Following my resignation letter of yesterday I thought you might be interested in where Sonia and I are now living.
We have chosen to live in Modiin.
Modiin is a town that is only 12 years old, in central Israel, with a population of about 60,000 people, but which as plans to become the third or fourth largest city in Israel. The town, which is half an hour from both Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv, has a very Israeli-Mediterranean feel, with lovely white Jerusalem stone buildings, lots of parks. There is also a large anglo-population with lots of immigrants from England. The website http://www.ourmodiin.co.il/ is an excellent information tool and if you are interested provides lots of information on Modiin.
In reporting my resignation yesterday, the Edgware Times picked up on my comment that due to the worrying rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in England, many Jews no longer feel safe. However, I would like to make clear that is not the reason why Sonia and I are making aliyah.
As I wrote yesterday, we believe that Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people where it is right that we should live and where we want to live the rest of our lives; in order to help contribute to the successful future of the Jewish people, in the centre of Jewish life. We are therefore being pulled to Israel and not being pushed away from England.
However, I also see the growing levels of anti-Semitism that are occurring across Europe and see the re-emergence of anti-Semitism that has occurred in Europe throughout the past two-thousand years. The difference today though is that for the past 60 years, as a Jewish people we now have Israel as a State to support and defend us. I therefore feel lucky that I am able to settle here in Israel the home of the Jewish people, when I think of how many millions of Jews, over the past two-thousand years could only dream of living here in Israel.
We have chosen to live in Modiin.
Modiin is a town that is only 12 years old, in central Israel, with a population of about 60,000 people, but which as plans to become the third or fourth largest city in Israel. The town, which is half an hour from both Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv, has a very Israeli-Mediterranean feel, with lovely white Jerusalem stone buildings, lots of parks. There is also a large anglo-population with lots of immigrants from England. The website http://www.ourmodiin.co.il/ is an excellent information tool and if you are interested provides lots of information on Modiin.
In reporting my resignation yesterday, the Edgware Times picked up on my comment that due to the worrying rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in England, many Jews no longer feel safe. However, I would like to make clear that is not the reason why Sonia and I are making aliyah.
As I wrote yesterday, we believe that Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people where it is right that we should live and where we want to live the rest of our lives; in order to help contribute to the successful future of the Jewish people, in the centre of Jewish life. We are therefore being pulled to Israel and not being pushed away from England.
However, I also see the growing levels of anti-Semitism that are occurring across Europe and see the re-emergence of anti-Semitism that has occurred in Europe throughout the past two-thousand years. The difference today though is that for the past 60 years, as a Jewish people we now have Israel as a State to support and defend us. I therefore feel lucky that I am able to settle here in Israel the home of the Jewish people, when I think of how many millions of Jews, over the past two-thousand years could only dream of living here in Israel.
2 comments:
Good luck with your new life in Israel
Hi Richard,
My husband and I are enjoying reading your blog. We're in the process of preparing to move to Modiin in Summer 2010 from Los Angeles and reading about your move is just making us more excited to meet our new neighbors!
Best,
Ilana
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