46 | JUNE 16 • 2022 

ERETZ

A

vi Gruber, 72, moved back to 
Israel in 2016 with his wife, Abby. 
Although he was born and raised 
in Israel, he still had to adjust to his “new” 
surroundings after leaving the warm 
community of Beverly Hills, Mich. They 
settled in Tel Aviv but recently moved to 
Hod HaSharon, where the pace feels a little 
more like Michigan.

 JN: When did you leave Israel?
Avi: I lived in Israel until I was 26, when I 
settled down in Detroit.
 JN: What drew you to Michigan?
Avi: I met my wife in Florida, but she 
was from Birmingham, Mich., and that’s 
how I ended up there. We first lived 
in Birmingham and then moved to 
Southfield and then to Beverly Hills. I 
lived in Michigan for a total of 42 years. 
 JN: What made you decide to move 
back to Israel?
Avi: There’s a dream that every Israeli has 
when they leave Israel. At the beginning, 
you are ready to go back to Israel; but as 
time goes by, you settle down and all these 
things get put on the back burner.
Our two sons, Joshua and Jordan, had 
both made aliyah and all our grandchil-
dren live in Israel, so when we thought 
about that, we decided to live near our 
grandchildren. 
 JN: What shul and schools did your 
family attend in Michigan?
Avi: I was affiliated with The Shul in 
West Bloomfield, where Rabbi Shemtov is 
the rabbi. I was with him from the begin-
ning when the minyan was in his base-
ment all the way through until the time 
I left. My kids went to Sunday school at 
Beit Achim Southfield, where they both 
had their bar mitzvahs.
JN: What did you do professionally 
when you lived in Michigan?
Avi: I had a well-known auto repair shop 
called Avi’s Auto Care on Northwestern 
Highway in Farmington Hills. I also had 
a Mobile gas station on Northwestern and 
Orchard Lake for five years. 

 JN: What do you do to occupy your 
time?
Avi: I’m an outdoors person. I do a lot of 
hiking all over Israel with different groups. 
We travel anyplace we can. For example, 
I’m just taking off for four or five days 
with a friend to Cyprus, just to have a little 
bit of a different environment. 
 JN: How is it living back in Israel 
now after so many years of living in the 
diaspora?
Avi: It is a big adjustment for me and my 
wife. It’s not easy, but you learn to adjust. 
You do the best of it, but you have to be 
determined because if you’re not, you’re 
not going to make it. 
 JN: Do you still have family living here?
Avi: My mother, who is in her 90s, lives 
here. My brother and his children and 
grandchildren also live here, as do my sons 
and their families.
 JN: What do you love about being back 
in Israel? 
Avi: I love being with my people and 
being close to my family. I love the 
environment. I joined a soccer team, 
called “walking football,” which is made 
up almost entirely of foreigners and some 
Israelis. 

 JN: Is there anything you miss about 
living in Michigan?
Avi: I miss the weather. Because of my 
business, snow was a big part of my life. 
I loved waking up in the morning and 
cleaning our neighbors’ and my in-laws’ 
driveways with my plow and going cross-
country skiing. 
 The other thing I miss is the Jewish 
Community Center, which was a big 
part of my life. I loved the sports and the 
environment and seeing my friends. I also 
loved my neighborhood in Beverly Hills. 
Detroit was very good to me in many 
different ways, but I realized a long time 
ago that it wasn’t home. Here, I feel a lot 
more comfortable. 
 JN: Do you have any advice for people 
thinking about making aliyah?
Avi: You should make aliyah, but you have 
to prepare yourself in many different ways, 
especially emotionally. If you’re not ready 
for all the difficulties you will encounter, 
that’s not good. It helps if you have some 
money saved or a profession in which 
you can continue earning an income. Get 
yourself ready and don’t dive in with your 
eyes closed. 

Avi Gruber: ‘I Love Being 
with My People.’

AVIVA ZACKS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Avi 
Gruber

MEET THE OLIM

