👉 Read Part 1 here: Part 1 The Rabbi Who Changed My Israeli Life After my in-laws finished explaining the situation, the rabbi turned to me with a discreet and gentle smile. “Is it true?” he asked. “Everything they’ve just said — is it correct? Do you truly want to convert?” I nodded yes. He did not ask why. Instead, he moved on to more casual questions. He asked where I was from, whether this was my first time in Israel, where I was studying the language, and how I had met

Every so often, life brings us someone who changes the direction of our lives. For me, in 1991, it was someone I had never imagined needing ever: a well-known, beloved North Tel Aviv rabbi. Though he has since passed away (z”l — may his memory be a blessing), I remember him with deep affection. I landed in Tel Aviv in November 1990, completely clueless about Judaism or the local attitude toward non-Jews. My husband, a very secular Israeli, was certain we would be fine as we w

I know my website is only a few days old, but with Hanukkah just around the corner (December 14 at sunset until 22 at sunset), I had to mention it! Israel usually celebrates Hanukkah in December, though it can fall in November because Jewish holidays follow the Hebrew calendar, while everyday life uses the Gregorian one. In the Hebrew calendar, the twelve lunar months—Nissan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, Elul, Tishrei, Cheshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, and Adar

There were a few reasons I began writing this memoir. When the 2020 pandemic hit, I found myself rethinking how I was spending my days—cooped up in a small apartment in a new city and country we had just moved to. I needed a project to keep both my hands and my mind busy. Cooking didn’t interest me, cleaning and decluttering only got me so far, social networks felt too passive, and honestly: how many movies or series can one watch in a day? Writing seemed like the easiest o