Some Good News

Finally, some good news to report:

First, our friend who has been in the army since October 7 is FINALLY home. Actually, although he and Shalom Shachne were friendly at shul, the rest of us didn't even know each other until I stated walking Bella to shul and we got to know each other over many Shabbos lunches (I told Chanie they had a standing invitation and every Thursday I would check in to see if she got a better offer, ie a family with kids the ages of Bella and Avi). M is home at least until late fall (please Gd. Always subject to change).

The other big news is that, HOORAY, Menashe's mother, stepfather and little brother Iosi are b''n making aliyah on Tuesday!!!! Can't wait to have more "relatives" in the country (I think my total is still, technically, zero, but machatunim are close enough to count ;))

I had a real "only in Israel"  moment the other day: while on a 5km run with two friends we stopped for 15 minutes....to help harvest grapes in the fields we were running through (there is still a desperate need for agricultural help in Israel, as so many foreign workers have gone home since October 7). The tiny crew of only 6 people were happy to get our brief help (together, the three of us filled one 5 gallon bucket) and told us to pass their number around in case others want to help. So drop me a line if you're in the area and want Olga's number.

Lastly, today I started back at the yeshiva where I'm the nurse twice a week. Wonderful to be back in the Old City on a regular basis

Shabbat Shalom!