From Nation's Capital to Nation's Capital: The Azza Street Spy

12 Things I Love About Israel

This week’s Torah portion, Shelah, recalls the sin of the 12 spies. Prior to entering Land of Israel, the people wanted to send out spies to scout it out. (Azza Street Spy Style, I suppose.) As the spies’ reports were largely negative, the people were reluctant to continue their journey into Israel and were punished with another 38 years wandering the desert.

As part of a larger project, I composed a list of 12 things I love about living in Israel. The list is not in any particular order.

Here goes:

1. Living a hop, skip and a jump away from the Kotel;

2. Receiving Pesach and Rosh HaShanah bonuses from my jobs;

3. As a Jerusalem City worker, receiving birthday and holiday cards from the Mayor of Jerusalem (think about this: after 2,000 years, Jerusalem is a sovereign city with a Jewish mayor who is wishing me a happy birthday!);

4. Voting in national elections and living in a country whose current events receive disproportionate, international attention; they all care about me and my home!;

5. The freshness and variety of the dairy products (even though the ice cream still needs work);

6. One day Hag totally rocks! (Although, it also means we go back to work one day earlier);

7. A general abundance of kosher food, including one job with a kosher cafeteria, another that serves a kosher breakfast spread at its staff meetings, and kosher food everywhere, including bad food-court food;

8. Living in a city that Diaspora Jews love to visit, enabling me to spot long-lost friends on the street, take pride in my status as a local, and play hostess;

9. Great point of origin for convenient international travel (i.e., Budapest, Tunis, etc.)

10. Living in a small country filled with different micro-climates: I can get new scenery, weather, and air quality within short distances;

11. “Shabbat shalom” is a legitimate greeting, even to secular people, from Thursday mid-day until Shabbat actually starts;

AND,

12. Living in the place that my ancestors after endless generations only dreamed and prayed about.

If you live in here or have visited, I would love to hear your list of things that you love about Israel.

Shabbat shalom!

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