pect is meeting different Jews from
around the world, and learning their
cultures for all the chaggim. The beauty
of Israel is that no matter where you
came from or when you came, everyone
is your brother, sister, son, or daughter.
This is one huge family that comes to-
gether in times of need. We have adjusted brilliantly. We have learned that
certain things in life are not important,
for example, with a decent transport
system, you don’t need to have a car. I
firmly believe if you throw yourself into
the system as soon as possible, you be-
The Romain family
HEIDI AND MARC ROMAIN AND FAMILY
Twice, I have sat in an empty apartment eating pizza. The first
time, my husband and I were newlyweds, starting our careers,
and the world was filled with possibility. The second time, we
had just made aliyah, we had two daughters aged four and
two, we were restarting our lives and the world was again
filled with possibility. We chose to make aliyah because, as a
family, we wanted to play our role in building the Jewish
state. We wanted to raise our children in a country where being Jewish is not only an expression of one’s religion, but an
integral part of the society’s culture.
We made aliyah on 20 December 2010 and settled in Jerusalem. My husband was offered a post at Hadassah Ein Karem
Hospital, as a doctor in the Intensive Care Unit. I was five
months pregnant with my son, and since we were still consid-
come a member of society and fit in
much quicker. It is also important to
keep an open mind; things are done differently here and if you are accepting
and willing to learn the ways and teach
some of your own, you will get along
brilliantly.
ered “olim chadashim” four months later, he was born an “oleh
chadash”. Although my children are now fully fluent in English
and Hebrew and well integrated into Israeli culture, I recall
those first few months being very difficult. The language barrier provided many challenges. My four-year-old daughter didn’t
understand the other kids or their games. It took at least three
months for her to settle. My two-year-old had a slightly easier
time, as her language was still developing so she started speaking both simultaneously. Sometimes as I sit doing homework
with my daughter, who is now in grade one, I begin to cry. I listen to her read in Hebrew so effortlessly an