בס"ד
Lately in occurs to me what a long strange trip its been.
Still crazy after all these years.
Reflections across the 41 years in Israel
It was the 14th of Shvat 1985 and I arrived at Beit Canada shortly after sunrise. It was drizzling and their were saplings in the parking lot to be planted in honor of Tu b'Shvat. I was gabbai of the shul in the maon (מעון - shelter, home, new residence facility). I made friendships to this day with Allan Schreiber and Murray Gingold. Other friends were Lou & Evelyn Shuster and Yerachmiel Cohen.
During that time I worked at Somech, Chaiken CPA's (now KPMG). There I audited Elscint. I learned much about secular Israeli society. It is not like the media. Important names are Fred Somech, Ada (עדה), and Roger Lavender. I was well paid and well respected. Importantly the sent me on the road to yeshiva and Meah Sharim.
From there I moved to the heart of Geula 3 December 1986. I combine Geula with Shmuel HaNavi. It was in Geula that I became basically a Yerushalmi Hasid. I frequented Breslav, Pupa, Synagogue Har Tsvi, and the synagogue of Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri. My good friends were Shalom Lazer Markovitz and Benyamin Unger, who lived in Sanhedria Murchevet. I continued studying at Yeshiva Ohr Somayach. I started there in summer of 1984 and attended until 1997. My magid shiur in Gemara was Rabbi Moshe Pindrus. I completed the Mishna for the first time and made a siyum at Ohr Somayach with my parents. My principal havrusa was Avraham Ehrblich. I completed my first mesechta, Rosh Hashana with him.
I then moved to Bayit v'Gan. My roommate was Zeev Breier who remains a friend to this day. I dovened נץ (sunrise) at Chanichei haYeshivot. Among the people in my minyan was Rabbi Aharon Feldman. He is one of today's giants of Torah and is presently rosh yeshiva of Nir Yisrael in Baltimore. I was a Shabbos guest of his many times and attended his class in Mishle (Proverbs) on motsie Shabbos at Ohr Somayach. I also was friendly with Shlomi Davis and Rabbi Budlander, who I knew from Ohr Somayach.
I then moved to Brachfeld around 2005. It is a neighborhood in Modi'in Illit. I made a lot of friends there who I maintain contact with to this day. I often dovened at Pinsk-Karlin, Biala, and Karlin-Stolin. I made many friends with whom I am in contact with until today. They include Avraham Shmerler, Rabbi Baruch Rozenfeld, Yochanan Holtzberg, Eli Glick, and Tsvi Glick. It was there that I completed Shas, endured great poverty, and started to formulate my own ideas of religion. I resumed smoking cannabis and taking psychedelics for the first time since moving to Israel decades earlier.
I then moved to Beit Shemesh in 2019. It happened that I was able to rent a small apartment from my friend Michael Harris. It had been an addition to his house for his recently widowed mother. Beit Shemesh was a major growing city and a pace setter in the State of Israel. From a practical standpoint they were doing things right including successfully using the religious model. I was proud to be part of it. I frequented synagogues Aish Kodesh, Biala, and Chabad Dolev. I continued by friendship with Zeev Breir visiting him many times for Shabbos. He introduced me to Rabbi Eliyahu Feldman, who also often hosted me for Shabbos. I was also a frequent Shabbos guest of my neighbor Shlomi Epstein. I also attended collel at Mikdash Ma'er (מקדש מאיר) synagogue. My Havrusa was Shmuel Helig. In Beit Shemesh I turned more to seclusion and further developed my individual religious ideas. I stopped smoking cannabis after I experienced slight but frequent problems with my lungs. I also stopped taking strong psychedelics after a very strong and unusual experience. I drew the conclusion that the time of psychedelic integration had arrived.
I moved to Zefat 15 December 2025. It was the first day of Hanuka. I'm still getting acclimated. Incredibly health difficulties with my respiratory system have pretty much cleared up ( I've wanted to live in Safed since learning about it as a boy in Hebrew school. Subsequently the idea of attaching myself to the Beis Midrash (synagogue) of Shem v'Ever appealed to me. I had visited the city many times starting with my first tour of Israel. Since moving to Israel I have gone to the Beis Midrash of Shem v'Ever a number of times. I also go to Chabad Levi Yitzhak and the collel at Shivat haBanim.
לע"נ
האבא פייוול בן אהרן זצ"ל ב אדר תשפ"ג
האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טו ניסן תשנ"ח
העלון ניתן לקבל גם באתר http://dyschreiber.blogspot.com
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