Though Michael Eglash, 38, moved to Israel from Milwaukee in 1993, until five years ago, he and wife, Ruth, lived in a “very English speaking American area of Jerusalem called Emek Rafim Street.”
But the couple decided to make their new home in a section of Mevesseret Zion “which is made up mostly of Jews that came from Iraq and Kursdistan in the 1950’s,” Eglash said.
“It was quite a culture shock but I would call it a very positive one…. People welcomed us with pots full of Iraqi Kube soup and other Middle Eastern delicacies,” he said.
And though their family, includes the couple’s three children, Ben, 5, Gefen, 3, and Ela, eight months, “continue to be the novelty in the neighborhood as the sole English speakers,” he said that his neighbors “come over quite often asking if we can help them with their English skills.”
Eglash, a Jewish educator and business professional, as well as co-founder of Upstart Activist (www.upstartactivist.com) is one of several Milwaukeeans who have or are making Israel their home. And through their experiences, they have learned to deal with new cultures, customs and general ways of life.
Though each of the people The Chronicle spoke with had different reasons for making Israel their home, they all found themselves surprised, and at times, in awe of the Jewish state.
Noah Jubelirer, 25, made aliyah in the beginning of the year. He lives in Tel Aviv and is working for a high-tech company in Ra’anana.
He said that it is “the little things” he has noticed since he has made Israel his home that have enriched his life there, “like walking down the street and hearing a child speak Hebrew, or the way the wind blows through the trees, or how wonderfully open and welcoming people can be.” He added, “It’s these little moments that make up life and I am living it to its fullest.”
Since his move to Israel, Jubelirer said, “it’s like my light has been turned back on and shines again on everyone.”
Jubelirer is planning to attend Tel Aviv University to earn his master’s degree in Middle Eastern history and learn Arabic.
Glendale resident Scott Rotter found himself in Israel after finishing college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The year was 1979 and he was “looking to travel,” he said, and bought airline tickets that were good for a year.
He ended up living on a kibbutz, where he met his wife, Lisa, who was attending Tel Aviv University.
The couple had their two children in Israel, and moved back to the U.S. in 1994 for a job, after having lived in Israel for 14 years.
Everything in Israel, particularly living on a kibbutz, “is all very different” from life here, Rotter said. “It’s hard to find an equivalent here.”
Rotter said the closest experience he could think of were the summer days in his youth spent at the now-named Steve and Shari Sadek Family Camp Interlaken, the residence camp of the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center.
“Where else can you go to work … ride your bike to your tractor … go plow … and by the time the sun comes up, you can see the hills of Jersualem?” Rotter said. “It’s incredibly cool,” though “you take it for granted after living there for some time.”
Suzy Peltz, also of Glendale, lived in Israel from 1973-1988. She moved there after marrying her now ex-husband, who is Israeli.
She said that after moving there that she was “really surprised, being raised an Ashkenazi Jew … that there were Jews from so many other cultures.”
The “different cultures and different foods” all made for an interesting learning experience, Peltz said.
But as with any new place, getting used to different social interactions can present challenges also.
“Driving in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv is suicide,” Rotter said.
“To be honest,” said Peltz, “I felt it was interesting that the patience level in Israel [was lower]. In Israel there is no tolerance.”
Eglash agreed. “After living in Israel over 10 years you get used to the various differences between Israeli mentality and American. But at some point you become what I call ‘pro-active’ by pushing your way in line or getting your point across and it feels good to sometimes ‘out-Israeli’ the Israelis.”
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