I was running late. The Amen rally was due to start. I rushed
across the long courtyard outside Binyanei Ha'uma, submitted
impatiently to the security check, and barely managed a smile
at the ladies and teenage girls who were thrusting multi-
colored fliers into my hand.
I knew I needed the chizuk. I thus made the effort to
leave my house at 6.30 in order to arrive on time. I now
needed another dose, above and beyond the "Amen" one, in
order to calm down from the monumental effort, emotional
stress and extra adrenaline I had had to muster in order to
organize my household to go out for the night at 6.30 p.m!
It was only after I arrived home (totally re-inspired about
brochos and amen, of course) that I had time to
glance at the fliers I had shoved into my bag. And then I saw
it . . . and I just had to smile.
"It's that time of year again . . . Rejuvenate and
ReJEWvenate in glatt-kosher comfort at the third annual
English-Speaking Women's Getaway . . . "
The ad might sound corny to you, but it didn't to me. Because
I have been there, you see . . .
We take the big plunge in life. Register at the aliyah
office. Leave our sprawling houses and cram our oversized
American furniture into lifts, and small apartments. Attempt
to communicate with the neighbors with our ungrammatical
Hebrew. Celebrate simchas and crises without the
benefit of close family members living nearby . . . and
continually crave American — you name your favorite!
Why do we do it? For the incomparable opportunity of basking
in the ruchniyus of Eretz Yisrael, of course. But
sometimes, after a hectic week, it would be nice to go to
Mom's for Shabbos without having to fly 5000 miles. And
sometimes my brain is too tired to formulate coherent
sentences in Hebrew. And sometimes the 6-day workweek,
coupled with financial stress and child-raising worries can
feel overwhelming. Where can one go to refill one's "cup,"
which has been running over and is now dangerously close to
empty?
Three years ago, two ex-Australian Jerusalemites felt like
their "cup" was close to empty, both spiritually and
physically. Not having relatives locally, they couldn't leave
their children and go away with their husbands. The Israeli
camps-for-mothers sounded like a great idea, but it would
mean joining a program geared to the Israeli mentality, in
Hebrew, which would not be completely suitable or
relaxing.
So they decided to organize their own program. The three-day
getaway was an incredible success, and became a much-awaited
annual event. Last year I attended. I was feeling that
stretched-to-bursting feeling and I needed to get away. I was
a little nervous about the details, however . . .
Were the other attendees going to be as shtark as me
in hashkofoh? Were they going to be in my age range?
Would I be kept busy from morning until night without much-
needed time to relax? Would the shiurim be inspiring
and intellectually stimulating enough? And would I gain
weight from the food?
Acres and acres of green grass and flowers. A women-only
gorgeous outdoor swimming pool with a female lifeguard.
Abundant tasty food with the best supervisions. A walking
tour of Zichron Yaacov. A visit to Haifa. A picnic lunch on a
boat ride. Davening at the grave of Eliyohu Hanovi.
Jewelry making. A free facial. A brochos party with an
electrifying atmosphere. A workshop on stress reduction. Even
a Tupperware party. And a keynote speaker (Rav Geller, Rosh
Yeshivas Zichron Yaacov), who stimulated our intellects with
his divrei Torah, then had us rolling with laughter at
his kiruv tales and then — to our surprise
— brought us to tears when he played the violin for
us!
And best of all — the dynamic among the women. I found
myself taking to women who I might have thought were very
different from me . . . but they weren't. I got chizuk
from hearing their stories and challenges.
I asked Bassya, one of the organizers, how they manage to
pull off such a feat. "We think of which activities would
physically and spiritually rejuvenate us, and then we try to
arrange them. The first year we subsidized the three-day
getaway with private donations. Baruch Hashem, the
chareidi wing of the Jerusalem municipality now
subsidizes the getaway, as they think that the idea of a
retreat for English-speakers is both innovative and
vital."
"And you and Adina, the other organizer? Do you get a break?"
I asked.
"The first year was crazy, and we came home exhausted," she
replied. "But we learned our lesson and divided our hours to
ensure we each had time off during the getaway. And besides,
how can we not organize the getaway, when we get feedback
from its attendees that it literally saves their year, that
it gives them a new lease on life, that they were patient
with their kids all summer because of it?"
As for me . . . my cup is filling up with anticipation of
next month's "retreat" . . . in order to "advance".
(For information about this year's getaway, call Bassya on
5852297).
