48 | JULY 28 • 2022
M
iriam Maor, 50,
made aliyah with
her family from
Southfield in 2007 and moved
into Ramat Beit Shemesh,
about 25 miles west of
Jerusalem, where she still
resides.
JN: Where did you grow up?
Miriam: I grew up in Palo
Alto, Calif., and went to
South Peninsula Hebrew
Day School, which was a
Bnei Akiva school. We sang
all of the stanzas of “Kachol
v’Lavan,” which hardly
anybody knows.
JN: So, you had a strong
Zionist education?
Miriam: Yes, until I moved
to Pittsburgh. I went to
Lubavitch school there,
and then I went to Yavne
seminary in Cleveland.
JN: What schools and shul
did your family attend?
Miriam: My son learned at
the Yeshiva of Toledo, and
my other kids were in Bais
Yehudah and Darchei Torah.
We davened at Machon
L’Torah and now Rabbi and
Mrs. J. live right across the
street from me! I also taught
at Bais Yaakov.
JN: What was the motivation
behind your aliyah?
Miriam: First of all, we
always wanted to live in
Israel. This is HaShem’s land,
which He gave to us, so this
is where we’re supposed to
be.
Also, a few things were
happening at that time. My
brother got married in Israel
in 2004 and, when we got
back to Michigan, we felt
drawn back to Israel. A year
later, Gush Katif [in Gaza]
was being evacuated, and
I remember sitting at the
computer watching videos
of it and crying. I thought
I’d rather have my kids be
garbage cleaners in Israel
than live comfortably in
America because Israel is
where we should be.
JN: What was your aliyah
flight like?
Miriam: We had six young
kids and the youngest
two were babies. We were
obviously the last ones off
the plane and then we were
processed. It was a great
feeling to be making aliyah,
but there were some hard
times at the beginning.
JN: What are you doing now?
Miriam: I am a fitness
instructor: Zumba, toning,
spinning. And now I’m also
learning yoga. I also work
for an organization called
Pointed Discovery, where we
listen to phone conversations
of incarcerated individuals
in the United States to find
out information on criminal
activity.
JN: What are your kids up
to?
Miriam: Yehuda, 30, is an
auto engineer who changes
regular cars into racing
cars. Nechama Shira, 28,
is an editor for a scientist.
Yechezkel, 25, is currently
living in Jerusalem, learning
Chinese medicine and is
an aide to elderly patients.
Zahava, 21, is working in
Hadassah Hospital as a
nurse’s aide and also in a
pub. Tzivia, 16, is in 11th
grade and is wonderful with
animals and art. Betzalel,
15, is in ninth grade and
composes and remixes
beautiful songs, designs art
online and helps his friends
with their computers.
JN: What do you love about
living in Israel?
Miriam: I feel that just
by living day-to-day life,
everything’s a mitzvah
because I’m doing it in Israel.
And I love my community.
JN: What do you miss about
living in Michigan?
Miriam: I miss the people
and Trader Joe’s.
JN: Do you have a message
for anyone back in Michigan
about living in Israel?
Miriam: The best thing a
Jewish person can do is
connect with HaShem, the
Torah and His land. My
stepfather gave me a book
called Eretz Israel in the
Parashah, and every time
things are not easy here, I
read this book. It talks about
how certain mitzvot, like
benching, are so much more
meaningful in Israel.
Also, I felt that if we didn’t
move, I was just going to get
a new car and redo my house.
Here, I can do all of that and
it’s a mitzvah. Everything’s
infused with Kedushah
[holiness] because I’m living
here. My mother told me that
anyone who makes aliyah is
paying to live here; there’s a
famous saying: “Eretz Israel
is acquired by hardships.” But
it’s definitely worth it.
AVIVA ZACKS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
MEET THE OLIM
ERETZ
Miriam Maor:
‘It’s definitely worth it.’