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PROFILE IN ALIYAH

Gayle Danis Rinot: The Unplanned Aliyah

I always knew, as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor father who told me fascinating stories of his 16 years in Israel, that I would have a strong connection to this country. It was my plan to attend every event, lecture and concert connected to Israel and I would certainly be making hefty donations from the comfort of my suburban Boston living room.

Or so I thought. I never dreamed that I would actually make aliyah! My aliyah is something that just happened while I was on vacation, a vacation that changed my life.

My story starts in 1985 when, as a 20 year-old college student, my father passed away. I vowed to visit his one remaining sister who lived in Ramat Gan. I graduated from college in 1987 and waited tables all summer to save enough money for the ticket. I made arrangements with my cousins to stay with them and I took off on my vacation to Israel which would include a visit to Aunt Dvorah.

I traveled to interesting places and met phenomenal people. At some point, I decided to stay "just a little longer". I extended my return ticket and got a job with a temp agency. Despite having a degree in Mass Communications, I worked all sorts of temporary administrative jobs like typing letters, entering data and filing. The "highlight" was spending almost a year working in the "communications center" of a reputable pharmaceutical company sending faxes all day. (Hey, what's an education if you can't use it!)

It was during this time that I met Ilan and we married in 1989. I admit that having an Israeli boyfriend-turned-husband made things easier. Ilan helped me wade through the bureaucracy of attaining Israeli citizenship (but being Israeli, he didn't understand my disappointment that there was no ceremony welcoming me to the Promised Land with the playing of "Hatikvah"). The woman at the Interior Ministry just gave me my identity card and went to make herself a cup of coffee.

Ilan also explained the necessity of getting "a real job", one with benefits and a pension plan (he's an investment banker). But I still had to learn Hebrew. I wish I could proudly report that I went to ulpan three mornings a week until I was fluent, but that just isn't true. I simply spent lots of time with non-English speakers and I made myself read Hebrew newspapers and watch the local news until I finally understood the language. I felt a great sense of accomplishment when I read my first (and only) book in Hebrew ("My Michael" by Amos Oz). Once I was comfortable with spoken Hebrew (my written Hebrew is still at the 2nd grade level), new professional opportunities were open to me and I felt much more a part of the place I chose to call home.

What is so special about Israel? It's a place where being Jewish is not a thing you have to keep under wraps. It's where the greengrocer, the librarian, the hairdresser and the gardener all wish you Shabbat Shalom on Friday and where McDonald's serves their hamburgers on buns made of matza meal during Passover. Best of all: my 3 daughters will never have to sing "O, Little Town of Bethlehem" in the Christmas Concert like I did as a child.

However, adjusting to living in Israel is, well, a big adjustment. It takes time, but one finally gets used to witnessing spontaneous arguments at the health clinic... and at the supermarket... and in Governmental offices. And then there are the strikes by the garbage men... the teachers... the municipal workers... and the doctors. If you can learn to see the humor in it, the sheer annoyance lessens.

I'll always be "the American" to my Israeli friends, but today I feel totally connected to my adopted country. If the truth be known, I feel more Israeli than American at times. I have even learned to start my own arguments in public places — Israeli style.

For years, my family and friends in the States would ask me when I was coming "home". I think they finally understand that I came home 18 years ago.

Gayle Danis Rinot is an independent copywriter living outside of Netanya. She is the Language Editor of Tel Aviv University Law Faculty's "Israel Yearbook on Human Rights" and is an active member of Project Reconnect. She also does voice-overs and narrations.