From Richmond to Jerusalem
Originally from New York, the Ron family, Zvi, 39, and Sharon, 35, moved from Richmond, Virginia, where they had served as Rabbi and Rebbetzin at Kenneseth Beth Israel, to Israel in 2003. Zvi first moved to Israel with his family as a teenager and served in the army; he was ordained there. Sharon received her Bachelor of Arts from Bar Ilan University. The couple met and married in Israel, and remained there for two years before relocating to Virginia for 10 years. Zvi received his Doctorate and Sharon her Master of Arts from the University of Virginia. They have two sets of twins, ages 12 and eight. They recently celebrated their oldest daughter’s bat mitzvah. VJL asked them about the newest chapter in their lives.

Where are you living in Israel?
We live in a town called Neve Daniel which is part of Gush Etzion, right near Efrat, about 15 minutes south of Jerusalem. There are a lot of Americans in our neighborhood, so we felt right at home immediately. Still, we try to be part of the Israeli community.

Why did you decide to make aliyah?
We had started out our married lives here and we always intended to return to Israel. After a few years in Richmond, it became harder to think about leaving, since we had become so settled and had started a family, but we always knew that our goal was to return. It was the actual logistics of picking up and moving, packing, finding new jobs, choosing a place to live, making new friends that was daunting for us. The technical stuff had me very worried, but it all worked out beautifully.

Do you have family in Israel?
Yes, a lot. In fact, we barely have any family left in the United States at this point. Sharon’s brother has lived here for ages with his wife and children, and we are very close to them and live only three minutes away. Zvi’s parents moved here in 1986 and have been here ever since. Zvi’s two sisters and their husbands and children also live close by. I was very sad to leave my parents behind in New York when we moved, but Zvi always said that they would follow us. He was right! Less than two years after we made aliyah, they joined us permanently in Israel and now they live in Jerusalem. We see them every single week.

How did people react to your decision to move to Israel?
People who knew us well were not surprised. We had talked about moving back for ages and we visited Israel with the kids many times while living in Richmond. We had a few false starts with moving and I’m sure there were people who thought we’d never actually pick up and go. Our synagogue family was very supportive of us, even though they were sad to see us go and to lose the rabbi that they had employed for a decade. We keep in close touch with many of them even now. Almost four years later, when friends come to Israel to visit, we get together and we send email updates every few months to let people know how we are doing and that we are thinking about them. There were certainly people who thought we were absolutely crazy, no doubt. One of the local television stations even interviewed us after a long summer trip to Israel as if that was newsworthy! The staff I worked with at Henrico Doctors Hospital thought I must be out of my mind. Some thought we’d be back with our tail between our legs within a year or two, but thank G-d we were able to pull it off and make it here.

What kind of help did you get in making aliyah?
KBI members were incredibly helpful in many ways. We stored tons of furniture in the empty rooms downstairs for months; people helped with a packing and moving sale, and with cleaning up. The shul threw us a beautiful and meaningful goodbye party with a special journal. Once we were in Israel, my brother was incredibly helpful with basically every single detail and stored our 40-foot lift until we were able to move into our own home (we rented for nine months until our house was ready). Nefesh b’Nefesh, which is a history altering organization, helped smooth things over for us in terms of bureaucratic red tape and is still a great resource for us. Our neighbors were unbelievably welcoming right from the start and we have made some of the best friends of our lives here.

What has been your greatest challenge?
At first, it was simply a challenge getting the kids adjusted to Hebrew and a new school, but they caught on quickly. Now I think the challenges are the same as any adult and parent has: Making ends meet, keeping your kids safe, finding time to do all the things that have to be done (but without Sunday, since that is a regular workday here).

What do you love most about Israel?
Kosher food everywhere! I love food shopping and just being able to buy almost anything and to get fresh bread all the time. We have a huge bakery just down the block. It’s great to be in the majority here for once, instead of the weirdo at the hospital who wears a hat to work and who can’t eat?out. Everyone celebrates holidays together here. Christmas comes and goes and the only evidence is some extra stars hung up on the road that leads to Bethlehem.

What are the key differences between Israel and the United States?
We feel very settled here. In Richmond, we refused to buy real furniture; we only bought those kits of furniture you put together yourself. We didn’t want to let ourselves get too comfortable, too settled in. Here, we are. A funny and unexpected fringe benefit in Israel is that since it is such a small and young country, many things are possible here that couldn’t happen for us in America. There is a sense that if you just have the nerve to try something here, you can make it happen, things you may not have thought you could achieve before. It is something like pioneering in the wild west. For example, Zvi wrote and published a book that is sold in bookstores all over the country. I opened a speech pathology clinic with a partner in Jerusalem and have the greatest combination of business and medicine that I could have dreamed of. I never ever in a million years would have tried such a crazy thing in Richmond, never. But here, it seems that if you specialize in one field, you can be a big fish in a small pond, and now my partner and I speak nationally for government offices and hospitals about healthcare issues. Who could have predicted that?

What are your long-term goals?
Keep on keeping on here and doing what we’re doing. We want our kids to grow up healthy and happy and safe, we want to be able to be with them and enjoy them and provide for them, just like every parent on the face of the earth. No different. Family, friends and peace.

What do you hope for?
We hope to see you all here soon! Bring us Costco aluminum foil when you come because I’m running out!

-Allie Vered
Photo by Uri Vered