Pano-Island

 Just came back from an amazing 2 day vacation in Tiveria with work. It will never cease to amaze me how much money Israeli hi-tech comanies spend on different things, but at Panorays, it is exxagerated. Just in the 6 months I've been here, we've had non stop happy hours, events, Party with Ivri Lider, marketing fun days, holiday toasts and so much more. Not a month goes by without something crazy. But this one took the cake so far. 

It started off at Bora Bora beach, where the Chevrat Hafaka turned it into Pano-Island. All morning and early afternoon there was tropical fruit, coconut drinks, burgers and fries, open bar, and more swag than could be imagined. The entire place was branded with Pano-island. There was a volleyball area, there was a Hisardut game (where I did scrape myself trying to be a hero and jump on a carton while it was moving), there was tables and beach chairs to look at the beach, there was banana boats that threw us in, there was a trampoline in the middle of the water, and plenty of water to swim in. It was amazing. 

From there, we had some down time at the hotel. I chilled in the pool with Shiran, and then threw a football around with him and the sales guys for over two hours. Again, by showing our bracelet we had an open and free bar. I hung out with Tyler a little in the room, showered and got ready for the party. THe busses took us back to Pano-Island. We had a very nice dinner, with Pargit, Sinta, and kebabs, and then hung out watching sunset. Then the party started. I didn't dance very much, I sat with Maor for most of the party, and then with others that needed a dancing break. A number of people got pretty wasted, and it was awesome to watch. 

I woke up somehow at 6:55 after a tough internal battle, and walked to a hotel for Shacharit. I then sat with the founders and Maor at breakfast, ordered an egg with cheese and onions. From there, I went to learn with Zayde. After learning with Zayde I saw plenty of messages on my Whatsapp groups about today being the day to say the Shlah's prayer for Jewish, Torah-fearing offspring. I remembered from JM in the AM that the SHlah was buried righy in Tiveria, so after 10 minutes in the pool (early enough that it was not coed), I walked over. I said the prayer with Kavana, thinking about my children, hopefully my future children, my siblings, cousins, and friends children. There was a ton of people gathered, from all over the country. How lucky that I happened to be there?! I did miss the Rikudgalim, but it was good to watch videos. PG next year I will be there. 

After that, it was my turn for a massage. I went to a guy, and did not look him in the eye before I lied down. I wanted to not picture who was touching me all over my back. It felt great, my first real massage ever. From there, Gil and Matan convinced me to do pilates, which I was pretty sure was stretching for women to say they worked out. Wrong! It was tough, but we made it through. From there, we took a picture, and went to have lunch (burgers and shnitzel). After that, it was time to go home. Danielle drove, so we went back together, and of course, had a flat tire almost immedaitely. We plugged the machine in to the cigarette lighter, and it filled up the tire. (This car did not have a spare tire because instead you put in this air and material that clogs up the whole internally.) It was nice that a lot of people from Panorays who saw us reached out by text or phone, and some even stopped to make sure we were okay. I got out of the car right in front of Kalansawa, for what I thought was a 5 minute wait alongside Palestinian/Arabs and no one else in the vicinity besides the cars driving fast. It ended up being 30 minutes, but all was ok. Got home, gave the kids and Shiff a huge hug and kiss, and thanked my lucky stars that I am part of this amazing team. It was really fun getting to meet new people, interact with those I don't have much to do with, and especially, to hang out with our amazing marketing team. 

Hadar - Youngest of Oldest or Oldest of Youngest?

I don’t write about Hadar enough. But I have a feeling I am going to be mentioning her quite a bit, as she is growing into a little girl with a huge personality. She is finally walking on her feet more than her knees (by a little bit only but still!). She is the cutest little girl, and her smiles are make waves of happiness go through my body. She used to make cute dolphin noises and faces, and sometimes we can still get one here and there. 

This Shabbat, we went to go meet baby Shirel for the first time. Hadar kept pointing to her and saying Baba (for baby). Eitan would not let go of her, as the oldest cousin, and he has always loved babies. Next, big sister Hila wanted to hold her, so she also got to. And Hadar looked at us confused. On the one hand, both the oldest cousins got to hold the baby, so she knew she wasn’t as big as that. But on the flip side, she was much bigger than this baby, and she was very excited that there was someone smaller. It was a very cute interaction from her. And I’m sure she will be holding her soon. 

Another wake up call for Kedem

 At 12:20 AM last night, Shifra and I were awoken by a siren. It blared loudly, and there was a feeling of dread when we heard them say "Terrorist Infiltration". Shifra isn't quite recovered from last time, so I took care of everything in terms of safety measures. I very quietly ran out of the room, ensured all 3 doors were locked, ensured all windows were closed, lowered the shades quietly, and turned off all lights. I returned to the room, with a helpless feeling of not being able to do any more besides wait and pray. I left the shade in our room open just a sliver, so we were able to watch exactly what was happening, and the searches by the army, Kitat Konenut, etc. It was very cool to watch to be honest. We talked through it, in hushed voices, in case the guy was right outside our door. The whole time we were getting Whatsapp updates, as the entire Yishuv was obviously monitoring the situation very carefully. Luckily, our kids were still asleep. 

At 1 am, they announced we can go back to sleep, that everything is okay and it was a false alarm. What happened is a woman heard voices in her garden, and alerted the Moked. Turns out they were her family members. We let out a nervous laugh once we found that out, and soon enough, we were laughing pretty hysterically. We fell asleep pretty quickly after that. 

What a feeling of panic, but if we really think about it, absolutely nothing happened. 

Philosophical Question 1

 If I am holding a baby (Let's say Hadar), and I have to pee, and so I go to the bathroom, and with one hand I am holding her, and with the other hand I am getting myself ready to pee (without getting too graphic) and then blocking my private parts when she inevitably wants to see where the waterfall comes from - do I then need to wash both hands? There is a 0% chance that the hand holding Hadar got anywhere in an area that would necessitate washing, because I was just holding her the whole time. Furthermore, if I would need to wash hand #2, I should really need to completely bathe Hadar according to that logic, and that doesn't seem to make sense. 

Too Nosy

This past Shabbat, we had an amazing dialogue I needed to be written down.

Daddy: I took your nose. 

Eitan: I want it back. 

Daddy: *Puts it back on his nose

Eitan: *smiles
Eitan: *Takes Daddy's nose

Daddy: What?!

Eitan: *Hysterical laughing

Daddy: *Takes Eitan's nose, plays nosy nosy with Daddy's nose in EItan's finger. 

Daddy: *Gives Eitan back his nose. 

Daddy: Can I have my nose back please?

Eitan: No!

Daddy: Well why not?

Eitan: Cuz Eitan put Daddy's nose Eitan's cheek. *puts hand on cheek. 

This kid, man. This kid. 

Moving Again

 So we have just signed on to our lease in Modiin, on Sara Imenu. We signed for 2 years, with an option for a 3rd. It is a 5 room apartment with a nice Mirpeset, and we are super excited for it. We only needed 4 rooms, but it was less expensive than the 4 room ones we saw. It should be a good home for us until we move into Ganei Chashmonaim in 2/3 years PG. We are planning to move in early July. 

Also last week, we rented out our apartment in Kedem officially, for 2 years. Feeling like a grown up today. 

Boys will be boys

 Almost 16 years ago, I got off a plane and began my new life here in Israel. One of the most important things to ensure with your kids in a new place, is that they make new friends. I was very lucky at the beginning, as i happened to sit next to a kid named Eitan, and he took care of me. He thought it was cool that I barely spoke hebrew, and introduced me to the other classmates, and made sure I was always invited to Bayit Chams. But the big breakthrough for me in terms of acquiring a volume of friends, was the day I scored my first soccer goal at recess. I literally got at least 3 invites to come over after school that day. 

Tonight, I returned to the soccer field, for the first time since about 7th grade. I have played much baseball, softball, football, and even basketball since then, but never soccer. I was pretty sure I'd be awful; luckily, that wasn't the case. I was complimented by the organizer that I play the game right. I made a couple big-time saves in goal. I played very tight defense. I had a bunch of assists and even a goal of my own! 

Turns out, there are plenty of important translatable skills from my sports to soccer. Seeing the guy getting open while running a route, before he's open, and understanding where the pass needs to get to. Catching as a goalie and being in ready position. Not being afraid of the ball. 

The biggest one for me was at the end of the last game. We were winning 2-1, game til 3. I was in goal, carried it up a little bit, and gave a no-look kick right through the three defenders to my guy, who then just needed to push in the game winner. People were very impressed with the vision I played with, and the willingness to pass. 

I made a couple of errors too of course, some from lack of knowledge, some from lack of skill and practice. Turns out, I am not the most talented soccer player. But I'll take being the one who plays the right way, and contributes. Oh and, this was definitely the most bonding I've done with the guys here in Kedem since we got here. I have a couple friends, mostly from our building or walking back after shul, but this one felt more real. Turns out, Israeli boys will still like you if you can prove it on the field, whether 10 year olds or 25-30s. 

Can't wait for next week. 

Thankfulness

 Today, I was lucky enough to go have lunch with my first CEO. We went to Roza, the place he took me on my last day at 1touch. I wanted to do something nice, and maybe get him something, but I didn't know what to get, so I thought creating an annual tradition on the anniversary of my last week would be fun. Was great to chat with him, work and non-work, and the steaks (and appetizers) were delicious. Thank you to my new company for covering with 10bis. 

I owe so much to him for giving me my first real opportunity. From the beginning, from coming up with an intern job and buying me courses, to paying me hourly, to paying me full time, to giving me two raises, one that I initiated, one that he did, all the way to leading the marketing department. He was always very understanding, was willing to hear me , and put me in the spotlight in front of the company and our investors. The things he taught me, enabled/pushed me to do, and criticism when it wasn't perfect, all led me to where I am today, and have all become a part of my work I do, each and every day. 

A couple examples:

• He forced me to learn how to present in front of a crowd, sometimes very high-level.
• He forced me to double and triple check data, which I now do whenever I am presented with it. 
• He bought me courses, and enabled/pushed me to learn Salesforce, and eventually take over from our Freelancer as an admin. 
• He pushed me to open LinkedIn, patiently guided me, and ended up trusting me with a lot of things. 
• And he was very understanding when I told him I felt maxed out at the company, and I was moving on. 

I am very grateful to have started my career under him , and grateful for our very open relationship today.

 The least I could do was take him out to lunch. Can't wait for next year. 

Blue and White Pride X5

So, it was a pretty fun Yom Haatzmaut this year. At night we had some us time, and BBQ #1. Shifra did not love the fireworks this year.

In the morning, Eitan sat next to me and Saba Dov at Davening. He enjoyed singing Shema together, Hallel, and of course, kissing the Torah. From there, me, Eitan, Saba Dov, and Tata went on a hike in the backyard hills of Buchman. We saw cows, butterflies, and got to a beautiful viewing area - in memory of Natan Cohen.

On the way back, we stopped and saw the helicopter flyover. Eitan spoke about it all day, he wanted me to get them to fly over again. One day he will understand what Daddy can control and what he can't. Then we got back, and had BBQ #2, with Baruch and Noa. We celebrated both signing on a new home together, one building over from each other. This was our second attempt to live together, hope this one lasts.
Then we had a much needed nap. From there, we went over to Bubby and Pops. And from there, we went back for a BBQ at the newmarks #3. At some point in the middle, I went to have patties at the Glazers for #4. Then we put the kids to sleep, and went to a friend's BBQ #5. This was probably the yummiest one, and it was really fun. Everyone there brought a wife or girlfriend except AK. It was a celebration of Chanan leaving the army. All in all, a very fun Yom Haaztmaut. 

When Time Stops

 Last night, we had a siren signaling the beginning of Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day). At 7:58, I put my ear next to the kids' door, and heard Eitan talking to himself. I decided to take Eitan out of bed, so he could stand with us. 

I explained to him that there was going to be a noise soon, and we should think about people we love. Obviously, at 2 years old, it is too soon to go deeper than that about the siren and our fallen soldiers and terror victims. He wanted to hold my hand on one side, and Shifra's hand on the other. It was very cute.

But I was glad he was awake, I wanted him to be part of the siren, even before he understands what it means. Unless something drastically changes, in 16-18 years, he will be manning the borders himself in the green uniforms, enabling us to live here (Or doing a computer desk job, whatever he feels is right for him). Thanks to the soldiers that died, and also those who lived, we are able to live here. 

There have been a bunch of terror attacks the past few months. Bnei Brak, Beer Sheva, Chadera, Jerusalem, Ariel. I spent all morning watching videos of fallen soldiers or terror victims. Some I really connect to: Nava Applebaum, who went out with her dad hours before her wedding. My brothers, Eyal, Gilad, and Naftali, who will never be forgotten by anyone in Israel during those 18 days of suspense. Roi Klein, who jumped on a grenade to save his friends. Daniel Pomerantz, who shares my name. Avishai Shindler, my friend's brother, who left quite the legacy up in Kiryat Shmona. Avishai Yechezkeli, who protected his toddler during the recent shooting in Bnei Brak. Yanai Vaisman, who was just shopping in a supermarket, whose 1 year old is now a 6 year old girl who doesn't remember him, and whose widow was recently remarried. And so many more..

And, over the past few years, people I knew have joined the list of Israel's fallen heroes. Ari Fuld, who was a real-life hero I am grateful to have known as the director of Camp Achdut. I still remember the passion and love in his voice during a sleepover we had at the camp, when he was telling us about our Soldier Heroes, and how influential that was for a 10 year old that had just made Aliyah, basically straight into a war. And of course, Eli Kay, who was shot near the Kotel on his way to work. Our adopted soldier Shani Weinnman had just married his brother a few weeks before, and we were able to spend the entire Shabbat Sheva Brachot with him, Jen, and his entire family. There were plenty of jokes going around that he would be the next reason for everyone coming to Israel. Only thing is, the jokes became a sad reality when he was gunned down in the Old City a few weeks later.

Tonight, we will celebrate Israel turning 74. Celebration is something even a 2 year old can understand, even if he doesn't understand the cost. And let me tell you -  that 2 year old is excited, singing Israeli songs, and waving his flags every chance he gets. He loves to say Yisrael in his cute Israeli accent. His younger sister also loves to wave the flags. 

Reward Effort or Production?

E is a killer negotiator, and has been since he was very young. I used to ask him if he wanted a raisin, and he would answer 8 9 10. We'd usually end up at about 4 after a few back and forths. A few weeks ago, I came in to tell him he needs to go to sleep. He was ready with his demands: "Go see goats, go see tractors, and watch Bamba video". At that point in the night, I would have let him climb an elephant, so of course I said yes. He immediately fell asleep, and didn't wake up til the morning, which he began by reminding me of his demands that he had earned. 

Tonight, however, it was a different kind of negotiation. He made a stinky on the toilet last week for the first time, and was given a chocolate chip. Needless to say, he is trying to repeat the success, and earn another chocolate chip. Today he sat for 15 minutes, pushing and bending, and massaging his muscles, while reading the Elmo Potty book. After 15 minutes, I told him it was time to go into the bath. He looked at me straight in the eye, and without flinching said: "Chocolate chip". I asked, did you poop? He got up, looked down, looked back at me, sat down on the empty potty, and said "Chocolate chip. E sit down potty try poop. E want chocolate chip." 

He did not get the chocolate chip, but it raised a question for me about rewarding effort, not just the success.

P.S. Bubby says give 1 for effort, and 2 for success. 

Difference Between Boys and Girls

Today, E was enjoying playing with himself after the bath. He excitedly told us that he has a big Willy. As parents do, we tried to test his knowledge, by asking him "Does H have a willy? (We use Willy and Penis interchangeably.) To which Eitan said "Noooo." To which we asked, "Why not? Because she's a" "-Baaaby", said Eitan. He proceeded to say, "When H get big H have big big Willy!!!"

 As you can tell, he does not seem to grasp the difference between men and women yet.

Siyum Masechet Brachot

 At Shoham's Bar Mitzvah, my Zayde and I made a Siyum. It was time to finish Masechet Brachot, our second Masechet since we started learning during the first lockdown. What a privilege it is for me every day to start it with Zayde. It was my turn to give the Dvar Torah, so here is a paraphrased version of what I said:

One of the Mishnas in Masechet Brachot speaks about that the Chassidim would get up early and sit for an hour before Tefilla. This can mean different things according to different people. Some say they sat and thought about what do Daven for. We know hundreds of year later, Rebbe Elimelech of Lejansk created a Prayer before Prayer. But either way, it is a way to prepare for Davening. 

My learning with Zayde is my preparation for the day. It's that window of Ruach within the TenBis and materialism of HiTech city in Tel Aviv, or before a day of working from home. 8:30-9 is blocked off in my calendar every day for learning. 

By learning with Zayde, I get 3 benefits. 

1 - I get to learn the words on the Daf.

2 - I get to discuss topics around the subjects and themes of the Daf with Zayde.

3 - I get to learn with Zayde, and more importantly, learn Zayde. To me, Zayde is the epitome of כי הם חיינו ואורך ימינו, and a person to learn from. Whether now in retirement, or even while working, Zayde's center of life was Learning Torah, and no matter how much time you have each day, whether 9 hours, or 30 minutes in the morning, as long as it is the center of your day, it should be the center of life. 

Masechet Brachot represents this theme as well. A Bracha is a way to raise the seemingly mundane to a higher spiritual level. By making a Bracha on an apple, we are changing something physical by giving it a spiritual status. 

May we learn for many more years together and finish many more Masechtot.