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Zimra Vigoda

Chasing Dreams at Ben-Gurion International Airport

Photo Credit: Zimra Vigoda
Photo Credit: Zimra Vigoda

I woke up to the Morning After.
The house is so quiet after all the noise.
Eighteen years of good noise and bad noise.

* * *

Last night was surreal.

In the Holyland, where August is top tourist season, the airport was a sad skeleton of its formal self. A couple of hundred Ultra orthodox families seemed to be the only passengers…. enough to maybe fill two planes… (United and Delta).

Two days ago, A friend, who moved her family to Texas in June, had warned me that COVID protocol means only travelers May enter the airport terminal.
I knew I better find a way to do make his send off as special as possible for him and for us….

I once again called out to my village and they answered.

With the help of a journalist friend, Josh Aro and through his connections with the top management of the Israel Airport Authority, we were blessed to be able to send Amit off in our Vigoda -style, usual, out-of-the-box, bombastic way.

It was grand and I didn’t cry (publicly)

Thanks again to the helpers.

And Amit Vigoda, I say to you, as I said to your brothers when they drafted to  the military,

GO IN PEACE AND RETURN IN PEACE… and in between…

Do Good

Do Well

Respect yourself and those around you
…and I add…

Photo Credit: Jon Destin with permission to publish

HAVE FUN (because after all, University is not the military).

We are ALL rooting for you and in our tradition, we say….

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם”
“שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה

“Blessed are You Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe who has given us life, sustained us, and allowed us to reach this day.”

And this morning I will drive my middle son back to base, phone my eldest son serving up north and head straight to Leich Cream at Kibbutz Gezer to buy  the Best Chocolate Chip Mint Ice Cream in Israel.
About the Author
Zimra was born in Budapest and grew up in New York City. She immigrated to Israel in 1994 and for the past two decades has worked with diverse for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Currently, she serves as a resource development expert on the Civics and Shared Education team at the Center for Educational Technology (CET) in Tel Aviv. Zimra is mother to 4 children, ages 12 to 21. Inspired by her 16-year old son Amit, a lower limb amputee, she is passionate about competitive wheelchair basketball and spends much of her free time rooting for her favorite teams. Today, she and her family are living in the Negev.
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