The mountain comes to Mohammed (so to speak)

Although I find it interesting that people don't think twice about relocating thousands of miles within their home country to pursue promising professional opportunities or for retirement, it is somehow accepted as a given that one of the more serious stumbling blocks placed before anyone considering 'Aliyah' (moving to Israel) is the difficulty in leaving loved-ones behind. 

Obviously there are a few mental hurdles to be cleared when considering moving to a new continent/culture, but with the advent of modern air travel, the physical difference between a separation of 6 or 12 hours seems an odd hook on which to hang the decision not to move to Israel.

Before anyone jumps in prematurely, let me reassure you that today's post is NOT meant as a criticism of those who opt not to make aliyah (for any of a thousand perfectly valid reasons).  Moving to Israel is an extremely personal and complex decision (not unlike the decision to become more or less observant), and it would be wildly unfair to suggest it is the correct decision for anyone but oneself.

That having been said, I will freely admit that for us the comfort of having most of our immediate family living close by in Connecticut/New York weighed heavily on us when we started making concrete plans to relocate to Israel. 

My parents lived within 20 minutes of our house (as did one of my sisters) and our kids enjoyed a particularly close bond with them in no small part due to being able to see them once or even twice a week.  My other sister's place in Manhattan made visits a little less spontaneous, but still there was a sense of easy accessibility that preserved an intimacy to the relationship.

However, as an example of how people can and do relocate far from family, after completing his graduate studies, my younger brother decided to stay in the San Francisco Bay area... and has settled down quite comfortably there with his wife and kids.  My parents go out to visit them every year (just as they come to see us), but our significant physical separation from my brother and his family certainly makes preserving the informal intimacy of our relationship a task at which I have to consciously work.

The reason I've brought this up today is that my parents called a couple of weeks ago to talk about an upcoming trip to Israel.  I was a bit taken aback since after their last trip (last spring) we had all agreed that they would probably not be coming this summer... rather, we would come to visit them in Connecticut. 

It turns out they weren't talking about a spring/summer visit.  They were talking about arriving at the beginning of November!  As if this wasn't enough to baffle me, I started getting really confused when they began talking about renting an apartment.  You see, we have a nice guest suite in our home (some of you may have even enjoyed its hospitality), and for the month or so that they usually come (with their two dogs, of course) it is a perfectly comfortable arrangement for everyone. 

But it finally started to became clear when they told us they were planning on staying until the end of March! 

FIVE MONTHS!   YAAAAAAY!  This was beyond the scope of a simple tourist visit... this was temporary residency (at least in concept)!

When I went to check out the Jerusalem apartment they will be renting (overlooking the King David hotel, no less!) I sensed a possible complication.  You see it is a fully furnished flat with a kosher kitchen.  I mention this because I was raised in a home where matzoh sat comfortably beside bread in the kitchen on Passover... Bacon Lettuce & Tomato sandwiches were a dandy mid-week treat... and a fancy restaurant meal more often than not included either Chinese (think 'Mushu Pork', not 'Moshe Peking') or New England Surf & Turf. 

Though they are not particularly religiously observant people (unless one counts the fact that they read treppenwitz religiously), my parents are extremely proud/committed cultural Jews and have maintained lifelong affiliations with either reform or conservative synagogues (usually the former).  So you can imagine my surprise when I asked my parents if they wanted me to box up and put away the kosher dishes and utensils that came with the apartment they replied "don't be silly, if you, Zahava and the kids will be spending time with us in the apartment we'll keep kosher while we're in Israel".

[!]

Needless to say, the idea of having my parents within a 20 minute drive again has all of us giddy with anticipation.  And when the kids heard that the apartment has a second bedroom for guests, they immediately started talking about over-night visits and rolling out of bed to the aroma of grandpas famous pop-overs.

Over the next few weeks we will be making arrangements for their Internet access, memberships at the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, the American Cultural Center and the Israel Museum (including getting the respective schedules of their upcoming events and lectures).  We'll also start compiling the concert schedule for the Jerusalem Symphony and the Jerusalem Theater.  Other suggestions are welcome.

Who knows... maybe I'll even get them into an ulpan (Hebrew language immersion) class once they're here.  :-)

Can you tell I'm a little excited?

We left the U.S. a little over three years ago with heavy hearts at having to leave behind family that had been extremely close in both emotion and proximity.  Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that they would come for anything more than short visits.  I hope that at least part of the reason behind this extended visit is that during their previous trips they became comfortable living here in Israel. 

But I'm  guessing that having the big kids visit at their place for a couple of weeks this past summer was just too big a tease for my parents, and they decided that if we weren't going to spend more time in the US., the mountain would simply have to come to Mohammed... especially as the mountain is retired and free to travel.

Count-down to arrival: T -28 days and counting!!!!