voted into the Knesset as a party (they were .3% shy of having only 1 seat). I was very excited and proud to be able to vote in these elections even if I did not vote for a big party. If you need explanation we can discuss in person or google "Knesset".

So as I was relaxing on this beautiful, sunny Shabbat day, I looked at my calender and saw that today was in fact Valentine's Day - I completely forgot about this holiday! What I love about living in Israel is that I did not see red boxes of chocolates everywhere, roses were no more expensive (I bought some for Shabbat), advertisements on TV are not geared to buying your "loved one" a present, and there was no pressure to be "on a date" today. To all my Friends and Family...Happy Valentine's Day and I hope you enjoy time spent with loved ones.

I am looking forward to visiting everyone when I come to Boston February 24- March 7. I will be in Boston most of the time but will travel to NY for a bit. I will have an American phone number so I will let people know once I get the SIM card. Have a good week and see you soon!

All my Love,

Esther