Betty Boop and the Grouch

I did not leave Jerusalem even once this week (oh, I''ll make up for that) due to the ardor of apartment hunting, but Baruch Hashem (Thank G-d!), I finally found a place! Woo hooo! And it''s enormous! And it''s in Rechavia - my favorite! And it''s got a meerpeset (balcony)! And trees all around! And oodles of light! And as-long-as-the-roommates-I-haven''t-met-yet-because-they''re-out-of-the-country-don''t-turn-out-to-be-freaks-or-koo koos, it should be totally waaaaaaallllla (sababa).

So picture me traipsing back and forth, forth and back, all over the city of Jerusalem, map in hand, glistening brow, hopeful and stressed - and there you have the backdrop of this past week. Though I feared the apartment hunt would ruin my mood and week, as it threatened to several times, the magic of Israel still found me.

For example, on Tuesday night when I found myself in the presence of true inspiration: Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis: holocaust survivor, best-selling author, speaker, founder of Hineni International and glamour girl - yeah, you read that right - glamour girl. Here''s a gal after my own heart. She sat on the stage dolled up, totally putting you and me to shame - gorgeous make up, classy ensemble, just the right amount sparkle, stilettos - I hope I''m such a doll when I''m 70+.

Before beginning, she warmly met the gaze of her audience members, generously connecting with many of us. And then she began. "Kinderlach," her sweet voice began, an Eastern-European mixture of Betty Boop and Shari Lewis. "I want to share with you stories from the bottom of my heart."

They say that stories from the heart reach the heart, and so it was that night.

In the heart of Yerushalayim, you could hear a pin drop... save an occasional sniffle.

I was a puddle in this passionate woman''s hands. And that was just the beginning. She told us of her Abba (father) in the concentration camp, Bergen Belsen, saving the meager piece of bread he was given daily so as to say Hamotzi each week on Shabbat. She shared of the shofar that was smuggled into her camp for Rosh Hashana and the blast that brought all the prisoners from the adjacent barracks to the barbed-wire surrounding them, that they might catch the sound of the blast. And then she told the miracle of meeting a Polish woman who had been in one of those neighboring barracks who had managed to attain and keep that very shofar all these many years. The woman ran home to retrieve the shofar and when she did, there stood two children of Bergen Belsen healthy and safe and alive. "There aren''t many people left who can tell this story, kinderlach," she added wistfully. "And many of the ones who can are ill. Tell your children, kinderlach. Tell them!"

The rebbetzin was a passionate powerhouse. She reminded us that we are living in a time of prophecy - for the Jews returning to their home, Israel, was spoken of for 2000 years, but we are the lucky generation to realize the prediction. "You are sitting in Yerushalayim, kinderlach - ir hakodesh! (Jerusalem, the holy city!)" See a bit

Now, I wish I''d asked her if she knew Magda Ehrlich, my grandmother, also of Hungarian descent who was in Bergen Belsen during the war. But I didn''t. The rebbetzin''s reputation preceded her, her books lined my shelves in LA, and the question completely escaped me in the moment. But, imagine! If the rebbetzin remembered my grandmother, we''d be yet another miracle story! But the truth is, we''re both miracles anyway and our meeting another triumph of goodness.

***

Yossi was another sweet connection that came out of the apartment balagan (mess). See, here in Emek Refaim, I live on a street called David El Royi, which is nestled behind another street called Hatzefira. At the intersection of these two lies a school, and Yossi guards the entrance to the school. Now, truth be told, Yossi is an older gentleman - hardly the intimating bouncer type I remember from the nightlife of New York.

The first week I was here, I passed the school each day like a stranger. Yossi didn''t seem too friendly. Quite the opposite - he seemed like he might be a grouch. After a week of living here, I got a "Boker tov" (good morning) and a small smile from Yossi. Hmmm? Never one to refuse a boker tov, I replied "Boker or!" (good light!)

Soon, this was our morning routine.

In the last 2 weeks, I have begun chatting with Yossi both in the morning and in the afternoon - whenever I pass the school. One afternoon this week, I told him about my apartment situation as the frustration of it all was painted on my face.

I told him that the guy I''m leasing from has surprised me with inconsiderate nonsense ever since I arrived, so I have to leave or else get stuck with random strangers and unnecessary headaches all summer long. 

"Chaval (it''s a shame)," said Yossi. And he''s right - my street oozes with charm! Children play, flowers blossom, a playground is forever full of kids - sounds and images of family abound!

Yossi immediately began looking for solutions to help me. "You want to live with my daughter?" he asked. "I will find out if she needs a roommate...or," he offered. "Why don''t you just stay here, and if these people give you any problems, you call me at any hour and I will take care of it. You''ll take my cell phone and you''ll use it. I am your Abba (dad) here." He had a very serious expression on his face when he said this - I could tell he meant it. Funny too, because my real Daddums'' name is Joseph, or Yoseph in Hebrew, or Yossi for short.

"Thanks, Yossi," I said. A satisfied grin spread across Yossi''s face, dozens of beautiful laugh lines appearing around his smile and eyes. He gave my forearm a small squeeze.