The People

There are two things in the Arava that have inspired the very deep relationship I have cultivated with this place: the people and the land. I have created strong friendships which continue to develop and have established meaningful bonds with some amazing people from all walks of life. These include (among others) Orit and Ido – who make awesome lunches and have a washing machine that works, Peter and Reuvat – who add a whole new dimension to the concept of ‘hachnasat orchim’ (the mitzvah of having guests over in one’s home), Naomi – who makes great hot drinks and is always interested in what’s going on in my life, Hagit – who stated explicitly from the outset that I should be Israeli and not wait patiently for an invitation to come over and Ofrit K – who is so enthusiastic about Ashira’s impending arrival (as are her twin girls, who Ashira met three years ago and has remained in touch with).

One of the aspects missing for me in the Arava has always been religion. This place is not exactly overflowing with Torah-observant people; in fact, around here I am regarded as somewhat of a religious phenomenon. (Gotta love it!) That is to say that people don’t really know where to place me on the spectrum of Jewish observance. So what a wonderful surprise it was for me to discover that there is a group of five religious families who have come to live in the Arava. I have already met some of them at school and at the home of Nadav (a colleague from work) and his wife Hadas and it has certainly made me more at ease, especially regarding spending Shabbat in the Arava.

And so it happened that this past weekend, the abysmal weather in this country prevented me from travelling up to Gush Etzion last Thursday afternoon. The area was covered in snow and as a result, many of the roads were closed. I was bitterly disappointed and immediately needed to put into place a plan B for Shabbat. Enter Harav Bloi and his wonderful wife Chani who - as you would expect in the middle of the back of beyond (loosely translated into South African as ‘the boendoe’) – run a Chabbad House situated on Sapir (the settlement which houses the Shittim School where I work). I met Chani three years ago at the Shittim primary school where she works as the school councillor. She and her husband were the only religious people I came into contact with in the area when I was on the teacher exchange progarm. 

I ate Friday night dinner and Shabbat lunch with the Bloi's and was made to feel extremely welcome in their home. They have ten children, all of whom were at home on the weekend, although three of them study away from the Arava during the week. I was exposed to many interesting and thought-provoking insights about parashat Shmot which was discussed in detail as many of the children shared what they had learnt by Skype during the week. Yes, that’s right. They are educated through a distance education system set up by Chabad for those families living in remote countries/areas who don’t have access to regular Chabad schools. Quite amazing!

The first time I came to the Arava, an area so remote and cut off from mainstream city life in Israel, there was no supermarket. During one of my visits two years later, a large, functional supermarket had been built on Moshav Ein Yahav.

The first time I came to the Arava, there were no religious people in this area other than the rabbi and his family. Three years later, there are an additional five families living happily in what is ostensibly an extremely secular community.  Wonders never cease! I have a place; I feel at home.