Community

Falling in Love with Boston

As the time passed living in Boston, Arik and Avital were happy to be living in a place that is very progressive and liberal compared to other places in the US, "we felt very safe, and welcomed and that there was a lot of opportunity for growth here." After having their second and third daughters, Arbell and Ayala, they were grateful to be living in a place with such a great education system. They began to feel like their friends were becoming more and more like family, and so far, they only had good things to say about Boston.

Building Their Community Early On

When first arriving in Boston, they went to the JCC to look for Israelis, and there they found their first Israeli family. That same night they were invited to dinner, and there they met another Israeli family that now, 16 years later, are still their best friends. "It's funny with Israelis, we get connected very quickly and we stick together." They felt that they started getting integrated into the community when Ori began daycare at the JCC. There they made their first circle of friends. They would see them every day meet up afterward, and eventually start celebrating holidays together. Very quickly it became their social world, Avital was very good at creating and fostering these relationships. Arik and Avital were able to connect so quickly with the other families because none of them had their extended family here, so they became each other's family. "If we were in Israel, we would celebrate Rosh Hashana, Passover, and all those big holidays with our families, but here we don't have our families so our friends become our families."

Staying Connected

Although it was incredibly difficult for Avital and Arik to leave their families and come start a new life halfway across the world, all the technology that has become available has made this distance seem smaller. They keep in touch daily with FaceTime and text messages. Arik, Avital, and their girls consistently visit Israel once a year during the summer for an extended period. Naturally, they still feel pretty remote from their families in Israel.

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