So, here we
are, a few hours before Passover. This is the fourth year that we are spending
Passover in Israel. Passover, or Pesach, is the holiday of freedom. The Jewish
people were taken from slavery to freedom, going from a broken people to
becoming a nation. The concepts of Passover are amazing universal messages: no
man should lord over another, no man should own another, no nation should think
that others are beneath them or inferior to them. The Seder tonight reenacts
the Exodus from Egypt, and the acceptance by the Jews of the responsibility of being
a nation; to build a society and to serve G-d. I think these are messages that
are no less important today as 3000 years ago; in fact, maybe more so. When we
look at the world today, people clearly have not embodied what had been taught millennia
ago.
The past 10
days have been ultra-eventful, so get set! We left off in Switzerland, in the
lovely town of Interlaken. We were attending the 7th International
IVIg Congress which was a small meeting of about 200 researchers in Immunology
and related fields. The unifying theme was the use of intravenous immunoglobulin
in treatment of diseases. I recently published a paper that received quite a bit
of notice at the meeting, so it was a lot of fun to discuss theories and
practicalities (and politics) in the field with the others. We had a really
nice Shabbat, with nice mild weather, perfect for a long walk to one of the lakes,
which took up a good part of late Saturday afternoon. The lakes were nestled between a series of
mountains, making it quite idyllic, a lot like Aspen (but not quite as built up
or affluent in the town). 
Sunday
morning, we were off to Israel, taking the first train of the day from Interlaken
to the Zurich Airport. Not only is it super convenient to take the train to the
airport, but the luggage drop off is in the train station, so you are free of
your bags in minutes. Then off to the terminal and a flight to Israel, landing
at 2:30. The next major stop would be Bilha
and Chai’s wedding, with a few minor stops in between….Car pick up, Netanya to
drop off our bags and get dressed , Givat Shmuel to pick up Ariel, Gila and
Elisha and then to the wedding hall. Luckily, the wedding hall was a five
minute drive from Ariel’s house! That made things work out just perfectly. The wedding
was gorgeous, with many highlights, including the fact that Bilha’s brother Yacov
was the Mesader Kedushin, the presiding
clergy for the wedding. That made it all the more meaningful. There was a nice
cohort of Montrealers, both present and past, who came to celebrate with the Fruchter
family. Of course great food and terrific music topped off the evening.
The next
two days were ideal grandparent days. Since Gila and Ariel are both in school (although
Gila has been off for maternity leave) they took advantage of the “free” child
care to have us hang out with Elisha. As you can see by the accompanying
pictures, he is a real sweetie! He is beginning to be playful, looking at toys
and following, an occasional smile…perfect 6 week old behavior. So, we strolled
him around the local mall and around campus. He played his part really well too,
sleeping or lying contented unless he needed feeding. Definitely a classy baby.
Mixing a
bit of business with the pleasure, I visited Tel Aviv University and gave a
lecture to the immunology group,which was well received. My host was a superb
immunologist named Ariel Munitz, who’s work I have followed as he trained with
a good friend, Marc Rothenberg. Here is
a new security wrinkle. You don’t just press up or down to call an elevator in
the medical school building. You tell it which floor you want to go to and it
tells you which elevator to take. When you get it there are no buttons to push.
I am not sure why that is helpful, but it was a great conversation piece.
The rest of
the time was punctuated with visits with Sylvia and Haim Fruchter in Netanya,
and with Michal and Ronen Sela and family on a beach outside Netanya. Sylvia
and Haim were in post wedding mode, visiting family and friends and
criss-crossing the county. We picked up Gila and Ariel and the baby on Thursday
to give them a bit of a pre-Passover holiday near the beach. We took some very
nice sea-side walks, hung out and had a really nice Shabbat together. Sunday included Passover preparations,
although this year, things would be a bit different for us, as we were not
hosting the Seder, but rather we are joining Gila’s family for Seder on Monday
night. We’re very excited about spending the next couple of days in Neve Daniel. Check out an article about Geula in this week's Jerusalem Post and her painitngs! http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Features/Checking-the-orange-pages-348121
www.geulaart.com
Of course,
life is not always about vacations and fun. A few people noticed that I didn’t
send out a post in the customary way on Friday afternoon. This was because at
the time we were a bit pre-occupied about things going on in Toronto. Our youngest
grandson, Nadav, had been vomiting for a few days, and was evaluated at the
Hospital for Sick Children. They diagnosed a small intestinal obstruction
(pyloric stenosis) which required a small surgical procedure on Wednesday
night. He improved nicely, but as of the beginning of Shabbat in Israel, we did
not know if he would be discharged. We
are happy to report that he left the hospital on Friday midafternoon, and based
on a great Skype call yesterday, it is clear that he is back to normal! He fed
really well Saturday and Sunday . Shoshana and Shlomo were super happy to have
their little brother (and parents) home and everyone was back to the daily tasks
like shopping and cooking for Passover! Kudos to the nursing and medical staff
at Sick Kids for a job very well done!
So, Thank
G-d, everyone in the family is at home (or at least in someone’s home!) and
will be celebrating Passover with loved ones; we with the Twersky’s in Israel,
Elan and Nomi and co. with Nomi’s family
in Toronto, Daniella, Monty and Tali with the Wagner clan in Toronto, my
mom in Edmonton with my sister Roanne, etc…! As we sit around the Seder table
discussing the Exodus from Egypt and the concept of freedom, we will pause to
be thankful for both the ups and downs of life, because without the challenges,
it may be hard to truly appreciate the good things.
Wishing
everyone a Happy Passover, and Chag Kasher v’sameach and a Happy Easter!
Barbara and
Bruce
Mazel Tov
to Bilha and Chai on their marriage last week! Mazel Tov to our great Friends
Sylvia and Haim
Fruchter and family on this wonderful simcha!
Mazel to to
Ashi and Dassy Stenge and Grandma Gail on the birth of a baby boy!
Mazel to to
Moti and Sarah Stenge and Savta Gail on the birth of twin boys! Busy week!!
Happy
Birthday to R’ Elan in Toronto
Happy
Birthday to David Weisz in Edmonton
Happy Birthday
to Josh Samuel in Montreal!
No comments:
Post a Comment