Going (Coming) Home – Night One - Arrivals

This has been, if you haven’t figured it out yet an extremely crazy time. Not just the trip, but everything leading up to the trip, including, but not limited to turning down not just one sub assignment (Hebrew High, with my rock-star students, all of whom are either friends of my sons’, or my sons, themselves), but to have to turn down my KDS day school kids hurt worse.. Of course, I had a good excuse. I had a plane to catch.

After almost two years without airports; After almost two glorious years without , former rocket scientists and former burger flippers who now are employed by you and me and wear the blue shirts of the TSA; And, after almost 25 years of being away, I am finally on my way. On my way home.

Not to the home I grew up in; not to the town where I was raised; yet, home. The only home that we as Jews have, and will always have – The land of our forefathers; of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I suppose that for once I can choose the high road and be politically correct and save a few dirty looks my way if I am bold enough to add in the names of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. There! For all you doubters who said that I would never recite those names after the names of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, I just did!

Although I really do hate doing this, I must regress, if for only a one minute groaner: Have I ever told you about the one evening at Hebrew High when only four or five students had come to class on time? Two fresh women (I AM being politically correct) bounced in almost twenty minutes into my class and announced that they were Rachel and Rebecca. Immediately, and without missing a beat, I asked…. So? Where are Sarah and Leah?

I have dreamt for years about the next time that I would board an airplane in New York and awake to see the Isle of Cypress beneath me – Meaning of course, that Tel Aviv was only an hour away, or less. I was initially disappointed to find that my seat was 2-B, on the aisle, for only one reason: I would not see the shore as quickly if I were on the aisle. When the lead flight attendant saw my portable oxygen apparatus, however, I was moved forthwith to seat 2-A and the window is now mine.
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We have been in the air now for two hours and twenty-eight minutes, and in New York it is 1:26am. In Jerusalem, where I hope to find what it is I seek, it is now 8:26am. We are scheduled to land at 4:20pm. Less than eight hours to go…
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We did land at 4:20, and as I had predicted, the sight of the coastline hit be like a brick.
The new terminal at David Ben Gurion International Airport is quite impressive. The truth though, is that after this many years, it is all impressing me, and exciting me at the same time.

The apartment is cozy and comfortable. For the next week, it is home.