November 2003

My knees are sore, my calf muscles ache. Fragile vertebrae threaten to fracture, and my head pounds from dehydration. But I don’t care (typical youthful short-sightedness). I did it, and, truth to tell, I’d quite like to do it again, but quicker this time. You see, last night, I must add before your imagination runs away with you, I ran 10 kilometers.
It’s quite strange that distance running has entered my life. In school, I was in the squad of lots of teams - rugby, hockey, fives, tennis, football. But running was never my thing. I was too thick (in body, not brain).
As you know, my prime joy in life is my Friday afternoon football game with the children. I guess the running started to get me fit for that. After a few false starts, I finally started serious distance training about four weeks ago, culminating in yesterday’s achievement. If G-d spares my neck and knees, I hope to mark my 40th birthday, next month, with another 10 km. run. I assure you on my 30th birthday I couldn’t have run half that distance; maybe on my 50th I’ll run 20. (Don’t remind me of this in 2013).
Now to the children. Ladies first.
Abigail (2) is a doll. Golden hair and blue eyes, she’s one of those babies strangers in the street stop to admire. Far more importantly, Abigail is blessed with a permanently happy nature. She basks in the love of her brothers and sister, and is crazy about each and every one of them. Abigail is at that endearing stage of development where she speaks non-stop (all girls seem to go through that) and surprises us every day with new syntactical structures and a rapidly expanding choice of words (including some expletives I cannot guess where she learnt).
Orly (9) is also a doll, a deluxe model. This year she has officially joined Bnei Akiva, blouse, badge and kerchief. This, unremarkable in any of the 200,000 or so national religious families in Israel, is pioneering in the Isaacs family, since her elder brothers all vigorously resisted joining BA. We’re bonding around “Yad Achim”.
Naphtali (11) and Elon (13), self-taught Capuera artists, have now signed up for a real class. Capuera is a mix of martial art and acrobatics. At Elon’s barmitzva you may recall Elon and Naphtali’s acrobatic demonstration. Expect greater things at Naphtali’s barmitzva, coming up, BE”H, in 2005.
Last newsletter predated Eloni’s barmitzva. So for those who weren’t there…
Elon’s Barmitzva Shabbat
Elon’s barmitzva Shabbat was the perfect excuse to dump 40+ Isaacs’s and Obermans in the tranquil, Nir Etzion guest-house situated among the pastoral Carmel mountains south of Haifa. Elon read his parasha (Va’Etchanan) superbly (he did have a superb teacher); the speeches were learned, witty, and tear-jerking; none of the singing, jokes or coca cola went flat; and Aunty Ros (Barbara’s sister) kept the children busy playing bridge all Shabbat afternoon, allowing grateful grownups to snatch 40 winks.

Elon’s Barmitzva Sunday
Elon’s barmitzva party was similarly fun. The highlight was undoubtedly the 15-minute video, or rather multi-media presentation, filmed, edited, dubbed and produced by Ari, narrated by Naphtali, scripted by Daddy and motivated by Mummy starring the new Hollywood teenage idol and rising star - Elon Isaacs - the legend. The film presented Elon’s multiple talents and multiple loves (two dogs).

More on Elon - Elon is growing into a real man. In a standing cuddle, his head, which not six months ago snuggled in comfortably below my neck, now bangs my nose. Elon is also in training to replace his Dad who is wrapping up a reluctant and thankless year as a gabbay of the shul. Elon loves davening - shacharit, mincha and maariv and seems well-built for public service. G-d save him, though, from the wrath of his congregants if he ever has to arrange the seating for the Yamim Noraim. I still bear the memories of one particular restrained though irate congregant, who greeted me, on Rosh Hashana evening, with the words “May all the curses of the wicked befall you”, and this because he was moved, for three days, from his regular seat. Who knows what “blessings” he would have bestowed on me had I stolen one of his sweeties.

Ari (15) is taking his first bagruyot (matriculation exams) this year. This has changed his attitude to school from one of childish hatred to juvenile loathing with an unhealthy serving of apathy. However, he jumps out of bed in the morning when I wake him at 6am, with no hesitation. Not to catch the school bus, mind you, but to get on the Internet to play Utopia - a world-wide online game of building kingdoms, cities and armies and fighting wars with neighbouring fiefdoms, in which, Ari claims, 80,000 people participate. Utopia has had the effect of switching Ari off. He no longer communicates as a human being; he hardly even plays bridge; he rarely ventures out the house. Through his very considerable number of waking hours, his every free moment is spent playing on the Internet. And this they call “Utopia”!

I think we’ll cut it short today. Got to go easy on my vertebrae.

Lots of love

Michael, Judy and all the children

NOTE. The author is licensed to ameliorate, exaggerate and fabricate, within reasonable limits, for the purpose of telling a good story, including, but not limited to, all words, phrases, clauses, sub-clauses, sentences and paragraphs in this letter. Notwithstanding, poetic license does not detract from the essential accuracy of the said narrative.