Happy Aliyanniversary To Me!

Three years ago today, on July 9, 2003, I stepped aboard an El Al flight in JFK International aiport, bound for Israel on a one-way ticket.

According to anecdotal evidence, the fact that I've stayed for three years means that today my chances of staying for good increased exponentially.

More quantitatively, I now no longer ever have to pay back to Nefesh B'Nefesh the start-up money they so kindly loaned me. Unofficially, the money was a grant, but officially it was a loan, which gets waived after one has stayed in Israel for three years. Whew! I'm off the hook!

After three years, I can still honestly say that making aliyah was one of the best things I ever did. Yes, it's often very hard to live here. Very hard. But the quality of my life has increased beyond compare, indeed in part because of the hardships and the sacrifices. And, thank God, in many ways I've had to make fewer sacrifices than most people, and suffer fewer hardships. I have my own apartment, and work I love, and good friends.

Life is good.