Aliyah Anniversary: Part Two

After living here for a short span, my family began to have increasing success with cultural integration.

Computer Cowboy operated, for more than half of a dozen years, for the corporation that helped to fund our move. Thereafter, he was a software chief for another firm. Nowadays, he consults for an American startup. While my man, currently, has overseas hours, he has none of the hassle of commuting to an office.

His most up to date schedule, however, required him to trade his nighttime learning for Torah study at a morning kollel. As well, since he meets with associates within an international time zone, he can’t surprise our grandchildren with visits when they’re on vacation. So, during winters, he tries to see them after Shabbot.

As per Missy Older, she completed her Sherut Leumi at The Temple Institute. Subsequently, she applied to a single college, i.e., one for religious girls. Although her first shidduch date began at her school’s gate following her final high school class, she did not get together with her bashert until more than two years had passed.

When not serving as a miluimnik, her husband labors in software. The two of them have three sons and one daughter. Some of those grandchildren have Missy Older’s golden hair. All of them have her attitude.

Of late, Missy Older functions as a junior high school administrator and as a junior and senior high school English teacher. To boot, she spends part of her summers teaching technology to girls enrolled at the college where she received her first degree.

As for Older Dude, after high school, he joined a hesder yeshiva. He left that yeshiva and directly enlisted in the IDF. Originally, he was a MAGist. When his knees and back began troubling him, as is typical for soldiers schlepping a gun weighing thirteen kilograms along with schlepping its eight kilos of ammunition, he took a marksmen course and became a sniper. He’s fought in Azza multiple times both as a regular recruit and as a miluimnik.

Along the way, he earned two college degree; a baccalaureate in Sustainability and Government and a masters in Smart Cities and Urban Informatics. Recently, he’s reinvented himself as student of the culinary arts. This newest leg of his professional journey didn’t surprise anyone in our family as Older Dude toiled as a commis chef in a large kitchen and as a sous chef in a small one between degrees and army call ups.

Older Dude has a wonderful girlfriend whom our entire family adores. Currently, she’s employed as a prosecuting attorney for the State of Israel.

Interestingly, Older Dude’s partner is not our family’s lone lawyer. Missy Younger, our Bais Yaakov child, the one who became our family’s most liberal member, also became an attorney specializing in intellectual property. In high school, one of her two megamot was law.

After her Sherut Leumi year, she took an undergraduate degree in law. Next, she sat for and passed the New York State bar, thus becoming eligible to practice here and in the USA. The firm for whom she works, who helps international clients, supported her endeavors.

These days, Missy Younger is emulating her brother’s partner; she’s completing a master’s in law. She attends classes at night and carries out tasks for her employer during the day. When not advising clients on trademarks and copyrights, this young woman coordinates a writing group, works out at a gym, travels, and raises houseplants (she’s given each of her green friends their own names.)

Younger Dude still battles the trauma he underwent as a small boy. In the interim, he’s become increasingly adept at gardening and cooking.

Today, Yours Truly writes books https://kjhannahgreenberg.net/. BH, I’ve had poetry collections, short story collections, essay collections, children’s books, coffee table books, i.e., art collections, and novels published.

When my family landed here, I blogged for The Jerusalem Post. Blogs were then a new form of writing; in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, I wrote feature columns for Stateside newspapers, not online “journal entries.”

Gradually, I submitted writing in other genres to magazine editors. I had long since completed much work but, outside of academic research papers and the aforementioned newspaper columns, I had never shared it. BH, a considerable per cent of my efforts were well received. In fact, my first few books were born from publishers’ invitations and many writing world peers nominated me for several significant awards. I was surprised at and appreciative of those kindnesses.

Along the way, folks outside of the publishing industry noticed that I enjoyed playing with seemingly random assemblages of ideas. For instance, soon after my family settled here, I attended a Rosh Chodesh gathering. At the time, I didn’t know that each participant was supposed to bring a short vort, so during my first meeting, I asked if I could tell a story, instead. I gave an impromptu account of some “humorous” happenings that my family was experiencing in our klita process.

Fortunately, my narration was deemed acceptable to the group. Unfortunately, one lady was “so taken” by my word salad that after we dispersed, she drew near to me.

“Channie, you could be a writer!”

(I didn’t tell her that I had been paid to write since I was fifteen or that I had taught, at university, expository and creative writing classes from the time I was in my twenties. Note: I was forty-five when this exchange occurred.)

“Really, you should consider studying writing. You have potential.”

I smiled and nodded.

I’ve seen courses advertised that are given in English at…” (she blathered for many more minutes. I remained silent, speaking up only to wish her well and to thank her for her interest in my well-being.)

From that time on, that lady called me weekly to encourage me to develop my “nascent writing skills.” I had become her matter of the moment. Whenever she contacted me, I extended friendship but never disclosed anything about my professional life. Eventually, I think she gave up on me, assuming I’d never try to become a writer

Over our decades here, my family’s idealism melted into realism. We had horrific experiences and humorous ones. The people with whom we’ve been able to associate, from all corners of the Earth and from diverse religious backgrounds, became our teachers and friends.

My family has continued to be grateful that Hashem allowed and helped us to come to Israel. It’s not so much what any of us does or did that’s important (in the end, events, schooling, and jobs are just life’s chronological markers) as it is that we’re doing whatever we do here, as Jews among Jews, as a family living in the Jewish homeland. Little Jewish trees (and their parents) need to be planted in Jewish soil.

Happy twentieth aliyah anniversary! G-d willing, my family will have many more.