Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach: Welcome to baby girl!

Some weeks just float by, some whiz by at super speed, this one just kept on flying by at breakneck speed with twists and turns, usually in unexpected places! However, as we roll into Shabbat, things appear to be coming together nicely, so, let’s recap the highlights!

 Usually the highlight of the week of Passover would be the Seder night, which celebrates the birth of the Jewish Nation and our liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt to freedom. However, this week, on the highlight reel the Seder will be pre-empted by another birth! Gila and Ariel were expecting with a due date to be in the first week of May. During a routine ultrasound, it was suspected that the baby was not growing as well as hoped and they suggested that the delivery be induced. So, after a Wednesday of running around and being finally seen at Ladiano Hospital in Netanya, Thursday morning at 8:47 a beautiful baby girl was born. As predicted she is a little small and is being kept for a few days to ensure she is growing, but she is drinking well and all looks good! Ema and Abba are also well. Ladiano Hospital has an interesting history. The Rebbe of the Hassidic Dynasty of Sanz vowed that if he survived the Holocaust, he would do something that would help all Jews, Hassidic or non-Hassidic, observant or secular. When he survived, he brought his followers to the northern part of Netanya, and established the Sanz community there. This led to him noting that the nearest hospitals were in cities quite a distance away. The project for the hospital in Sanz has led to the establishment of Ladiano Hospital, a general hospital with one of the best maternity programs in all of Israel. As a hospital established by a Hassidic group, it follows a strict religious code (on Passover, no outside food is allowed in; you should see the boxes and boxes of confiscated food at the entrance. I almost took a picture!)  One major advantage for our family is that it is easy walking distance from our apartment, so Elisha has been “at home” sleeping over and Ariel could come for meals. Gila was discharged today, so she can stay here for Sabbat and spend as much time as she wants with the baby at the hospital (without being awoken by annoying nurses!)

Passover started off with a super fun Seder, featuring Elisha! He was very well prepared (as well as a 3-year-old can be prepared), knowing a bunch of the songs, the story of the Jews being slaves in Egypt, and could sing the first of the Four Questions by himself! We told the story of the Exodus, with the appropriate props to keep a three-year-old engaged, like hand puppets, jumping frogs, spongy balls to represent hail and plastic animals representing wild beasts. If you are lost, we’ll just have to steer you to the appropriate chapters in the book of Exodus. The main theme of the Seder is teaching the children, and doing things that will encourage questions. This is a remarkably well-thought-out educational program, with lots of room for improvisation, which is greatly encouraged. We look forward to more fun Seders as the kids all grow and their questions get more sophisticated!

Last Shabbat we had the pleasure of hosting our niece Jenna, who is a medic in the IDF and was on her way home to Edmonton for a month. She’s doing great and is completing her time in August. When not on base she lives near Ariel and Gila, so she and Elisha are BFFs! It meant for a great Shabbat and when I took everyone home Saturday night, I even got to see the kibbutz she has been living on since moving here 2 years ago. Sunday was shopping and preparation for  Pesach, and Elisha and I had the pleasure of navigating the public Market in Netanya the day before the holiday. Just the two of us and maybe 10,000 other people buying fruits and vegetables, fresh fish, meat and other groceries. The produce is usually amazing and in truth we usually cook very simply here, using locally grown herbs and vegetables instead of sauces. Very tasty and probably healthier too!

Also, Israel is alive with everyone on holiday during Passover. The streets are packed with people, the traffic looks like Miami Beach in December, and everyone is out on trips or community events. As noted in other posts over the years, most of the restaurants clean out their Chametz (leaven) and open for Pesach. Check us out having pizza in the Netanya town square on the eve of Pesach, with the pizza crust made from potato flour (it was actually really good!) 

Shabbat is approaching so we will sign off for now. Elan, Nomi, Shoshana, Shlomo and Nadav are going to join us for the last day of the holiday, so Elisha will have more kid company and we can enjoy more family time together. By early next Wednesday, Bruce heads back to Montreal and Barbara will be here to help with the new baby for a couple of weeks.

We wish you an amazing Shabbat, A Chag Sameach and a very Happy Easter!

Happy Birthday to Elan!!

Happy Birthday to Joshua!!

Happy Birthday to Jessica!!

Happy Birthday to David Weisz!!

Refuah Shlema to Zysl bat Bella

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I want to just add a few words about the untimely passing of a friend and colleague Mark Wainberg, who passed away while on Passover holiday with his family in Florida. Mark was a unique individual, extremely energetic, insightful and a brilliant scientist. It is no exaggeration to say he was Canada’s preeminent researcher on HIV-AIDS. He set the tone for AIDS research in Canada from the early 80’s onwards, and was a huge player on the international stage. In spite of this, he was highly committed to local community efforts and was generous with his time on many levels. Moreover, as a friend and colleague, he was always approachable, very encouraging and very personable. Mark was as grounded in his interpersonal skills as he was elevated in his scientific thoughts and commitment to the treatment and eradication of AIDS. He will be greatly missed. Baruch Dayan Emet.