I arrived in Los Angeles in July 2005. It was the hardest year of my entire life.

The trauma of my brother’s serious accident and almost marrying a person who could not have possibly been more wrong for me weighed heavily on my heart. I’d been in LA all of 6 miserable months and had just walked out on the man I was to marry only weeks hence.

Yet, at the height of all this turmoil, G-d had a plan that was way beyond my comprehension at the time.

The day I ended my engagement, is the exact same day of the meeting that birthed JconnectLA. Thankfully, instead of what would have certainly been a failed marriage, I committed myself to and married a vision- one that would change the course of my existence.

Although I was working for LINK (a Jewish non-profit in Westwood) at the time, Cheston and I decided that I would put my energy into a new project called ‘JconnectLA’. It was the vision of Jewish Unity- a plan to create a Jewish experience in LA that would bring together Jews from any cultural or religious background in a space that was warm, fun and hip.

Within months, Jconnect had grown so much that I had to leave LINK to develop this project full-time. I took the leap, even though Jconnect was not yet registered as its own entity, and left LINK- running Jconnect from a computer, desk and phone in my apartment for the next 6 months.

Jconnect’s success and growth led to our establishment as a 501(c)(3) and subsequent substantial donations eventually led to moving from my bedroom into a nice new office in Century City. That was around July of 2006.

I put all the passion and energy I had into my new life in Los Angeles and the vision of bringing the Los Angeles Jewish community together.

After the pain of the previous year, it felt so good to be driven by a purpose larger than myself.
I lived and breathed Jconnect for the next 3 years. I was at every birthday party, every hike, every trip and every social gathering I knew of. Sometimes, doing the circuit meant 3 or 4 parties in a single night….. And I was loving every minute.

I got to meet wonderful, creative, friendly individuals who were interesting and were supportive of the work I was doing. The relationships Cheston Mizel had created around his Shabbat table all those years ago had solidified into not just a well known and respected organization, but also into a community of friends- and some even deeper. Family.

So, as I explored my surroundings and met Jews from all possible walks of life, I always carried with me this passion and love of the Jewish people. It was my drive- the source of my energy and my inspiration.

Yet, I was never content. I could not sit at home EVER, for fear of missing the fun. I did not want to admit it, but I was still on the run. I was having a blast, living the life, driving my convertible around sunny LA, and regular roller blading sessions on the beach… Does life get any better?

YES, it does.

In 2008 I met my soul-mate. In true poetic justice he waltzed into my life at the Jconnect event we had Lynn Finson, the Educational Director of Midreshet Rachel in Israel speaking.

Her topic: "Finding your basherte (soul-mate), why does it take so long?"

So, a new chapter began. Being omnipresent in the Jewish LA social scene became less of a priority as I was faced with the internal challenge of being in a real, meaningful relationship. Having been hurt in the past, I had to change my focus to trusting. Being vulnerable and able to receive proved to be more of an effort than expected. I found myself shifting and changing and confronting insecurities and fears that, until that point, I had not recognized even existed.

On our first date we discussed our mutual dream of spending a year in Israel learning together- building a foundation for our marriage built on Torah spirituality and service of Truth. Throughout the months we dated we continued to communicate our life long goals. At some point the hypothetical scenario’s of our ideal reality began to take shape into definite plans. We began to follow through…

"Hineni" - Here I am.
Saying farewell.

The last few years in LA have been the best I’ve ever lived. I discovered my essence, made peace with my past. Now I go to my future, to Israel, and the next adventure.

Thank you for being a part of my journey. May your journey be pleasant, full of light and laughter


Although Israel seems far away, with technology, its easy to stay in contact.

Please be in touch, it would be great to hear from you:
Website: http://www.michaltaviv.weebly.com
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MichalTavivMargolese
Twitter: MichalMargolese
Skype: mtaviv

Israel’s National Anthem, Hatikva (The Hope), has some pretty deep lyrics:

“As long as in the heart, within,
A Jewish soul still yearns,
And onward, towards the ends of the east,
An eye still gazes toward Zion;
Our hope is not yet lost,
The hope of two thousand years,
To be a free people in our land,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.”

Many of us who have been to Israel remember that feeling of getting off the plane as it landed in the Ben Gurion Airport and heaving that deep sigh of relief.
“Wow, I’m home” is what crossed my mind as I bent down, as the urge to kiss the ground overwhelmed me.

There is a connection between the Jewish people, G-d and the land of Israel that has always existed and always will. Nothing can ever break this bond. It is our duty and moral obligation to support our land and people not only with words and ideas but also with our financial and physical resources as well.

History has shown us that Israel can only flourish under the leadership of Jews. It has been controlled by many other nations throughout its turbulent history, and the land withers and turns into a barren desert under foreign reign. However, under Jewish control somehow the land becomes fertile and blooms.

In the Torah portion, Shelach Lecha (Send for Yourself), 12 spies were sent to scout out the land of Israel. The poignant story is told of how all but 2 of the spies returned an unfavorable report to the Jewish people:

“They brought forth to the Children of Israel an evil report on the Land that they had spied out….” (Numbers 13:32)

How could our own people return with the idea of “boycotting” the Holy Land, and how could the Israelites buy into it?! After all the miracles performed by G-d, including the 10 plagues, the splitting of the Reed Sea, plus all the miracles He performed in the dessert, it seems inconceivable that the Jews would think that G-d took them out of Egypt just to have them die in Israel. The narrative goes on to describe in detail the extreme punishment meted out for this lack of faith.

Their lack of faith is still being echoed today. We know we have an obligation either to support Israel, or live in the land itself. At the very least we should make an effort to speak only positively about the land. Yet, the reality is obviously far different. Many of us choose to believe the “evil reports” and condemn our holy home.

I believe this is due to fear; fear of supporting the “unpopular” opinion; fear of taking responsibility for our own potential; fear of laying claim to our purpose in this world and making the leap out of our comfort zone of material luxury into the unknown- following the path we were created to blaze.

If you consider what has been accomplished since Israel’s birth in 1948, it simply boggles the mind! Israel, the 100th smallest country in the world, with less than .12% of the world’s population has made astonishing progress in multiple areas. Here are examples of just a few:

* The cell phone was developed in Israel by Israelis working in the Israeli branch of Motorola, which has its largest development center in Israel.

* Both the Pentium-4 microprocessor and the Centrino processor were entirely designed, developed and produced in Israel.

* The Pentium microprocessor in your computer was most likely made in Israel

* Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.

* The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.

* Israel ’s $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined .

* Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.

* Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin - 109 per 10,000 people — as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.

* Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds right behind the U.S.

* Outside the United States and Canada, Israel has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies.

* On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech startups.

* Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.

* In 1984 and 1991, Israel airlifted a total of 22,000 Ethiopian Jews (Operation Solomon) at risk in Ethiopia, to safety in Israel.

* When Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, she became only the second elected female leader in the world in modern times.

* Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship — and the highest rate among women and among people over 55 - in the world.

* Medicine - Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.

* Israel’s Given Imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill. Used to view the small intestine from the inside, cancer and digestive disorders.

* An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale solar-powered and fully functional electricity generating plant, located in southern California’s Mojave Desert.
For additional facts about Israel, click here.

“A land flowing with milk and honey” is how Israel was described in the Torah. But our continued efforts and support of the land are required to turn this Biblical description into a present reality. The existence of the state of Israel is no less than a miracle. Now it’s our job to contribute to this miracle by supporting a nation that is home to the entire Jewish family.

Each and every one of us can make a difference; we can help support the economy of Israel in these difficult times by specifically requesting Israeli products. We must especially do so at places like Trader Joe’s where other misguided souls believe the anti-Zionist propaganda and are boycotting Israeli goods.

In these trying economic times, now more than ever, there are people starving and unemployed in Israel. Not living in the Land does not mean that we can just sit back and not help. We can make a huge impact and we must!

According to Jewish tradition, if we want to make the world a better place, we have to start first with our own family and then our community- and that process will, in effect, change the world for the better. It is our duty as Jews to support our brothers and sisters who are going through some very challenging times. For without Israel, the world would be a worse place. This is something that we must prevent at all costs- the time to act is NOW!!!

For more info on how YOU can help click here.

“James W. von Brunn, an 88-year-old rifle-wielding white supremacist from Maryland (a known Holocaust denier who created an anti-Semitic website) entered Washington’s Holocaust museum on Wednesday afternoon, fatally shooting a security guard before being wounded himself by return fire from other guards, authorities said.” [1]

From the inception of the Jewish people as a nation, we have faced animosity, persecution and vicious slaughter. Most people immediately think of the Holocaust as the greatest example of this cruelty.

The sad reality is, however, that the Holocaust was only the latest in a series of murderous attempts at the genocide of the Jews.

This recent anti-Semitic attack of Mr. Brunn, an 88 year old man struck a deep cord in me. I mean for goodness sake, he’s 88 years old!!!! How much hatred can an old man have inside that he picks up a rifle and charges into a museum?

It has been said that Jews control the world, that they play with the financial resources like puppet masters pulling their strings; Hitler declared us the “moral consciousness” of humanity yet somehow made that seem a despicable thing.

How are we as Jews to react to hatred no matter what we do?

Do we preach peace as Gandhi did- and walk as lambs to the slaughter? Or do we pick up arms and fight? Both have occurred in our long suffering history.

In terms of the size of our population, the Torah states that there were about 3 million Jews were at Sinai. A more modern counting is that of James Carroll who writes that “Jews accounted for 10% of the total population of the Roman Empire. By that ratio, if other factors such as pogroms and conversions had not intervened, there would be 200 million Jews in the world today, instead of something like 13 million.” [4]

I have composed a timeline to show just a few (certainly not comprehensive) examples of acts of hatred toward Jews throughout the ages:

3rd century BCE: there are numerous examples of Greek rulers desecrating the Temple and banning Jewish religious practices, such as circumcision, Sabbath observance, study of Jewish religious books, etc. Statements exhibiting prejudice towards Jews and their religion can be found in the works of many pagan Greek and Roman writers. [3]

In 19 CE: Tiberius expelled the Jews from Rome. [ibid.]

38 CE: There were anti-Jewish riots in Alexandria; Philo of Alexandria described an attack on Jews in Alexandria in which thousands of Jews died. [ibid.]

132–136 CE: The Jerusalem Talmud relates that following Bar Kokhba’s revolt the Romans killed many Jews- “killing until their horses were submerged in blood to their nostrils.” [ibid.]

167 CE: The first accusation of murder against the Jewish people as a whole- in a sermon attributed to Melito of Sardis he stated that we were collectively responsible for the death of Jesus. The sermon was entitled Peri Pascha, “On the Passover.” [3],[5]

4th century: When Christianity became the state religion of Rome, Jews became objects of religious intolerance and political oppression. Christian literature began to display extreme hostility to Jews, and this occasionally resulted in attacks on Jews and the burning of synagogues. [3]

9th century CE: the Islamic world imposed dhimmi laws on both Christian and Jewish minorities. [ibid.]

The 11th century saw pogroms against Jews in Al-Andalus; in Cordoba in 1011 and in Granada in 1066. Decrees ordering the destruction of synagogues were enacted in the Middle Ages in Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Jews were also forced to convert to Islam or face death in some parts of Yemen, Morocco and Baghdad at certain times. [ibid.]

1290: Jews are expelled from England by Edward I by the Statute of Jewry. Jews in Europe’s Middle-Ages faced full-scale persecution, including blood libels, expulsions, forced conversions and massacres. The general justification of prejudice against Jews in Europe was religious. Jews were frequently massacred and exiled from various European countries. The persecution hit its first peak during the Crusades. [ibid.]

1478: King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain institute the Spanish Inquisition. [6]

1493: Jews expelled from Sicily. As many as 137,000 exiled. [ibid.]

1496: Jews expelled from Portugal and from many German cities. [ibid.]

1648–1655: Ukrainian Cossack Bohdan Chmielnicki leads a massacre of Polish gentry and Jewry that leaves an estimated 65,000 Jews dead and a similar number of gentry. The total decrease in the number of Jews is estimated at 100,000. [ibid.]

1881–1884, 1903–1906, 1918–1920: Three major waves of pogroms kill tens of thousands of Jews in Russia and Ukraine. More than two million Russian Jews emigrate in the period 1881–1920. Many pogroms accompanied the Revolution of 1917 and the ensuing Russian Civil War: an estimated 70,000 to 250,000 civilian Jews were killed in the atrocities throughout the former Russian Empire; the number of Jewish orphans exceeded 300,000. [2]

1930 World Jewry: 15,000,000. Countries containing the most Jews include The US (4,000,000), Poland (3,500,000 11% of total), Soviet Union (2,700,000 2% of total), Romania (1,000,000 6% of total). Palestine 175,000 or 17% of total 1,036,000. [6]

1938 - Nazism began to arise as a political movement incorporating anti-Semitic ideas. These were expressed by Adolf Hitler in his book Mein Kampf (German for ‘My Struggle’). The Nazi regime in Germany led eventually to the Holocaust and to the Second World War. [3]

1939 - Kristallnacht (”Crystal Night” or “The Night of Broken Glass”) - In a coordinated attack on Jewish people and their property, 91 Jews were murdered and 25,000 to 30,000 were arrested and deported to concentration camps. More than 200 synagogues were destroyed and thousands of homes and businesses were ransacked. Kristallnacht was followed by further economic and political persecutions and is viewed by many historians as the beginning of the Final Solution, leading towards the genocide of the Holocaust. [7]

1939 -1945: The Holocaust

For a more complete list of Jewish history, click here or here.

As you can see from the incomplete list above, the persecution of the Jewish people has been consistent throughout every imaginable place on this planet. And this is just a partial list.

The Torah predicted (Book of Devarim; 4:27) that we would be scattered “among the peoples [of the world] and you will be left few in number among the nations where Hashem will lead you.” That prediction has proven absolutely true.

When you think about how long we’ve been around and compare our numbers to, say, the Chinese nation- who has grown to billions in a similar time period- it’s interesting to see how we’ve maintained our culture but have not managed to expand in number. This can not be explained by natural means.

The hatred of the Jewish people is baseless, yet the nations of the world have and will continue to find reasons. The latest incarnation of this hatred is Anti-Zionism - the hatred for the modern State of Israel, the home of the majority of the Jewish people today. Anti-Zionism is a very loose translation for the same irrational hatred that we’ve always dealt with and is at its essence pure Anti-Semitism. In fact, in 1968, the state-organized anti-Semitic campaign in the People’s Republic of Poland under guise of “anti-Zionism” drove out most of remaining Jewish population. [8]

The only hope we have is the knowledge that just as silver is smelted in order to purify it and allow its precious value to be revealed, we, too, as a people go through the furnaces of history and somehow emerge intact and more determined than ever to hold onto our heritage and live as Jews in the world.

May we be blessed to have the strength to survive the torture and the hatred of those who do not understand and remember always that we are here with purpose- to be “lights unto the nations.”

Three Days Grace, a popular rock band, made the phrase “It’s never too late” extremely popular. The song’s title and lyrics resonated with their fans and became a major hit. And that message of hope that it’s “never too late” is, in my opinion, the reason for its success.

It seems to me that they were trying to say that our dreams are always possible- that the only limitations we have are our fears. Now, I know it sounds cliche, but having a positive attitude and being able to see the good endows us with the strength to go after what we really want out of life.

An interesting lyric from the musical Into the Woods suggests: “Wishes may bring problems such that you regret them- better that, though, than to never get them…” However, from personal experience, I would suggest that you think long and hard about your dreams; they may not be all that you expected when you’re finally living them.

For as long as I can remember growing up all I wanted out of life was to travel. It was the only dream or goal that I had. So as soon as I turned 21 I donned my trusty backpack and went off to travel the continent of Europe.

Many countries and months later, I found myself alone on a mountain top looking out over the magnificent azure of the Adriatic Coast. “Now what?” I remember thinking. “Where do I go from here?” I’d been living my dream, but had no idea what to do next.

I decided to delve deeper and ask myself the tough questions:
What do I really want?
Where am I going?
What’s the purpose of my life?

I had all these questions, but no answers. Looking at that serene scene surrounding me, I realized that my traveling was just an escape from my life- and though I bounced from destination to destination, none of these places could ever be my final destination. At least not the way I had been living up until then. The traveling was only part of the process of the journey of finding the answers to those larger than life questions.

The Torah says that man was created “B’zelem Elokim”, or “In the image of G-d.” This means that, like G-d, we are able to create great works and ponder the world. In fact, not only are we able but we are obligated. We are charged with being “holy to our G-d”.

This responsibility is massive. It means that there is more to life than fulfilling our physical pleasures. Within us, we have such awesome power that if we don’t investigate our true essence and being, then we’re misappropriating the gift of life that we’ve been granted.

Think of the concept of “one-ness”, the Jewish eternal cry - “Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad” “Listen, O Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is one!” We say this prayer every day. G-d is one. There is nothing outside of G-d. Therefore, you and I and everything that exists is one too. So, any thought, shame or desire we have as individuals is shared in the “G-d Consciousness” that is ALL. We may feel alone, but it is only us who separate ourselves from each other.

The fact that we live, breathe, cry and laugh is a sign that G-d is willing us to do so. If not, according to the Kabbalah, we would just blink out of existence. I find this concept so comforting. Even when I don’t see my own value, I know that G-d does.

No matter where one stands in life, no matter what the past held or what the future promises…
its never too late. Not to late to change; not too late to reflect; not too late to improve upon ourselves and our place in the world. And it’s NEVER too late to get closer to G-d.

Staying focused in this world of distraction can be very difficult. We’ve got so many things that demand our time and attention that it’s hard to decide what to focus on! However, having a specific and defined goal can be helpful in keeping one on the road to achieving one’s goals.

One aspect that’s highly beneficial to us achieving our ambitions is to have a teacher or a person in our lives that can give objective support and guidance.

After recently getting married, I can tell you personally that having a rabbi who has listened and given an outside perspective was an invaluable grounding force for my budding relationship.

I do have to admit, however, that finding that rabbi was a life-long and extremely difficult process.

When I first began becoming more involved in the Jewish world I started to learn from the book Pirkei Avot (or “The Ethics of our Fathers”). One statement in particular struck a nerve:

Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Perachya says, “Make for yourself a teacher…” (Pirkei Avot - Chapter 1, Mishna 6)

I always wondered what I would have to do to “make” (or find) my very own Rav (personal Rabbi). The concept was puzzling and concerned me - especially since I had always envisioned myself as a rebel. Having a rabbi decide things for me or tell me what to do was not an idea I found appealing in the least.

As I grew spiritually and started to understand the world a little more, it dawned on me: “making for myself a teacher” was not about giving up my free choice, but rather it entailed developing a relationship with someone I respect and admire. This would be a deep relationship- one that would be a constant work in progress; and this individual would really get to know who I was, where I can from and what I intended on doing with my life.

In order to build this type of relationship I realized I had to let go of the preconceived notion of “nobody tells me what to do!”- simply because in this particular circumstance it just didn’t apply. This teacher that I had now “made” was a person who had my best interests at heart and also had the life experience and Torah knowledge to be able to guide me in places where I couldn’t guide myself- whether because I had no objectivity or had no prior understanding or knowledge of the topic.

I just turned thirty this year (I know, *GHASP*, she told her age! Tabooooo…..) and until the beginning of last year I had never met a single person who would fit that void. In 2008, however, I was blessed to meet not just one such individual but two! Both of these teachers have had a massive influence on my life and have helped me gain insight and self-discipline.

I consider myself very fortunate as far as my rabbinic experiences go. Still, there are many people who have had negative experiences with their rabbis. Oftentimes, those that have that title “Rabbi” assume they have the right to judge, comment or criticize those who come to them for love and support. However, usually the best rabbis (or at least the best ones I’ve come across) are those who behave quite the opposite.

So what is a Rabbi or Teacher?

Well, the definition of a Rabbi (as per dictionary.com) is:
1. A person trained in Jewish law, ritual, and tradition and ordained for leadership of a Jewish congregation, especially one serving as chief religious official of a synagogue.
2. A scholar qualified to interpret Jewish law.

And the definition of a teacher is:
1. One who imparts knowledge or skill to
2. One who conditions to a certain action or frame of mind
3. One who causes to learn by example or experience

Not every person that has the title Rabbi has the wisdom, life experience or empathy that’s assumed to be connected to that role.

Not necessarily every Rabbi is a teacher, nor are they always right.

I believe that we, as a people, need good teachers. There are many respected rabbis, but the focus may need to shift from the title “rabbi” to the impact their words and deeds have on us as individuals and as a community.

There’s a sorely felt need for those that can be both a Talmid Chacham (wise man) and yetalso lead by example (living and breathing Torah), be non-judgmental and, most importantly, love all of B’nai Yisrael unconditionally.

I’d like to give us all the blessing that we make our rabbi/our teacher into our confidant; and that this relationship leads us to discover the rabbi/teacher within us. Our neshama, our soul, the Divine Spark, wants only good and to serve the Creator of the Universe - it just needs to be taught the way. May the soul in each of us be taught to soar, and may the true teachers of Yisrael stand up and be heard.