Goat Doula, Prime Minister and Tech Torah Scholar

I want to tell you about my children. What a gift to have beautiful souls in our lives that unfold in their own unique way. For some people, the newborn years are heaven, and I am grateful my husband was my partner in those very physical and intense years with three kids in a row.

For me, the teenage years are absolute magic, and it is such a blessing that we are a close family that very loudly and clearly communicates exactly how they feel. My husband and I are both from old-world cultures, but we grew up in the modern world. Our parents were amazing examples, and we blended how we were raised with our own mix of spices. Our kids got structure, discipline and unconditional love. Then we forged our own path, and I am always thanking God that our kids are intense, independent free spirits that are kind, loving and full of life. They are connected to Torah, Israel and their Jewish identity, as well as their roots from their grandparents and family that lives all over the world.

My oldest son is following in my footsteps with the most unbelievable twist of fate. I was a doula for 15 years, and my kids have heard it all. We never had animals in our home because my husband and I had enough cleaning, wiping and rearing to do with three small children. So when my son went to a new high school, and fell in love with working on a farm in the village, we were pleasantly surprised. He was a shepherd, and with his over six-foot frame, he was helping everyone carry large bags of produce and feed. He fell in love with the goats with fun names like Nechama and Beyonce. I got an enthusiastic description the other day of how he was a Goat Doula now, because he was assisting in the birth of a new baby goat. He excitedly explained how the water broke, and all of the details were normal, natural and fascinating to him. I was blown away, because throughout my life I have always wanted to be on the energy side, instead of the medical side. God bless our doctors and medical professionals, but all of the healing of the sick, and the medical details are a little to much for me. Besides the years of study for the skills, knowledge and practice, there is a tremendous responsibility to guide people to be healthy and to save lives. In labor and delivery, I only saw miracles, as everyone worked as a team to surround the mom with support to bring her baby into the world. Birth is not medical and nothing is wrong, it is the happiest place in the hospital. There are so many different ways a woman can choose to give birth, and I am grateful to have experienced hospitals that were on standby if assistance was needed, but also respected the desires and vision of the mama and her birth team. So my son has heard it all before, and expertly stepped up to the plate to hold space for the goat mama, guided her body with his hands, and brought new life into the world.

Speaking of birth, my daughter literally flew out, like the superhero that she is, with her hand by her head leading the way flying like superman. At two and a half years old, my daughter expertly stepped up to the plate in her preschool. It was a small class of six, she was the oldest, and when the teacher would be changing a diaper, she would entertain the other kids with a book or a game. She has not stopped contributing and working since. She was only 10 years old when Corona closed down Los Angeles, so we formed what was called a Covid safety pod with our neighbors across the street. They had 4 kids under 6, and my daughter provided care and activities as a mother’s helper and had a blast. At 11 years old, she was running the Shabbat kids program in our Chabad Israel Center. Then went on to be a camp counselor, and was in charge of the Hebrew after-school program in middle school. She has always been a powerhouse. She is thriving at an all-girls, modern orthodox art school, focusing on dance. She has always loved cooking alongside my husband, and now works at a local Bagel Cafe crafting delicious requests, and as a server at catering events. With a name like Ziona, my prediction is that she will be the next Prime Minister.

It is amazing to see when your kids find something easy, their brain just gets it and they can confidently guide and explain exactly what they mean, what they need or how to operate or fix something. My youngest son recently had his Bar Mitzva and read the whole Torah portion, Vaikra, right before Pesach. I am so proud of him navigating a new culture, language and participating in all kind of activities, next on the list is Taekwando. He loves everything tech and gaming, easily explaining and helping all of us with the hardware and software. Especially in Israel, being a Tech Torah Scholar is a perfect blend of genius, learning and innovation.

BLESSED.

PROUD.

NACHAT.