Blog/August 2007/August 10th

August 10th 2007

Coming up on our second shabbat in the Holy Land... this week has been one of ups and downs.

We've had a chance to see real chesed (kindness) as well as the opposite. I'll share just two examples so you can get a feel for this land of polar opposites.

First, the chesed: people we don't know at all, who only knew of us through mutual friends, asked "what can we do to help?". Since we were a bit vague, they proceeded to bring us a table, some food and a bed. They invited us for shabbat dinner (tonight). That being insufficient for them, they literally gave us their car to use for a couple days. Just a bit ago, they brought over a cake for shabbat. We are still overawed by their real kindness.

Now, the opposite: we have been unable as yet to get any of Esther's official paperwork done, because the government agency personnel have messed things up beyond belief. Not only that, they are unwilling to move even in the slightest from their official positions to accommodate people. So my wife is still an "undocumented alien", so to speak. Sunday presumably we will get that part of things straightened out... but I don't hold out a great deal of hope. However, she did write the Minister of Absorption to let him know just how she feels about the process so far.

On the other hand, I was able to get my paperwork straightened out (mostly), and we were able to convince the bank manager to give us a joint account even though my wife is undocumented. This week I had a job interview which perhaps will yield fruit, and we got all the appliances we had ordered (and they do work). So things are improving. Most importantly, the air conditioning has been repaired and our internet connection is up and running!

There are ups and downs; some days are easier than others, but all in all we really have nothing to complain about.

The most overwhelming thing to happen to me this week was being in a bus in our area, and seeing little children all speaking Hebrew - and all from very different parts of the world. Black, white and everything in-between - and I was just overwhelmed with the understanding that the words of our prophets are coming true (see Jeremiah 29:14, for example). And I wondered that anyone could look at that same scene, and not understand it that way.

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