I recently read an email on an aliyah listserv asking: What are the must-bring items when moving to Israel from the United States?
My first thought was a really good computer. I thought of Entenmann’s cakes, a freezer full of snow, a really good mixer, and maybe a year’s supply of deodorant. As the pictures formed in my head, I thought of the necessary items to maneuver through life in Israel.
• Bring a sense of justice. Israelis have a deeply ingrained sense of right and wrong. We don’t always apply it, but somewhere, somehow, sometime, justice is delivered. We elect a wide spectrum of people to serve in our Knesset: Jews, Druze, Christians and Arabs. Men and women of all religions and countries drive our roads, learn in our universities and shop in our malls. Our hospitals do not treat people according to their beliefs, but rather according to their illnesses. Israel is a land of justice.
• Bring a sense of adventure. Israelis love to explore. If there is a path, someone will take it. There is great beauty in the Israeli desert as well as in the beautiful forests and beaches. There are trails to take, scenic routes to drive, and mountains to climb. Come learn (and never forget) that Israel is a land of great beauty.
• Bring patience. Things sometimes take longer here. Don’t let everything drive you crazy.
• Bring a sense of wonder. Israelis are helpful and willing to understand. Israelis will offer you directions — not always to where you want to go — but directions nonetheless. Our little country astounds the world with its technology, its medical research and its inventions. It is a wonder that such a small country occupies so much of the world’s energy and attention. We are besieged, embattled, closed in on all sides and often under attack, but despite this, we live normal lives devoted to our work and our families and our country.
• Bring kindness. Israel is a kind country. Israelis volunteer as part of their character. You’ll arrive here and not eat in your own house for weeks as neighbors rush to invite you. The doctor may not charge you the first time you go there with an emergency, or you’ll call and tell him your daughter fell and he’ll say “come to my house,” and between stirring the soup, he’ll figure out that she just needs to cuddle. Boys will come over on Friday afternoon to collect food for needy families. Young brides can borrow magnificent gowns for the simple cost of having them cleaned. The hospitals announced a blood shortage and the next day had to ask people to stop because they don’t have enough staff to accommodate all the volunteers.
• Bring a sense of humor. Golda Meir once said, “Those who don’t know how to weep with their whole heart, don’t know how to laugh either.” Israelis truly know how to weep, and how to laugh.
• Bring a love of democracy and freedom. This is perhaps our greatest asset and our greatest contribution. Israel needs people who understand democracy, who love and expect freedom and a responsive, representative government. With our love of justice, these qualities set us apart from our neighbors.
• Bring your love of Israel — but accept it as it is. For all the good and wonderful things (and at times for the bad), know that 10 years from now, you’ll still have a stupid grin on your face when you see a sign in Hebrew, when you see a Chassid conversing with a guy with a ponytail and an earring, when the sun is shining and Jerusalem glistens in the distance, when your sons grow strong and your daughters lovely and smart, you’ll know there is no better place.