Sigd is an important holiday within the Ethiopian Jewish community. It celebrates the dedication of renewing the alliance between God and the people. Back in Ethiopia, it was a fasting day where the Jews would climb the highest mountain, pray all day long, then come down and celebrate with lots of food, dancing, and joy.
In Israel, the main Sigd celebration takes place in the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood in Jerusalem. All Ethiopian-Israelis (called the Beta Israel community) go to Jerusalem to pray together with the Kessim (religious leaders). In recent years, the holiday has become more widely celebrated, introducing the holiday and the entire culture of Ethiopian Jewry to the community at large. This helps Ethiopian children relate more to their traditions and empowers them to connect with their roots and their identity.
For several years now, my family and I have been participating in celebrating the holiday in schools. My children help me to prepare traditional foods, which we bring to the school, and then I tell my personal Aliyah story. My kids tell me how empowered they feel during this time, and how introducing their culture and tradition to their friends makes them feel part of the group and not different from everyone else. In addition, our house is always open, enabling contact with people from the broader community. My older sons take part in the Partnership2Gether Teen Leadership Program, where they get to meet peers from various places and communities and broaden their horizons; from here, the sky is the limit. As a mother, I am happy to see my children being exposed to other traditions and enjoy cultural diversity, into which they can bring their own tradition while connecting with others.
395 days after arriving to Michigan, it’s time to lean back and reflect. Thinking about my time here, I have decided to share three not-so-glamorous, but special stories.
I truly believe that the day-to-day moments in life are the most important ones. They are those dots we connect which create our life experiences and are sometimes much more meaningful than any big moment.
The Passion to Learn
On a hot, humid summer day, I was sitting in my office in Federation, going through my emails, when suddenly I received an email from Sylvia Starkman. That name rang a bell, I thought to myself. As I read the email, I realized Sylvia Starkman is the mother of Miriam Starkman — the head of Hillel of Metro-Detroit and a friend who I have been in touch with since I arrived. This is just more proof that everybody is related to somebody in the community. In her email, Sylvia asked me to meet a study group she is part of, which has been meeting every week since 1985! Yes, that is correct, they have been meeting for 36 years now. I was very excited to be a guest on their list and planned a virtual program about my job and about Israel education. For me, seeing this curious group of people, who made learning such a big part of their life, was not only inspiring, but really so much fun!
Bringing Life (during Covid, in Michigan, in the winter):
The birth of our youngest daughter, Gili, has made our experience here in Michigan even more special than expected. As a family, going through all the stages of bringing life into the world, is hard to put into words. From setting doctor’s appointments to finding/buying/receiving many of the necessities for growing a new born, to the amazing staff and treatment we received in the hospital — it was incredible. Yes, Gili is a Winter-Covid-American, which makes her very special (hence why her name in Hebrew means “our joy”), but even with all of these challenges, we grew as a family. This year gave us the opportunity to be together (a lot); to learn each other, explore the world together, and enjoy what this Jewish community is all about (and I am not talking only about food!).
Oh, and one more thing – Yes, she can run for office 🙂
Garbage Day is a Blessing
After a hectic workday, coming back to a full house that needed much of my attention can sometimes be difficult. I needed to find some short periods of time just for myself. For me, those times come on garbage days, when I have a couple of minutes to myself.
I don’t know if you feel the same, but taking out the garbage the night before garbage day has become one of my favorite times of the week. Maybe it’s because in Israel there is no such day — you just take out your garbage whenever it is full. So for me, going out, in the evening, when the air is crisp, the stars are out, the natural environment is awake, and it seems like the world is at ease, allow me to reflect on this entire experience. These moments allow me to look at myself from a distance, and say, “Can you believe you live in Michigan right now, in this American house, taking out the garbage (and will one day be doing it in the snow)?” It feels like yesterday that I was living in Tel-Aviv, working in a high school, living my Israeli life. That sentence, for me, is a reminder that dreams can come true, and this sentiment has given me so much energy to go through some of the hardest challenges I have ever faced.
This is the time to thank all of you for being with us in moments big or small, which have made this year so special. I’m looking forward to the next year, and most importantly to Monday night (my garbage day)!
It was August when we finally arrived in Detroit. Without even noticing, it seems like the summer passed in a blur. Saying goodbye to our families, our friends, our favorite places at home and enjoying the Israeli summer before packing our warm coats, and our life, in big heavy suitcases and starting the adventure of a lifetime.
We are finally in Detroit, the year is just starting, we are meeting members of the community, and before we know it, it is time for the High Holidays.
The first Rosh Hashanah evening was so special, but also a bit strange. FaceTiming our families at noon and then sitting at the holiday table with our new Michigan host families in the evening. Yom Kippur was also very special. This holiday was very profound and a different experience than any of us have ever had before. From fasting, to the Tfilot and being able to drive a car that day, everything was very different from what we are used to doing on Yom Kippur. We even went to services for the first time in our lives.
During Sukkot we learned even more new traditions and met more new people. So many different things that were unique and that we have never seen before. New host families and a new place to call it home. New traditions, foods and songs. New faces, new congregations, schools, events and institutions. All of these things, which at the beginning seemed so far away from the reality we knew before, are now familiar and close to us, to our roots, and to our home in Israel.
It’s mid-October now, and we are so fascinated by our experience here so far. By the uniqueness of this community and the kindness of the people. We hope our journey here, in Michigan, will continue to challenge us, teach us new things, and that we will keep experiencing the amazing spirit that exists here.
How old were you at 9/11? I understand that you went to the Twin Towers the day before the attack? What brought you there?
I was a month and 10 days shy of my 21st Birthday. I was headed to Detroit for an exchange visit (which we call a Mifgash, a “Get-Together”), and would then go on a 10-day Birthright trip with Hillel of Metro Detroit. I was selected as one of six Israelis, from Michigan’s Partnership Region, to join the trip. The trip was initiated and supervised by the Director of HMD, Miriam Starkman, supported by the Detroit Federation and in collaboration with our Michigan-Central Galilee Partnership office.
My flight to Detroit was scheduled for the morning of September 11th. I arrived in New York two weeks before my scheduled flight. I wanted to tour the city and be with my friends who were living there. I was also with my dad, who was scheduled on the same September 11th flight to Detroit. As the manager of our Kibbutz Metal Factory, he had established a business relationship with a member of our Detroit Jewish community who was a manager of a Metal Factory in Romulus.
The day before our flight would leave, I wanted to say goodbye to the city. I decided that the best way to do that would from the top of the Observation Deck of the World Trade Center. Fate would have it that the chosen day for the tragic terror attack was September 11th and not the 10th, or I would not be around to write my 20-year perspective. There’s so much to unpack here. And again, it’s difficult to “simplify” in short answers.
How did it happen that you joined the Detroiters on the bus back to Detroit?
I was stuck in New York with no idea of what to do. The only reason my dad and I even had a place to stay was that my dad’s youngest brother was an El-Al Captain. He had arrived in New York just a couple of days prior to 9/11 and of course got stuck there as well. We were able to go and stay at his hotel room in Midtown.
Then I received a message from Miriam Starkman that the Detroit Federation had organized a bus ride back to Detroit. It was set to leave the following day and she told me where to get on the bus. I had very little details about the bus ride and who would be on it. All I knew that it was a group from Detroit who were allowed to land in New York from Israel (we knew that there were no incoming and outgoing flights).
This bus ride cemented my relationship with our Detroit Jewish Community. It made it my Bashert and created some of my most meaningful, important, life changing and lifelong connections. It was my first-ever visit to Detroit. I was with my dad and a group of some of our Detroit Jewish community’s most outstanding leaders who had just returned from a visit to my home neighborhood in Israel. They had demonstrated their passion and commitment to Israel during one of our most difficult times, and suddenly they were facing their own historically difficult time.
20 years later, what memories of that day burn brightest for you? Wow . . . where to begin? Memories which burn brightest? We are talking about one of the longest days of my entire life and luckily, I had my dad there by my side.
We were both headed to LaGuardia Airport early that morning to catch our late morning flight to Detroit. When we arrived at the airport we were not allowed to go in, we had no clue what was going on. We were told that there was a bomb threat. We were very used to this back home but especially at that time, since it was one of the most difficult times in Israel. It was the time of the Second Intifada, with daily suicide bombings, and so the notion of a bomb threat was an everyday thing for us.
We thought we would wait outside for a bit. We thought they would surely clear the bomb threat and allow us back in just like they do in Israel. But after a couple of hours we were told that all flights were cancelled and we should go back to the city. We tried to make our way back to the city, still unware of what was happening not that far away from us. We didn’t have cell phones at that time. We could see the smoke all the way from Queens, but we had no idea what we were looking at.
We waited at a bus station for what seemed to be hours. Buses were simply not stopping since they were at full capacity. We tried to use the pay phones in the area, but the phone system was probably already down at that time as we couldn’t get through to anyone and the recorded voice messages were all in Chinese…
After a few hours we finally got on a bus to the closest subway station and from there we took the train to the one place we knew we could go to, my uncle’s hotel room. It was already late evening. The subway was packed, but we thought it was a typical New York rush hour. We were underground, so we were still clueless at that point. We didn’t even feel as if we should ask anyone what was going on. And people around us were not saying anything about what just happened earlier that day. In retrospect, they were all probably in shock and everyone was just keeping to himself/herself out of pure fear and trauma from the events.
We got to my uncle’s hotel room sometime after 8:00 p.m. When he opened the door he was as pale as if he had seen a couple of ghosts. From the look on his face and his reaction, we could already tell something was going on and so we asked him in such a naïve manner, what is going on in the city today? It’s crazier out there more than ever. He was absolutely shocked and in total disbelief, asking us if we really have no idea what is going on? When we said “No, no clue” he immediately pointed to the TV screen. Nearly 11 hours after the first plane hit, we finally saw what the entire world had already known and seen time and time again, all while we were just a few miles away from where it all happened…
After that, everything changed. I kept a copy of the New York Times that was placed outside the door the following morning. And I did what every Israeli does the day after a terror attack. I went outside, back on the streets.
And maybe that is what burns the brightest for me: New York City itself, the day after. A New York City unlike anyone had ever seen, nor would have ever see again (until maybe recently during the COVID lockdowns). It was a scene taken out of a doomsday Hollywood movie. One of the most vibrant cities in world, of constant noise, of nonstop hustle and bustle, suddenly, Silent, Empty. Gloomy. A big cloud of dust covering the streets and a strong smell of smoke and devastation. Like a gigantic ghost town. It was difficult to see just a few feet ahead. I remember simply walking down Broadway from Midtown, walking towards downtown. The only people I can remember seeing on the streets at that time were a few African Immigrants who were back selling their fake merchandise.
I was thinking that for them, much like for us Israelis, they too were probably used to keep going about their lives as soon as the sign of danger had passed. Knowing that you must keep on living your life amidst the tragic events that are happening all around you. Their own daily survival was dependent on it. But also such a dissonance, as it’s simply surviving in an urban jungle without any real attachment or a sense of belonging to the place where they live.
I remember walking by the Fire Stations, seeing the memorial candles that were already placed outside. A somber city full of grief. It felt as if I was walking in the streets of Tel-Aviv during Yom Kippur. I was simply incapable at that time to even begin to process the magnitude of the Historical tragic event that I was a part of. It was all so surreal.
On the evening of September 12th, as my uncle, my dad and I sat down for dinner at a quiet restaurant in upper side of the city, I remember so vividly how my uncle had turned to me and said: “Do you even understand how lucky you were, that this could have happened to you. That could have been the same morning when you went on top of these buildings.” Only then when he said it so directly, that it really hit me, I couldn’t even respond, there is no response.
We in Israel, we are used to the notion of, “This could have been you.” Many of us will endure that sense at least a few times during our lives here. We get it during our mandatory Army service, during the many wars that even someone my age has already been through. And it was definitely a repeating notion during that same fateful year of 2001, in the midst of the Second Intifada. Back then, “It could have been you” was just a bus ride away, a visit to a restaurant or a shopping center or a night out at the bar or at the dance club.
And so for me, to suddenly find myself an ocean away in one of the liveliest and vibrant cities in the world and still get hit by the same notion of “This could have been you,” it made my stomach turn.
I have been fortunate that through my connection with the Detroit Jewish community and our Partnership Region relationship, that I have had the opportunity to get back to Detroit every year since 2001 until the recent COVID crisis which ended my consecutive streak at 18 years.
Therefore, during the 20 years since 9/11, I would take every opportunity that I had while being back in New York City, either on the way to or back from Detroit, to go back to Ground Zero and pay my respects. It also helped me personally to process this experience and reflect on my own journey through it.
About three years ago I felt that I finally got some closure for my personal journey, when I went back again to visit the new World Trade Center Tower and was able to get back on top of the new observation deck, which now also serves as a beautiful memorial tribute.
I felt more at peace after that, feeling the strength and spirit of the human creation and the passion of life and how it will always triumph over darkness and the desire for destruction.
How can you sum up being a “Shinshin”? A whole year of new experiences and crazy adventures. Let’s start from the beginning of our journey. After a long selection process with the Jewish agency, when at times things were uncertain, in the end, everything worked out. While we were both nervous, but undoubtedly excited, we came here one after the other and our dream came true. The first thing that happened, probably one of the most important and most impactful experiences of the year, is when we met our host families. They were our safe place, our home and our family for the year. We know that these relationships will continue on long after we leave, as they are our friends and family for life.
After we became acclimated, we started volunteering at Hillel Day School, where we would go into classes and have the best time with the kids, educating them about Israel, sometimes helping the kids with Hebrew and even leading programs with the “partnership” in Israel. In the beginning, it wasn’t easy since classes were remote and it was hard to engage with the kids. Soon enough, though, school was back in person and we got to be part of it. During this time we learned so much from everybody and we got really attached to the school and especially the students.
In addition to Hillel Day School, we also volunteered on Sundays and sometimes in the afternoon throughout the week, in various reform and conservative congregations. We got to see the community as a whole, learning about Jewish life outside of Israel. We got to lead big and small events during the holidays, which all were awesome, especially the less familiar ones, to Americans, in which we got to teach congregants something completely new. We also got to meet teens from the community coming from all of the youth groups such as BBYO, SSTY and YFTI. We had the best time talking with them about deeper subjects and not the regular “falafel, Tel Aviv” conversations. What we didn’t expect was that they taught us a lot about the fun and interesting American culture as well.
We are close to the end and we are now at Tamarack, The Greatest Place On Earth. We now know that it is the greatest place on earth! This is the end of our year and looking back, this was the quickest, yet longest year we have ever had. It was also the most meaningful, fun and impactful experience for us. Even with the intense schedule, we learned how to handle it all. We are more than grateful to be here and to be able to say that we’re part of the Detroit Jewish community. All of you are also a part of our community back in Israel, we are now officially “mishpacha”-family.
Tel Aviv will test dog poop DNA to fine owners who don’t clean up – City council approves setting up database, obligating owners to submit their pets’ DNA details when receiving license.
Tel Aviv has the largest number of dogs per capita in the entire world. Tel Aviv is already known as the nonstop city, the gay friendly capital of the world, and now it might just serve as the most dog friendly city too.
Israel is home to about 80,000 dogs that enjoy long walks in the 60 dog parks across the country.
The biggest dog cemetery in the world was discovered in Ashkelon National Park. Archaeologists suggest that it’s the result of a religious cult that believed in the healing powers of dog saliva.
According to a 2017 study by Humane Society International, Israel has over 33,000 stray dogs, with a majority of them living in predominantly Bedouin areas in the south of Israel.
Dog adoption rates rose by 300% during the COVID-19 pandemic, but as people return to work and as international travel opens up again, some have started to return to the shelter.
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