Our ShinShinim

Omri -

Shabbat Shalom to everyone, but especially to my two special guests - my parents.

As I’m sure we all know and can all feel, Pesach is coming really soon. As a kid, I remember that one of the songs that represents Pesach for me is the song “אביב הגיע פסח בא”, “Spring is here, Pesach is coming”. But, it’s not only an Israeli kid’s song; it’s a song that also represents the deep and strong connection and roots between our Jewish holidays and traditions to Israeli nature and the Hebrew calendar.

As Nisan began, the Hebrew month we are in right now, we can almost immediately see nature in Israel starting to become green. Most of the trees are waking up from their winter sleep, and the fields of wheat, that I’m so familiar with in my town view, are just starting to ripen in order to be ready to harvest in 49 days just in time for Shavuot. And those perfect conditions come to a peak around the middle of the month of Nisan, which also gives the best conditions for the wild animals to give birth, like the cub of the Negev ibex and the Israelite deer. As the temperature has risen a bit and weeds are soft enough for the newborns to eat, they can thrive in those environmental conditions.

A similar thing happens to us, not to the Israeli wild animals but rather to the Israeli people. As Nisan comes, we have this deep-seated urge to prepare for Pesach; we start cleaning and preparing. Just like Israeli nature is preparing the best conditions for the rebirth of the wild animals, we are preparing for the rebirth or the birthday of our people - Pesach.

And this year’s rebirth of Pesach and my birthday itself, I had the chance to celebrate with my own biological parents, Chen and Gabby, although I love my host parents Uri and Kelly. And I also would love to seize this opportunity at the peak and say how grateful and thankful I am for them to come all the way to see me and experience it with me.

Sharon -

Shabbat Shalom everyone, and also to Chen and Gabby. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to introduce three special guests of my own. First of all, some of you already met him - My dad, Ronen Durst. Second of all, my amazing mom, Tami Durst. And last, My brother, which you all heard about - Elad Durst.

I am so happy to be able to connect these three people with you guys - and to have them meet the amazing community they have heard so much about. 

I truly am a believer in the saying that the people that surround you define who you are. I am so lucky to say that I am surrounded by some of the most amazing people one can be surrounded by. I have already spoken about each one of my family members in detail here, but I’d like to take a moment here, in front of them, to tell you all how incredibly fortunate I am to be able to call them my  family, and how much I love them. Thank you for coming today.

The people that surround me also consist of my friends. 

Today, April 20th, happens to be a very special day for me. Today, is the birthday of my best friend - Avital. Avital is turning 19 today, but I have known her since we were 12. We met in middle school, and have been absolutely inseparable since. The joke in the past years has always been that we don’t exist without one another. Every time someone saw only one of us, he’d ask where the other one is. A lot of you know I was an EMT back home. I was also a counselor and head of youth volunteers in my local station. This role would have been impossible to do alone, and I was so happy that I got to experience it with Avital. 

The most difficult part of living abroad, even if just for a year, is being far away from the people I love. Obviously, my parents and my brother, that I am overjoyed to have here. My entire family, my friends, and of course, Avital included. 

Going from seeing someone for hours everyday, to not seeing them for months is a difficult change, that I am still adjusting to. But, this change is a crucial part of growing up. 

Even if I wasn’t here in Toronto, I still would not have seen my friends daily. 

Soldiers in Israel, only see their friends from home on weekends. Canadian teenagers only see their friends and family when they come back from university. Around the globe, learning to change dynamics of friendship is a crucial part of growing up.

One of the main reasons I decided to do a gap year, was to grow up. I wanted to experience independence, to grow as a person and to give as much from myself as I could. I hope I am doing a good job with the latter, but one thing I can say for sue is that Mom, I learned how to do my own laundry.

How lucky am I, to have an environment that allows me to grow as a person oceans away, and still be supportive and loving as id they were here.

It is true what they say. Distance dies make the heart grow fonder, and I am very fond of all of my friends and family.

Thank you all, for being my canadian friends and family. While there is not much distance, I am also very fond of you.

Shabbat Shalom, and Happy Passover.