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Monday, March 25, 2013

My Own Personal Exodus

As we approach one of my favorite holidays of the Jewish year, I am compelled to view my own journey as a personal transition from the slavery of illness into the arms of good health and blessings.

In a matter of hours, Jewish People around the world will sit down and break matzah. I have the great honor and pleasure of hosting my entire immediate family including my husband and five children, my parents, four of my five brothers (my youngest brother has to stay on his base in the army) and their wives and children. Tonight, as we tell the story of our ancestors' slavery and release form Egypt, and celebrate the transition from slavery to freedom... I am especially moved by the contrast of feelings I experienced last holiday.

Last year, at this time, I felt a shadow of my current strength and self. The thought of preparing for the holiday was enough to keep me in bed with the covers pulled tight. Exhaustion and a general feeling of discomfort and lack of luster plagued me. Signs that I will never overlook again; feeling full without eating much, abdominal pain and nausea, but mostly immense unexplained exhaustion, were the whispering signs of ovarian cancer rapidly growing in my body. While I suffered along for quite some months, the final sign that something was wrong, for me, was blood. That final sign delivered me onto the doorstep of medicine, diagnosis, and treatment. Blood has obvious associations with slavery, and I cringe at the thought of what our ancestors went through as they endured beatings and they bled. I cannot overlook the symbolism that blood holds... of freedom. On the night before the Jewish People left Egypt, they were commanded to slaughter a sheep or a goat and to smear its blood on every door post of Jewish homes. This was to be a sign that the plague of the death of all the first-born sons of the Egyptians would not affect any of the Israelite homes. Shortly after that, our ancestors left Egypt.

In no way do I claim to be great or worthy of such a wondrous journey as prolific and  meaningful as the greatest story in Jewish history; the Exodus! I believe that every person lives their own personal Testament, their own Torah. This is mine and I feel great in publicizing the miracles that G-d has given me today, in this world. Tonight, as I sit down with my People to drink the red wine, the symbol of our blood and our freedom, each and every symbolic food on the Seder plate will come alive. The power of the symbolism that each of the foods displayed will not be lost on me. The bitter herbs and the charoset, the egg and the bone... all symbols with dual meanings that embody both slavery and deliverance to freedom! The whole point of the Seder meal is, as the wise scholars  have told us for generations, that we should tell the story of leaving Egypt to the point where we actually see and feel ourselves personally leaving Egypt!  Egypt symbolizes slavery on every level; spiritual and physical, material, and psychological so eventually and climactically, we strive to break out of all of them.

It's clear beyond doubt what my personal Egypt was this past year. I feel so blessed to have been carried out of Egypt feeling more alive and strong than ever. What better way to come up close and personal with the story of Exodus and my ancient roots? There are many symbols in life that we can embody and LIVE through modern day deliverance from slavery to freedom. These symbols, whatever they might be, can be an inspiration. This year, I will raise my glass and unchain myself from my own personal Egypt. May we all be blessed with inspiration from whatever symbols move us to release from our own personal slavery and deliver us to freedom in this world and the World to Come.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Living Sincerely - Jerusalem Marathon

Last Friday (March 1st), was the magnificent marathon in Israel's capital - JERUSALEM! The experience of running in the 10K at the Jerusalem Marathon was possibly one of the greatest events of the year for me. I started planning about 6 months ago, around the time that I started chemotherapy treatments. I knew that I wanted to raise money for an organization close to my heart and I set my goal; to complete the 10 kilometer race alongside my family and friends. Six months ago... March, 2013 seemed like a distant dream.

my bro, Levi, carried me thru
As the weeks passed, marked by one chemo after the other, I began to worry about my physical ability to participate in and complete the 10 kilometers through the very steep hills of Jerusalem. In the end those worries were put to rest and the excitement and anticipation took over - sucking out any remaining doubt. Accompanying me on the day of the race: a film crew of high school girls making their final project movie, my husband, David, and our two eldest daughters, 4 out of 5 of my brothers, Eli, Matt, Levi, and Josh, Team (Erika) Tishkofet, my running partner, Joules from Ohio, and many many friends who came to cheer us on and participate in the outstanding atmosphere that is the very spiritual and unique Jerusalem Marathon.  The morning started out very chilly, shadowed by dark clouds and a few rain drops yet as we moved along the course, the sun peeped out and shone down on the thousands of people who came to run through the ancient streets of the Holy City. The hills were not smaller than I'd imagined. Everybody talked about "those hills" leading up to the race day and those hills did not disappoint... still feeling them in my muscles nearly one week later. My brother, Levi, landed in Israel from a business trip in London, England mere hours before the race! Levi not only paced me the entire time but he ran ahead to snap photos and take video, making me (and everyone around us) laugh and smile... chanting and cheering as we ran through the tunnels. Bystanders lined the streets almost throughout the course, some holding encouraging signs, giving out high-fives. The city went all out on making sure the atmosphere was festive with clowns on stilts and live bands playing music. There were reportedly 20,000 participants running from 58 countries around the world!
Joules & me at the finish line

My running pace has never been very fast. I'm in it to win it... not for the speed but for the distance. If I can keep going that's all I need to make it worth it. While the race was joyful and fun, I admit, it was a relief to make it to the final kilometer and cross the finish line with my friend, Joules, who came all the way from Ohio, to run in the half marathon in my honor. Melanie Lidman, of the Jerusalem Post, wrote an article featuring us in last week's Friday JPost "In Jerusalem" section which can be viewed online here. I'd also like to thank Jeremy Wimpfheimer, of DJW Consulting, for his exceptional PR work for the Jerusalem Marathon.


DH, 4 of my bros & me
Running reminds me not only that I'm alive and well, breathing and sweating, but also WHY I'm here. I'm here, on this Earth, to enjoy the many wonders and gifts that G-d created. We live in a time where men and women of all religions, faiths, colors, and nations are privileged to participate in running side by side through the streets of Israel's capital city, Jerusalem! I'm overwhelmed and moved with euphoria and joy to be a part of this flock, this club that unites.  Phenomenal, sums it up! Thanks to the many wonderful, brave, running enthusiasts who signed up and joined my team, running for Team Tishkofet - Life's Door! Due to the generosity of our friends, family, and sponsors, we succeeded at raising over 25,000 shekels that will be used to fund programs directly serving Tishkofet patients. That's what I call living sincerely!