KUMMUNIQUE

Shalom! We are proud to present another issue of Kummunique.
This issue is filled with Aliyah and Eretz Yisrael inspiration - so enjoy!

In this issue you will find:

1. "The 4-in-1 Marriage Contract" by Malkah Fleisher
2. "Jewish Seeds Planted at Cave of the Patriarchs" by Alex Traiman
3. "Spreading a 'Neo'-Zionist Message" by Ruben Brosbe
4. "Arrivals: From the Berkshires to Moshav Aderet" by Rena Sherbill

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1. "The 4-in-1 Marriage Contract" by Malkah Fleisher

For all of you who were indoctrinated into being sad about not taking part in the pagan festival celebrating a late Christian martyr ("Saint" Valentine) which occurred this week, dry your little red and pink, heart-shaped tears – it's your anniversary this weekend!

Ah, love. Though "diamonds are forever" and sending an over-priced greeting card apparently shows that you "care enough to send the very best", nothing says eternity like thunder, lightening, smoke, earthquakes, a hovering mountain, and a voice so powerful that you die. Twice. This week, 3318 years ago, we married G-d. Happy anniversary!

Boy, did G-d set up a fancy chuppah for the Jews! What a party. On top of the day's supernatural entertainment, He provided for us the world's first ketubah, the Torah, which set out our marital arrangement, the quid pro quos for an infinity of marital bliss.

After a little honeymoon in the desert, we made our home together in the Land of Israel, where our husband, G-d, gave us a token to remember that wonderful day by – the Temple. Our commentators say that there were 4 levels of holiness at Mount Sinai which correspond to 4 levels of holiness in the Temple. They say that the Temple was essentially a symbol of the Siniatic experience which was meant to stay with the bride, the Jews, for all time. The four levels were: 1) the bottom of the mountain where the Israelites stood, which corresponds to the gate of the Temple Courtyard, 2) the mountain itself, which corresponds to the interior of the Courtyard, 3) the cloud where Moshe stood, corresponding to the interior of the Temple, and 4) the thickness of the cloud, which corresponds to the Holy of Holies.

Sadly, we were a little unfaithful in the marriage, G-d destroyed our love token, and we separated – the Jews were sent packing, and G-d stayed at home in Israel ("For the L-rd has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. This is My resting place forever, here will I dwell for I have desired it." – Psalm 132). Despite our long separation, we always missed each other, and just could never find another to fulfill us. Today, many of us wayward Jews are reconsidering the ol' marriage contract, thinking "if doing all this means I get to be near G-d again, I'm ready to commit." With both of us hoping for a loving reunion, let's pack up our bags and head back home. We'll renew our vows and make a new monument to our old love.

Valentine's day? Ha!

Malkah's Mexican Mikdash Meal

2 cups hot cooked rice
1 can spicy beans (or make your own with cooked beans and store-bought harif or red pepper flakes), brought to a boil.
3/4 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 cup shredded cheese
3 Tablespoons sour cream

Layer 1: place cooked rice on a platter.
Layer 2: pour the beans (with or without the sauce) over the rice
Layer 3: mix the lettuce, tomatoes, and green onions, and layer over the beans
Layer 4: sprinkle the cheese over the veggies, topping with a dollop of sour cream.

May you build a Bayit Ne'eman b'Yisrael!

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2. "Jewish Seeds Planted at Cave of the Patriarchs" by Alex Traiman
From Israel National News

Fifty new immigrants ascended to one of the world's holiest sites Monday, along with IDF soldiers, to plant Tu B'Shvat trees adjacent to the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hevron.

The unique event, organized by Arutz Sheva and Kumah, tied together many spiritual elements, combining one of Judaism's four holy cities with the Jewish New Year for trees. Jewish sages devote great attention both to the city, which Kabbalistically symbolizes 'Earth,' and to the holiday considered the beginning of the Spring season.

Monday's planting was the first of its kind to take place at the holy site since it was reopened to Jews following the 1967 Six Day War. After learning about the clearing of the site just a few meters from the Patriarchs' burial site - above the area known as the Seventh Step - Arutz-7 and Kumah collaborated to organize the planting. The group was joined by members of the Israeli Defense Forces who regularly provide security in the area.

IsraelNationalRadio's Yishai Fleisher, who arranged the trip, explained how the planting came to be:

"It was simply Divine Providence. I was at a wedding in Hevron a couple of weeks ago, and I happened to be chatting with a local resident. I asked him, 'What's going on here on Tu B'Shvat?' He told me that a unique army permit had just been received to plant right outside the Machpelah Cave. I asked him if I could bring a busload of people to take part, and he said, 'Let's do it!'"

Hevron is known as Judaism's first city, home to the Jewish forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the place King David first ascended the throne and established his kingdom. The Jewish holiday Tu B'Shvat celebrates G-d's many creations, particularly the seven species inherent to the Land of Israel: wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranate, olive, and date.

Participants ascended to Hevron and were greeted by Jewish community spokesman David Wilder. Wilder toured with the group through the handful of Jewish enclaves in the holy city.

In Tel Rumeida, participants viewed excavations uncovering remnants from Biblical times. The site was home to the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, and later King David. Additionally, Tel Rumeida features a view of the entire city of Hevron.

The group then proceeded to the tomb of King David's father, Yishai, and his greatgrandmother, Ruth.

The group continued its journey with stops at the historic Beit Hadassah and Avraham Avinu neighborhoods, learning about life in Hevron over the past 3,000-plus years. Wilder enchanted the group with stories of physical determination and mystical magnetism.

The group continued to the holy Cave of the Patriarchs, where are buried the forefathers and mothers Avraham and Sarah, Yitzchak and Rivka, and Yaakov and Leah. The site is also believed to house the tombs of Adam and Chava, the world's first man and woman.

The monument surrounding the site was built by the Roman King Herod over 2,000 years ago. Herod similarly commissioned the building of Jerusalem's Second Holy Temple and its supporting structure, which includes the Western Wall, where millions of Jews pray each year.

After learning of the history of the site - from its purchase recorded in the Torah, through recent efforts to discover the locations of the actual graves in a series of underground caves - the group toured the mega-monument, which is today a prayer site for both Jews and Muslims.

Following the visit inside the Machpelah Cave, the group exited to plant fruit trees and flowers just a few meters from the building and its courtyard. The group was joined by local infantry and officers of the Israeli Defense Forces, who were able to turn their attention away from their normal duties for a few moments to beautify the holy site they regularly protect.

Fruit trees planted at the site included dates, figs, pomegranates, and dates, some of the seven holy species indigenous to the land of Israel.

Participants then celebrated by eating a festive Tu B'Shvat meal. A Kabbalistic ceremony modeled after the Pesach Seder was performed, exploring the spiritual connection between man, earth, and each of the species.

The festive and historic day culminated in the home of legendary Israeli artist Baruch Nachshon in the neighboring large Jewish community of Kiryat Arba. Nachshon was among the first Jews to live in Hevron following the reclamation of Jewish land in the Six Day War.

The experience was moving for trip organizers and participants alike. For many on the trip, this was their first Tu B'Shvat in Israel, and for others - their first trip to Hevron. Dinah Levitan, who was on the trip with her family, called the trip "an unforgettable experience."

"Those of my children who had never been to Hevron before," she said, "and those who had, shared the same wonder and sense of connection to our history. Planting on the grounds of the Me'arat HaMachpela [Cave of the Patriarchs] was so special. We will forever consider those trees as 'ours.' What an unbelievable way to celebrate our family's first Tu B'Shvat in Eretz Yisrael [the Land of Israel]!"

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3. "Spreading a 'Neo'-Zionist Message" by Ruben Brosbe
From the Jerusalem Post

According to conventional wisdom, a room of 10 Jews is likely to have at least twice as many opinions. Apply that view to the Internet, and one can hardly fathom the number of differing Jewish opinions to be found. In recent years, the most popular way to express these opinions has been through web logs, commonly known as blogs. By recent estimates, the blogosphere is now home to 150 million writers of every stripe - and counting.

With the ability to reach anyone with an Internet connection, one blog site, Kumah.org has launched a campaign to promote aliyah. Kumah takes its name from the Hebrew word for "arise," and its mission is the complete return of Diaspora Jews to the land of Israel. Yishai Fleisher, one of the founders of Kumah, explains the advantages of using the Internet to promote aliyah. "You can report what people are really living like in Israel," Fleisher says, "[because] more and more people here are young and blog-oriented. You don't just have to read [about Israel] from the mainstream media anymore, you can hear it from people you trust."

To achieve its mission, Kumah launched a flash film over a month ago from a site called aliyahrevolution.com . The animated short spoofs the 1999 film The Matrix, set in a dystopian future in which computers control mankind. In the "Kumatrix," Keanu Reeves' heroic protagonist isn't attempting to break free from the false reality created by the Matrix; he's fighting to escape exile. With the help of Dr. Moseus (a Hasidic version of The Matrix's Morpheus) Neo realizes his place is in Israel. What follows is a surreal dream sequence that includes Neo being led up a ladder by an angel, olim arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport on the backs of giant eagles, and finally a scene of the rebuilt Temple on the Temple Mount, with Neo presiding as Kohen HaGadol (High Priest).

The next day Neo tells his mother and co-workers he's decided to leave for Israel. He must battle skepticism and guilt, but eventually he leaves, bringing his mother along. Fleisher describes the film's climax not as the point when Neo and his mother depart for Israel, but the montage of photos of real olim that appears at the film's end. The idea, Fleisher explains, was to juxtapose the fantasy of The Matrix with actual olim. "These are real people, they're really there, this is the real Israel," he says.

Fleisher and Kumah are determined to change the American relationship with Israel. "American Jewry is taught to support Israel, [but] we're saying 'Don't support Israel. Be a part of Israel,'" Fleisher says.

"Neo-Zionism," Fleisher goes on, "is a direct assault on post-Zionism ," the idea that the original Zionist platform has become obsolete. But some of the images of neo-Zionism in the Kumatrix assail the sensibilities of many who would hardly classify themselves as "post-Zionist."

The Kumatrix has already been viewed more than 50,000 people, and the six-minute film has generated a great deal of hype and debate since it hit the web.

Michael Felknor of the blog Jewlicious responded to the Aliyah Revolution video in an irreverent blog posting typical of the site. His reaction on the phone was ambivalent at best. "I appreciate the spirit," the 20-year-old new Israeli immigrant said. But he added, "As far as actually encouraging North American Jews to make aliyah, it appeals to a narrow type of person."

Felknor expressed further skepticism about the film's usefulness in promoting aliyah, "If they really want to get all Americans to make aliyah, they're not going to do it with Matrix references and the Third Temple."

A more heated debate took place between Kumah and the "Orthodox Anarchist" site run by Dan Sieradski. After viewing the Kumatrix, Sieradski posted an open letter to Kumah on Jewschool, one of several sites he contributes to, leading to a bitter online argument about Kumah, aliyah, and Zionism occasionally involving words like cynicism, overzealous, materialistic and dogmatic.

Despite the right-wing, messianic message of Aliyah Revolution, or perhaps because of it, Kumah's video continues to spread, generating controversy particularly on Jewish blogs and sites.

While opinions differ about how to encourage aliyah, the transfer of the debate to a new domain - the Internet - suggests the continued importance of the topic among young Jews in the cyber age.

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4. "Arrivals: From the Berkshires to Moshav Aderet" by Rena Sherbill
From the Jerusalem Post

Though Josh and Tali Berman spent most of their lives in the United States, it is in Israel that they say they have finally found their home. Their mannerisms and language are more Anglo than Sabra, but they seem more connected to the land they have adopted than the one they were raised in.

"One of the things I love most about Israel is that while driving, you can almost always see someone praying to G-d. Whether it's to Hashem or Allah, people here have a higher G-d consciousness, spiritual consciousness; their eyes are always towards G-d.

"People here seem to know that much of life is out of our hands, it's less about what we make happen and more about what G-d has planned. Either you say Baruch Hashem or Inshalla, but the focus is the same," Tali says.

FAMILY HISTORY
"We're both third-generation Americans; our parents and grandparents were all born in the United States," Tali says.

Josh grew up in Seattle, while Tali grew up in California, Kansas City and Philadelphia. Tali's maternal grandparents made aliya right after the Six Day War. Her grandfather passed away seven years ago, but her grandmother still lives in Jerusalem's Katamon neighborhood.

BEFORE ARRIVING
Tali and Josh met in Israel in 1998, when Tali was living in Jerusalem and Josh was learning in Yeshivat Bat Ayin in Gush Etzion. They married here in December 1998, but six months later moved to the Berkshires.

"The purpose was always to return to Israel, but we spent four years in the States so I could receive certification as a teacher of autistic children," Tali explains.

Tali trained in the SonRise Program, a program that teaches parents the tools to eventually care for and teach their autistic children independently in the comforts of their home (for more information on this visit www.meirautism.org).

Josh was working as a project manager for new buildings for the Option Institute. In 2002, Anava was born.

UPON ARRIVAL
They made aliya with Nefesh B'Nefesh in October 2003.

"We happened to come on a very publicized trip. When we landed Sharon, Netanyahu and Sharansky were all there to greet us. From that day I connected with my first client, who connected me with my second client, which led to my third client. Thank G-d, it just blossomed," Tali says.

They have a lot of appreciation for Nefesh B'Nefesh, saying that "they embody the saying 'give a man a fish, he eats for a day; teach a man to fish, he eats forever.'"

LIVING ENVIRONMENT
In order to surround themselves with a more religious environment and to enable Anava to be around other shomer Shabbat friends, they decided to move from Moshav Mata, their first home, to Moshav Aderet at the end of this past summer.

"We're happy in Aderet, but we're looking to buy land and build a house," Tali says. "We're still looking for that ideal place to build our home."

ROUTINE
Josh works for an American Internet company called Tail of the Lion, which sells kitchen cabinets and other furniture over the Internet. His clients all live in America so he works from 7 p.m. till 2 a.m. Israel time.

Tali's schedule is split between traveling to different clients' homes in disparate communities and working on the fundraising and administrative aspects of the business. Thanks to their somewhat flexible schedules, she and Josh split a lot of the child-rearing duties.

CIRCLE
Their Aderet community is a mix of both Israelis and Anglos, though their good friends are mostly Anglos.

LANGUAGE
They both attended ulpan when they first made aliya, though Tali came with a strong command of Hebrew thanks to a day school education and a year at Hebrew University during college.

Josh gets along fairly well, but works only with Americans, which impedes his ability to speak much Hebrew. Tali attributes her work with mostly Israeli clients as having vastly improved her vocabulary and comfort with the language.

They boast that Anava already knows words and songs in Hebrew that they don't.

"One day she'll come home with homework that we won't be able to help her with - it's a whole new world for them," Tali beams.

FAITH
They consider themselves to be shomrei mitzvot, which entails keeping Shabbat and kashrut, but their ideal community would have to be open and diverse in addition to having a shomrei mitzvot population.

IDENTIFICATION
"I still feel like an immigrant but without feeling at all estranged from the general Israeli population," Josh says.

"I definitely feel more Israeli than American," says Tali, "but I would say I feel like an English-speaking Israeli, more immigrant than native."

REGRETS
"We have no regrets, we haven't looked back," Tali says, but adds that "it is very hard to be away from Josh's family. His parents don't get to see their grandkids that often and I see it as something that will only get harder with time."

Tali's two sisters already live in Israel and her older brother and his family are due to join them this summer, along with her parents the following year.

FINANCES
"We've been blessed with flexible schedules and salaries that allow us to be financially independent," Tali says. "We're not putting away savings or anything, but please G-d we will be able to soon."

PLANS
Josh, who holds an MA in Education, hopes to ultimately combine his love of teaching with his love of the environment and teach people about sustainable building and community-supported agriculture. He would love to spark interest here in environmentally-responsible construction and efficient building.

Tali hopes to raise enough money to open up a center for her SonRise Program. Their joint goals are continuing to raise their children here and to find a community that is mindful religiously, environmentally, spiritually and communally conscious.

"We would also like to be able to build a home here that responsibly and efficiently utilizes the resources of this country," Tali says.