ALIYAH 2010 – From the Century City Mall to Ra’anana
From the Century City Mall to Ra’anana
Marianne and Koby Tanzer met at the Century City Mall. He had just finished his service in the IDF and was working as a security guard to make some money. She was working at Origins. He asked her out on a date, she agreed, and on their first date, he said to her: “Stick with me, and one day we’ll go back to Israel.”
She “stuck” with him, and fifteen years later, they’re on the August 18 Nefesh B’Nefesh charter flight where I met with them. Their eldest daughter Noa, 5, was watching Barbie and the Diamond Castle on the in-flight entertainment system embedded behind each seat. Noa, 3, was sleeping, and Ori, 1, was in his mothers arms, covering her bulge. She‘s five months pregnant.
“I never wanted to go to Israel,” Marianne related, while her husband, Koby, an investment banker, joined the minyan for mincha prayers in the back of the plane. “It never in my life occurred to me I’d want to live anywhere but America. My family was not Zionist.”
Her husband, on the other hand, came from three generations of Zionists. His parents were involved in the socialist Zionist youth movement, HaBonim, and his grandparents lived on a kibbutz pioneering agricultural methods. He made aliyah on his own from Calgary, Canada at age 15.
Neither was observant when they met, but Marianne and Koby grew together in Orthodox Judaism. Marianne will miss the most her friends and family in Los Angeles. They were very active in Young Israel of Century City, the city where it all began.
“My husband’s dreams become my dreams,” Marianne said. “Now they’re like our family’s dreams. If it were just me, I wouldn’t be doing it. I can’t be the one to hold him back and now I see compelling reasons for me to go, intellectually. Emotionally, it’s very hard for me to leave America. For how long have Jewish wanted to live in Israel? How many tears were cried for people to live in Israel? In our lifetime we have that chance. How could I pass it up?”
Like many Orthodox families making aliyah, they are driven first and foremost by Zionist idealism, but many practical benefits come with living in the Jewish homeland,
JJ Inside The Print
It’s crazy to think about it. With a predatory regime like Iran on its doorstep and more than 100,000 terror missiles pointed at its citizens,...
As an undergraduate at UC San Diego, I was active in our campus pro-Israel group. I loved every minute of it, even if it meant...
“Do you ever wonder just what God requires? You think He’s just an errand boy to satisfy your wandering desires?” — Bob Dylan “You call...
I’ve always had a low threshold for pain. Whenever I bump into a wall or get a little cut, I act as if I’ve been...
Fifteen years ago, the Journal published a story about cellphone use in synagogue. Some parents justified the practice, as they needed to call “Rosa” during...
Last week in New York, I was the lone son of a British Methodist amid 1,800 Jews and people of other faiths at the Anti-Defamation...
When Brooke Goldstein was in her third year at Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City, her graduation was almost...
When Republican impeachment lawyer Steven Castor and Republican representatives implied Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman might have dual loyalty to the Ukraine, many Jews cringed. After...
Israel is known as one of the world’s most vegetarian- and vegan-friendly countries. Perhaps it’s the abundance of fresh and delicious produce, Jewish dietary laws...
Writing a book about Israel can be frustrating for many reasons, the first of which is that it constantly needs to be updated. Reality changes...
On Sept. 18, one day after election day, the numbers came in — and they said nothing new. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud didn’t...
One verse, five voices. Edited by Salvador Litvak, Accidental Talmudist And he dreamed, and behold! a ladder set up on the ground and its top reached...
The word on the street is that polenta must be stirred constantly while it cooks, similar to risotto. There are even automatic polenta stirrers made...
A Jewish Sephardic vocalist backed by an Arab Moroccan string ensemble formed the backdrop to a unique event at the Beverly Hills Hotel when San...
Liz Vogel, the Los Angeles executive director of the nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves, recalls the moments in her young adulthood where she experienced anti-Semitism. And...
In her new book, “Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), Wendy Wood, a professor of...
Some may wonder why actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish titled her latest Netflix stand-up comedy special “Black Mitzvah” and opens with a rap to the...
Producer Elisabeth (Lizzie) Bentley, the spearheading force behind director Terrence Malick’s new biopic, “A Hidden Life,” first became aware of the film’s protagonist, Franz Jägerstätter,...
Two things set apart “Mistletoe & Menorahs” from the other holiday romantic comedies airing on Lifetime this month. As the title suggests, it celebrates both...
As Shirley Maisel, the loud and overbearing Jewish mother of Joel and former mother-in-law of the titular standup comedian in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Caroline...
With phrases such as “Move forward,” “Listen carefully,” “Make art from your heart” and “Woman, speak up,” Sara Erenthal invites observers of her art to...
Over his long and remarkable career, Theodore Bikel achieved the status of living treasure. He is perhaps best known for the roles he played on...
“Theodore Bikel’s The City of Light” is based on a short story by Theodore Bikel but the book’s author is his widow, Aimee Ginsburg Bikel. Born...
Drew Leach was completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona during the Second Lebanon War in Israel in 2006. On her campus, she...
A unique women-owned business is helping charities while promoting Hanukkah this year. Amanda Foley was busy working as a casting director in Los Angeles, while...
Sylvia Bar died Oct. 26 at 92. Survived by daughter Jeanine; son Malchi; 1 grandchild. Hillside Tully Becker died Oct. 9 at 86. Survived by...
I love receiving gift cards, but I do feel a little guilty giving them because I’m afraid the recipient will presume I didn’t put any thought...
It is the central irony of American life that the national holiday about gratitude anchors the biggest shopping frenzy of the year. Here’s what I...
Milken Community Schools held its third annual community-wide challah bake, during which 500 people prepared challah for Shabbat. Attendees at the Nov. 14 event at...
FRI DEC 6 Zamru Friday Night Shomrei Torah Synagogue holds Zamru Friday Night, a unique, musically rich kabbalat Shabbat service and dinner. Cantor Jackie Rafii...
Responding to Rosner I believe that Israel will never experience peace, and global anti-Semitism will not be reduced, until there is a real home for...
